Reassuring lines...might make The End of Bias sound like an anodyne, standard-issue business book, but Nordell, a science journalist with a degree in poetry, is too reflective a thinker to make this just another well-meaning tribute to the importance of diversity training ... Nordell doesn’t just cling to the relatively calm shores of workplace etiquette. She also looks at bias in education and health care, in policing and even genocide ... this isn’t a book that lets anyone off the hook. If anything, The End of Bias argues for a more profound sense of responsibility; Nordell describes bias as a kind of theft, one that deprives individuals and undermines entire societies.
Nordell clearly illuminates the psychology behind biases and the stories and lives of those negatively affected by such biases. She shares compelling examples of systemic changes made to eradicate bias from individual experiences and organizations ... The book can serve as a guide to reflect and consult on this critical issue both in the workplace and in communities at large. Readers interested in cognitive psychology, social behaviors, and workplace interactions will find Nordell’s book both fascinating and helpful in understanding biases—unconscious, intentional, or unexamined—and learning how to overcome and dismantle all forms of them.
A virtuoso survey of scientific research on the causes of prejudice and programs that have 'successfully reduced everyday bias and discrimination' ... Throughout, Nordell holds her own biases up to scrutiny, lucidly describes the methodology and findings of the copious psychological and sociological studies she cites, and draws vivid character sketches of her profile subjects. The result is a refreshingly optimistic and immersive look at how society can solve one of its thorniest problems.
Nordell’s examples are revealing but lead to the same general set of conclusions, so there’s a certain sameness to the narrative that becomes more pronounced as it progresses. More useful are some of the recommended remedies ... A practical primer for those seeking to reduce the hegemony of bias in everyday life.
