In Bastards: Illegitimacy: Architecture of Power, Caterina Mondragon explores how society has used the idea of illegitimacy to control people, protect wealth, and maintain power. Rather than treating illegitimacy as a personal or moral failing, she argues that it has historically been a way for powerful families and institutions to decide who belongs, who inherits, and who gets excluded.

The book examines the history of royal succession, inheritance laws, religious rules, and social expectations surrounding children born outside of marriage. Mondragon explains how the label of “bastard” could affect a person’s identity, opportunities, and place in society, even though the person had no control over the circumstances of their birth.

Beyond the historical side, the author also looks at how these attitudes continue to influence modern society. She challenges readers to question why family background and social status have often mattered more than a person’s character or abilities. Ultimately, Mondragon presents illegitimacy as a label created by society rather than a measure of someone’s worth. She encourages readers to see outsiders not as people who are less deserving, but as individuals who can challenge established traditions and expectations.

Mondragon follows the stories of various “bastards” through history. From William the Conqueror through to Steve Jobs and Oprah Winfrey, she covers various situations where “bastards” overachieved their origins. This is a common feature of adopted people who often become people-pleasers. Others reject the system entirely and work from outside the system, as is the case with many of the famous people she cites.

It’s less of a stigma now than it was in the past. As an adoptee, I know one of the motivations for sealing adoption records was to hide a child from the stigma of being illegitimate. Everyone was supposed to just pretend everything was the same as if the child was biologically theirs. Of course, it wasn’t.

I found the main idea behind Bastards: Illegitimacy: Architecture of Power interesting because it looks at a subject that has carried a lot of shame and judgment throughout history. Mondragon makes readers think about how unfair it is to judge someone based on the circumstances of their birth. Her argument that illegitimacy has often been used to protect wealth, family names, and positions of power gives the subject a broader meaning than simply being about family relationships.

However, the book has numerous problems. I don’t like to throw out the AI label willy-nilly, but this felt as if AI had some part in it. My guess is English might not be her first language, and she’s using a translation tool. The structure isn’t easy to follow, and much of the information she puts forth is repeated again and again. It feels padded, and the book is only 128 pages.

While I think the idea behind Bastards: Illegitimacy: Architecture of Power is a good one, I feel like this topic could have been presented more thoroughly. I would also recommend reviewing whatever AI “help” she might have had, as it does the topic a disservice as well.