From the Publisher
Praise and Awards for Sarah Darer Littman
Some Kind of Hate
A Sydney Taylor Honor Book
“Thoughtful, meticulous, and devastatingly revealing, Some Kind of Hate opens readers’ eyes into how ordinary peoplea neighbor, a classmate, a teammate, a friendcan become brainwashed and indoctrinated into the frightening and bigoted world of white supremacy. To stop hate, Sarah Darer Littman has written a critical, heart-wrenching, and hopeful book that not only shows how and why the seeds of hatred grow into a destructive force, but also the importance of owning one’s actions, which allows for the possibility of redemption and forgiveness.” Liza Wiemer, author of the Sydney Taylor Notable Book The Assignment
“Littman’s latest novel presents an unvarnished and eye-opening account of how a frustrated young athlete becomes radicalized into a hate group, while examining the causes and consequences of unchecked antisemitism. This is truly a story for our timesa raw and visceral exploration of how a single, traumatic event in a person’s life can quickly turn him down the dark path toward extremism, and ultimately, redemption.” Jonathan A. Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League"Some Kind of Hate is not an easy read, but it’s a necessary one that is unflinchingly realistic and brutal, and yet, somehow, hopeful. I wish for it to find its way to every library and classroom shelf, where it might help more than one reader realize that it’s never too late to say no to hate and open our eyes and hearts to love.” —Gae Polisner, author of The Memory of Things
Backlash
"Littman pens a raw, frighteningly realistic, and absorbing look at cyberbullying and the damaging effects of airing private trauma in a public forum." Publishers Weekly
"This is a powerful and credible story." Booklist
Want to Go Private?
"A bold investigation of a potentially lethal, if common, mixture for teen girls: emotional immaturity, technology and emerging sexuality." Los Angeles Times
"This book is a compelling, if not disturbing, read." School Library Journal
Anything But Okay
"With well-developed characters, Littman explores growth and personal relationships alongside pain, mental illness, and social issues showing how people can come together to heal." Kirkus Reviews
"This novel by Littman tackles the current sociopolitical climate with multifaceted, redeemable characters." Publishers Weekly
In Case You Missed It
"Littman crafts an unnerving cautionary tale about misplaced digital trust and illusions of privacy." Publishers Weekly
"An unexpectedly layered story of slow awakening and redemption." Kirkus Reviews
Life, After
"Convincing and absorbing." Publishers Weekly
"Littman catches the voice of teen readers with her spot-on dialogue and realistic situations." The Jewish Journal
Purge
"An intimate and powerful novel." The Stamford Times
author of The Memory of Things Gae Polisner
Some Kind of Hate is not an easy read, but it’s a necessary one that is unflinchingly realistic and brutal, and yet, somehow, hopeful. I wish for it to find its way to every library and classroom shelf, where it might help more than one reader realize that it’s never too late to say no to hate and open our eyes and hearts to love.”
CEO of the Anti-Defamation League Jonathan A. Greenblatt
Littman’s latest novel presents an unvarnished and eye-opening account of how a frustrated young athlete becomes radicalized into a hate group, while examining the causes and consequences of unchecked antisemitism. This is truly a story for our times—a raw and visceral exploration of how a single, traumatic event in a person’s life can quickly turn him down the dark path toward extremism, and ultimately, redemption.”
author of The Assignment Liza Wiemer
Thoughtful, meticulous, and devastatingly revealing, Some Kind of Hate opens [readers’s] eyes into how ordinary people—a neighbor, a classmate, a teammate, a friend—can become brainwashed and indoctrinated into the frightening and bigoted world of white supremacy. To stop hate, Sarah Darer Littman has written a critical, heart-wrenching, and hopeful book that not only shows how and why the seeds of hatred grow into a destructive force, but also the importance of owning one’s actions, which allows for the possibility of redemption and forgiveness.”
Kirkus Reviews
2022-08-31
A lifelong friendship is threatened by White nationalism.
Teens Declan Taylor, a talented pitcher, and his best friend, Jake Lehrer, are both White—like most in their small, rural New York town—but Jake is Jewish, and Dec is not. When Dec’s severely injured while trying to impress his crush, he finds himself playing video games all summer instead of baseball with Jake. His working-class parents worry about the medical bills more than his misery. Resentful and bored, he’s primed for the MMORPG Imperialist Empires, which takes him down a rabbit hole of hatred. Soon he’s hanging out IRL with local players, spewing invective, repeating beliefs that “globalists want to dilute the purity of the white race”—and putting that hate into action. Opening with a note about the difficult content, which includes slurs, Littman tackles an important topic. Jake’s feelings of differentness within the larger community are poignantly realized, from casual microaggressions to active-shooter drills at the synagogue. Unfortunately, Declan’s characterization is paper thin. A bundle of toxic masculinity from the get-go, he gives readers little insight into what Jake gets from their friendship, while his leaden, present-tense narration (alternating with Jake’s) tends to lines like “fury bubbles in my belly like molten lava.” Frequent infodumps further weigh the tale down.
Worthy concept; inadequate execution. (author’s note, resources on website) (Fiction. 12-16)