An excellent account of our innate need for collective joy and the orchestrated effort (and success) by elite, white men and women to suppress that joy in order to stave off rebellion and freedom for all. So glad I picked thus up as it helps me to understand social justice movements, Western religion, and classism in a deeper way.

I heard about the book during a training with White Awake (check them out!) and another important aspect of this book is watching the evolution of white people's various cultures slowly (but intentionally) moving away from joy, freedom of expression, and community to stoicism, restraint, and individualism.

Highly recommended for white folks who are seeking to understand whiteness, those seeking to dismantle the myth of white supremacy, anyone seeking to build community and movements, and history buffs in general.