A timely book that avoids the “cudgel” of antisemitism, “cynically deployed to silence voices for Palestinian human rights.”
Two social activists and journalists investigate the complicated layers of persistent antisemitism in society, especially in light of what they consider Israel’s unjust treatment of Palestinians in Gaza.
Self-described Jewish leftists, Burley, author of Fascism Today and Why We Fight, and Lorber urge an “intersectional” approach to combating antisemitism, which has gained traction across the globe since Israel’s strong-arm tactics in clearing the Gaza Strip of Hamas terrorists. Rather than excluding Muslims, Christians, and rightists, for example, the authors aim for a better strategy by “forming alliances across differences, building bridges not walls, and striving alongside others for a future free from inequality, exploitation, and oppression in all its forms.” The authors first examine the roots of antisemitism, beginning with the demonization of the “other,” though they reject the notion that antisemitism is simply an “eternal hatred” that has always been and will always be. Rather, it is rooted in conspiracy theories, drawing from “a deep reservoir of stereotypes and narratives” and serving to explain the “hidden hand behind worker revolt, changing gender and social norms, racial justice movements, and other despised progressivism.” In short, antisemitism involves power, class, and politics. The authors examine the tropes used in The Protocols of the Elders of Zion (“jumbled and disorganized, switching haphazardly between a broad array of topics, presenting little in the way of clear argumentation”), as well as QAnon, Trumpism, Christian Zionism, and white nationalism, among others. They devote a third of the book to the importance of being able to criticize Israeli and American policies in the name of social justice while avoiding the “chilling” accusation of antisemitism. Burley and Lorber admirably and forthrightly explore the “multitudes” of Jewish experience through a variety of voices and organizations.
A timely book that avoids the “cudgel” of antisemitism, “cynically deployed to silence voices for Palestinian human rights.”Pub Date: June 4, 2024
ISBN: 9781685890919
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Melville House
Review Posted Online: March 9, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2024
Maher calls out idiocy wherever he sees it, with a comedic delivery that veers between a stiletto and a sledgehammer.
The comedian argues that the arts of moderation and common sense must be reinvigorated.
Some people are born snarky, some become snarky, and some have snarkiness thrust upon them. Judging from this book, Maher—host of HBO’s Real Time program and author of The New New Rules and When You Ride Alone, You Ride With bin Laden—is all three. As a comedian, he has a great deal of leeway to make fun of people in politics, and he often delivers hilarious swipes with a deadpan face. The author describes himself as a traditional liberal, with a disdain for Republicans (especially the MAGA variety) and a belief in free speech and personal freedom. He claims that he has stayed much the same for more than 20 years, while the left, he argues, has marched toward intolerance. He sees an addiction to extremism on both sides of the aisle, which fosters the belief that anyone who disagrees with you must be an enemy to be destroyed. However, Maher has always displayed his own streaks of extremism, and his scorched-earth takedowns eventually become problematic. The author has something nasty to say about everyone, it seems, and the sarcastic tone starts after more than 300 pages. As has been the case throughout his career, Maher is best taken in small doses. The book is worth reading for the author’s often spot-on skewering of inept politicians and celebrities, but it might be advisable to occasionally dip into it rather than read the whole thing in one sitting. Some parts of the text are hilarious, but others are merely insulting. Maher is undeniably talented, but some restraint would have produced a better book.
Maher calls out idiocy wherever he sees it, with a comedic delivery that veers between a stiletto and a sledgehammer.Pub Date: May 21, 2024
ISBN: 9781668051351
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: March 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A fierce, penetrating, and empowering call for change.
Artist and activist Vaid-Menon demonstrates how the normativity of the gender binary represses creativity and inflicts physical and emotional violence.
The author, whose parents emigrated from India, writes about how enforcement of the gender binary begins before birth and affects people in all stages of life, with people of color being especially vulnerable due to Western conceptions of gender as binary. Gender assignments create a narrative for how a person should behave, what they are allowed to like or wear, and how they express themself. Punishment of nonconformity leads to an inseparable link between gender and shame. Vaid-Menon challenges familiar arguments against gender nonconformity, breaking them down into four categories—dismissal, inconvenience, biology, and the slippery slope (fear of the consequences of acceptance). Headers in bold font create an accessible navigation experience from one analysis to the next. The prose maintains a conversational tone that feels as intimate and vulnerable as talking with a best friend. At the same time, the author's turns of phrase in moments of deep insight ring with precision and poetry. In one reflection, they write, “the most lethal part of the human body is not the fist; it is the eye. What people see and how people see it has everything to do with power.” While this short essay speaks honestly of pain and injustice, it concludes with encouragement and an invitation into a future that celebrates transformation.
A fierce, penetrating, and empowering call for change. (writing prompt) (Nonfiction. 14-adult)Pub Date: June 2, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-593-09465-5
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Penguin Workshop
Review Posted Online: March 14, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2020
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