An interesting book and thoughtfully written. I was between three and four stars. The concept of a group of people being kept down purely to ease the life of others is not new or easy to accept but is a truth throughout human history. The fact that this is hard for intelligent people to accept and live with when their culture does not accept it pushed me to the four stars. I like to think about what the story is really saying and what is acceptable, or not, to me so I enjoyed the book overall although there were times when the reading dragged a little.