Book cover of The Hidden Cost of Being African American

Book description

Over the past three decades, racial prejudice in America has declined significantly and many African American families have seen a steady rise in employment and annual income. But alongside these encouraging signs, Thomas Shapiro argues in The Hidden Cost of Being African American, fundamental levels of racial inequality persist, particularly…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

1 author picked The Hidden Cost of Being African American as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

I devoured this book in three days. I found it after a Google search on “wealth inequality.” I was trying to get smarter on the topic. This is a data-rich explanation of much of what I’ve experienced growing up Black in America. I’d often hear parents, aunts, and uncles talk about the “black tax.” Here, Shapiro was providing the receipts.

I was also struck by the fact that a Black person did not write the book, but simply someone who was trying to understand and reveal the crux of the issue. I felt seen when I read his reframing of…

If you love The Hidden Cost of Being African American...

Book cover of The Rosewood Penny

The Rosewood Penny by J.S. Fields,

2023 Queer Indie Award Nominee!

The dragons of Yuro have been hunted to extinction.

On a small, isolated island, in a reclusive forest, lives bandit leader Marani and her brother Jacks. With their outlaw band they rob from the rich to feed themselves, raiding carriages and dodging the occasional vindictive…

Want books like The Hidden Cost of Being African American?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like The Hidden Cost of Being African American.

Browse books like The Hidden Cost of Being African American

Book cover of The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America
Book cover of Black AF History: The Un-Whitewashed Story of America
Book cover of The Black Tax

Share your top 3 reads of 2025!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,343

readers submitted
so far, will you?

📚 If you like The Hidden Cost of Being African American, you might also like...

Book cover of Let Evening Come

Let Evening Come by Yvonne Osborne,

After her mother is killed in a rare Northern Michigan tornado, Sadie Wixom is left with only her father and grandfather to guide her through young adulthood. Miles away in western Saskatchewan, Stefan Montegrand and his Indigenous family are displaced from their land by multinational energy companies. They are taken…

Book cover of The Sarcophagus Scroll

The Sarcophagus Scroll by Kat Miller,

A dark academia mystery thriller set in contemporary St Andrews, with snappy dialogue and a strong sense of place.

When Ellie Meikle moves to the picturesque seaside town of St Andrews to study for her PhD in Ancient History, she soon feels as if she has made a mistake. She…

5 book lists we think you will like!