A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERPart activist memoir, part crash course in Jewish and Palestinian history, Genocide Bad dismantles Zionist propaganda and maps a course towards collective liberation in ten unapologetic essays. Part activist memoir, part crash course in Jewish and Palestinian history,
Genocide Bad
dismantles Zionist propaganda in ten unapologetic essays. Drawing
connections between Biblical promises and exploding pagers, medieval
dress codes and modern-day apartheid, Kern sketches a sweeping history
of imperialism with their characteristic blend of far-ranging research,
pop-culture insights, and scathing humor.
Kern, a former teacher,
journalist, novelist, and book influencer, gained international
recognition as an anti-Zionist Jewish activist in the days after October
7th, 2023. At a time when social media was flooded with “I Stand with
Israel” posts, Kern started sharing content encouraging their followers
to read Palestinian books, learn Palestinian history, and question
Western reporting on Palestine—videos which went viral into tens of
millions of views.
Despite facing hate messages, death threats,
and exile from the Zionist Jewish community, Kern has remained steadfast
in their advocacy over the past year. They’ve posted daily videos on
Palestinian, Jewish, and colonial history, and they’ve raised over
$500,000 in direct aid for families in Gaza—all while navigating the
challenges of pregnancy, childbirth, and parenting a newborn. In
Genocide Bad,
Kern reflects on the life experiences that led them to anti-Zionist
activism, while capturing and expanding upon their online educational
content.
Kern doesn’t flinch when confronting the horrors of
genocides past and present, but there is also tremendous hope contained
in these pages—hope that springs from examples of courage and resilience
in the face of extreme violence, and from the kinds of resistance that
might just lead to our collective liberation.
"Genocide Bad is such an accessible read that breaks down a ton of
ideas. Don't sit on this one—it's a must-read. [It's] such an important
book, that is also funny at times... think The Daily Show/Last Week
Tonight type humor."
— Cal, blogger at Low_KeyBookish
"With a grabby, in-your-face title (Genocide Bad), anti-Zionist
influencer Sim Kern smoothly brings the snarky energy of social media
together with fresh and learned insights into the roots of Israel’s
genocidal program—how it thrives in the liberal capitalist world order,
and most importantly, how to attack it. This fearless, comprehensive
assault on Zionism draws additional strength and credibility from Kern’s
own candid story of transformation—from suffering cruel, anti-Jewish
taunts and shunning as a teen in rural Illinois, to becoming an
“anti-anti-Semitism educator,” to despising and fighting Zionism."
— Steve France, Washington Report on Middle East Affairs
