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.
About the Author
Sim Kern is the New York Times bestselling author of Genocide Bad: Notes on Palestine, Jewish History, and Collective Liberation and The Free People’s Village, a USA Today bestseller andIndie Next Pick. Their debut horror novella, Depart, Depart!, was selected for the Honor List for the 2020 Otherwise Award. As a journalist, book influencer, and anti-Zionist Jewish activist, Kern has used their social media platform to share educational content about politics and power and has raised more than half a million dollars in direct aid for families in Gaza since 2023.
Praise For…
"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
"A brave and engagingly written book." — Olúf?´mi O. Táíwò, author of Elite Capture: How the Powerful Took Over Identity Politics (And Everything Else)
"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
“Shocking language should be used to discuss shocking atrocities. Writing about genocide should be emotional and full of profound grief and fury. Polite rhetorical restraint is abhorrent to me when the topic is mass murder.” — Interview with Truthlytics
“Kern’s work is a call to action, a plea for justice and a comprehensive guide to understanding the complexities of the 15-month genocide.” — Mahmood Sanglay, for Muslim Views
"A bracing account ... a bold challenge to accepted American narratives about Israel." — Publishers Weekly, Starred Review
"The book, which ties scholarship with memoir in Kern’s distinctive TikTok voice, breaks down nine key talking points used to defend or obscure the Israeli government’s actions and how to respond." — Henry Carnell
