37 pages 1 hour read

Jennifer L. Eberhardt, PhD

Biased: Uncovering the Hidden Prejudice That Shapes What We See, Think, and Do

Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 2019

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Conclusion

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Conclusion Summary

Eberhardt concludes by connecting all the ideas presented about law enforcement, education, neighborhoods, workplaces, etc. All of the issues presented in the book show how bias infiltrates every aspect of society. In this section, Eberhardt revisits the Oakland Police Department first discussed in the introduction. By making small changes, Oakland was able to “curtain bias among officers” and see big rewards (298). Officer injuries dropped by 70%, shootings dropped, and citizen complaints decreased. The section ends with a story about Eberhardt’s son Everett who, while riding his bike home as a teenager, watched as a jogging woman looked up, saw him, and veered off the path, despite there being plenty of room for both. He wondered if her actions may have been racially motivated. Eberhardt utilizes this story to tie all the stories in the book together and to double down on the capacity of people to reflect, grow, and evolve.

Conclusion Analysis

Throughout the book, readers see Dr. Eberhardt’s struggle to explore themes of violence and racism while maintaining hope and positivity. The story of Everett plays on her motherly characteristics, the protectiveness and love she has for her son. While she is able to understand “the gymnastics of our mental processing as we sort and judge and categorize,” she is also confronted with the real-life ramifications of human bias in her family.