The Lies That Bind: Rethinking Identity by Kwame Anthony Appiah
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A good and helpful summary of the way identities work, and thereby a useful contribution to many current social debates. In particular his discussion on class is very good.

And here is an important excerpt from the conclusion:

"There is a liberal fantasy in which identities are merely chosen, so we are all free to be what we choose to be. But identities without demands would be useless to us. Identities work only because, once they get their grip on us, they command us, speaking to us as an inner voice; and because others, seeing who they think we are, call on us, too. If you do not care for the shapes your identities have taken, you cannot simply refuse them; they are not yours alone. You have to work with others inside and outside the labeled group in order to reframe them so they fit you better; and you can do that collective work only if you recognize that the results must serve others as well."

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