Some kind of hate

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) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

This is American History X meets White American Youth by Christopher Picciolini.A hard-hitting exploration of teens and white supremacy unlike any other story out there.As a Jewish woman whose family has dealt with anti-Semitism both during the Holocaust and in the generations since, Sarah brings her own personal lens and experience to this story.Unfortunately this topic is all too timely and there haven't been many recent YA books examining this from a contemporary angle. This is very much a story of redemption and not one that glamorizes. Excerpted from Some Kind of Hate by Sarah Darer Littman All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.