Book of the Month

A Unique, Important Tool for Education – Genocide Bad by Sim Kern Book Review

9781623716363 | Interlink Books | Paperback | £16.99 | Out 22nd April 2025

Sim Kern’s new book jumps out at you from any shelf: fluorescent orange and cobalt blue adorn the cover in a wrap-around blueprint pattern, and the words “GENOCIDE BAD” dominate the front. But on social media, Kern’s popular — even often viral — TikToks are carefully captioned to evade algorithmic censorship. “GWORD BAD” is a stand in for the real title, and phrases like “torch her” for… well, torture. Kern has built much of their anti-Zionist career and educational content online, but in this new book their voice and ideas are finally allowed to truly flourish without censorship, character or time limits, and trolling comments to contend with.

Genocide Bad provides an essential toolkit for any activist or reader looking for more resources about Palestinian liberation. Part activist memoir, part crash course in Jewish and Palestinian history, Genocide Bad dismantles the many myths of Zionist propaganda and maps a course towards collective liberation in ten unapologetic essays.

Kern begins with their own journey to becoming an activist and educator, exploring their painful but defiant experiences facing backlash from being both Jewish and anti-Zionist. In the second section of the book, they dive further into Hasbara, the Hebrew term for propaganda or state-projected narratives. These chapters are rich with historical analysis and dissections of popular beliefs about Israel, truly unflinching and forensic in their level of detail. As Kern says in this section, “pull on your hiking boots, because we’re about to wade through some sh*t.”

The final two sections constitute both the most hopeful and the most devastating of the book. Chapter Three is a look forwards to collective liberation. The antidote to Zionism involves not only the dismantling of ideas, but also an injection of hope. Kern invites readers to see the way a liberated Palestine also means a liberated world. They describe it as “a uniquely important crux of global empire”, but also recognise that the ability to sit and ponder collective liberatory education is a privilege, and the people of Palestine desperately need action now. This chapter is a powerful reminder of what could be in the future and provides a fertile ground for readers to grow their thinking on the subject.

The most devastating and heart-rending section of Genocide Bad is its ending, which contains brief letters from the parents of newborn babies still living in Gaza. This section is tragic and essential, to hear from voices that are not just thinking or talking about Palestine, but are also living through it.

Kern says in the introduction that they were reluctant to write a book on this subject, believing that other voices took precedence over their own. It was only after being approached by the brilliant Hannah at Interlink Books that they considered the project. Reading Kern’s story and engaging in their writing, it’s clear that their reluctance was unnecessary. Their unique position, experiences, and skill at explaining hard truths make them one of the many voices that should be heard. Through each chapter, they have a propensity for cutting through dense and long-rooted myths that most people would likely struggle to even begin to question (myself included). Yet they manage to do so and package their findings back to us in concise and compelling ways.

You may already be one of Sim Kern’s hundreds of thousands of Instagram or TikTok followers, you may have been paying attention the events in Palestine for decades, or just since you opened this article. Whoever you are, and whatever perspective you bring, there will be something in Genocide Bad with the power to inform, challenge, or light a spark in you. And if you would like to keep reading about Palestine, here is a brief list of recent books from our brilliant publishers:

For kids:

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