Accountability : Common Reader Books 2024-2026 : The Sum of Us by Heather McGhee

Penguin Random House First-Year and Common Reading Guide (this is a pdf)

Penguin Random House Educator Resources (this is a pdf)

Discussion guide by Heather C McGhee (this is a pdf)

The Sum of Us podcast - On the heels of her bestselling book, Heather McGhee embarks on a road trip across Covid-era America, unearthing stories of American solidarity and hope in a time of great division and peril for our democracy. Join Heather as she travels from rural Maine to the California coast and everywhere in between, meeting extraordinary Americans who are crossing demographic, cultural, and political lines to build a better future for all of us.Organize with us. Take action @ www.thesumofuspodcast.com

NHC Education Programs 2023-2024 Humanities in Class Webinar Series - In this webinar, Heather McGhee will discuss the research she conducted and the ideas that inform her New York Times bestseller, The Sum of Us, which examines how racism affects and harms all of us. She also optimistically recommends concrete ways we can face racism and the costs it extracts head-on, together. In her book, now adapted for young readers, McGhee draws on her expertise in economic policy, lessons learned from her work at a think tank, and insights from her travels around the country talking to everyday Americans fighting for a more just and inclusive society.

SEIU The Sum of Us Book Discussion with Heather McGhee - Join our broad union family for a conversation on how racial justice economically and socially helps everyone. Heather McGhee will share the inspiration for her new book, SUM OF US: What Racism Cost Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together, and explore its connections to the labor movement.

Heather McGhee’s specialty is the American economy—and the mystery of why it so often fails the American public. From the financial crisis of 2008 to rising student debt to collapsing public infrastructure, she found a root problem: racism in our politics and policymaking. But not just in the most obvious indignities for people of color. Racism has costs for white people, too. It is the common denominator of our most vexing public problems, the core dysfunction of our democracy and constitutive of the spiritual and moral crises that grip us all. But how did this happen? And is there a way out?

McGhee embarks on a deeply personal journey across the country from Maine to Mississippi to California, tallying what we lose when we buy into the zero-sum paradigm—the idea that progress for some of us must come at the expense of others. Along the way, she meets white people who confide in her about losing their homes, their dreams, and their shot at better jobs to the toxic mix of American racism and greed. This is the story of how public goods in this country—from parks and pools to functioning schools—have become private luxuries; of how unions collapsed, wages stagnated, and inequality increased; and of how this country, unique among the world’s advanced economies, has thwarted universal healthcare.

But in unlikely places of worship and work, McGhee finds proof of what she calls the Solidarity Dividend: the benefits we gain when people come together across race to accomplish what we simply can’t do on our own. The Sum of Us is not only a brilliant analysis of how we arrived here but also a heartfelt message, delivered with startling empathy, from a black woman to a multiracial America. It leaves us with a new vision for a future in which we finally realize that life can be more than a zero-sum game.

Hardcover - SBN 9780525509561

Ebook - ISBN 9780525509578

Audiobook - ISBN 9780593207710

Penguin Random House Book Page

Heather McGhee is an expert in economic and social policy. The former president of the inequality-focused think tank Demos, McGhee has drafted legislation, testified before Congress, and contributed regularly to news shows, including NBC’s Meet the Press. She now chairs the board of Color of Change, the nation’s largest online racial justice organization. McGhee holds a BA in American studies from Yale University and a JD from the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law.

Penguin Random House Author Page

Accountability Activities/Assignments

1. Ethical Dilemmas

• How does this teach accountability? Presents the student with difficult decisions by being exposed to situations with conflicting interests or values.  
• Focus on: Breaking down the ethical dilemma. Ask questions like: What are the rights and responsibilities of the individuals and institutions involves? What ethical principles or values are in conflict? What are the potential consequences of different courses of action?
  • Present students with scenarios of ethical dilemmas from the book related to accountability and social justice. Then facilitate discussions on the moral obligations of individuals and institutions in these situations
  • Explore with different perspectives and brainstorm different options, challenge students to think creatively about possible solutions

2. Media Analysis

• How does this teach accountability? Students may be inspired to engage in media advocacy efforts. It allows students to explore and actively engage with media contents, they learn to question assumptions and seek alternative perspectives. It also teaches students to become responsible, informed and engaged.
• Focus on: Who is held accountable and who is responsible for addressing societal challenges. Assess the credibility, perspectives and biases of the creators and potential impact of their framing on the audience’s understanding.
  • Select a theme or topic discussed in the book and have students search for media content that addresses issues of systemic inequality, racism, accountability or social justice.
  • Can vary from newspaper articles, opinion pieces, documentaries, social media posts, and/or advertisements.
  • Discuss things such as how the media content may be perceived and interpreted by different audiences and the potential impact on issues.
  • How can social media be used for good?

3. Define “Zero-Sum”

• How does this teach accountability? By allowing students to explore and reflect their own actions and decisions. To consider consequences and learn to recognize the impact of their decisions on others, such as understanding that sometimes one persons gain can come at the expense of another’s loss.
• Focus on: Gains and losses, Win-win solutions.
  • Have students define “Zero-Sum.” Whether that be what they think it means or doing research, or an educator can provide students with a lecture on the concept.
  • Some ideas that can help engage them in critical thinking and real-life scenarios are:
    1. Providing them with real-life examples from the book and having them analyze them. Who gained and who lost? What was the gain and what was the loss?
    2. Debates or Role-playing exercises. This can help them understand how zero-sum thinking shapes individuals’ behaviors and interactions
    3. Collaborative projects. Having students work together to solve a problem, such as challenging them to fin win-win solutions.