I picked this book up because it intrigued me. I had no idea that I would be as emotionally moved as I was. Weisman shares his own personal experiences as well as those from Zoe Quinn, Julia Ioffe, and Tanya Gersh. While he does introduce a lot of compelling evidence of anti-Semitism from the alt-right in America, he doesn't talk much about the groups that are fighting it. I wouldn't go as far as saying that Weisman is playing the victim, but I wish he had shared about the groups that are standing up against oppression. The author makes his case well, but the book felt a bit disjointed from the lack of balance in the sources he quotes. *ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

The book looks generally good. I got access to excerpt of this book. I wished to have access to the full book to provide a more deep review.

Okay, let me just get the necessary stuff out of the way before we get to the review. While I will certainly be getting into the writing of the book as I would in any other book review, I am Jewish (Culturally and genetically. I don't subscribe to any religion at the moment), so it is pretty impossible for me to be unbiased about this book. That being said, this was a really tough read for me. I had moments where I wasn't sure I would finish it. But let's get into what the books about and then we can get into what I thought about it.

Synopsis (from Goodreads):
Anti-Semitism has always been present in American culture, but with the rise of the Alt-Right and an uptick of threats to Jewish communities since Trump took office, New York Times editor Jonathan Weisman has produced a book that could not be more important or timely. When Weisman was attacked on Twitter by a wave of neo-Nazis and anti-Semites, witnessing tropes such as the Jew as a leftist anarchist; as a rapacious, Wall Street profiteer; and as a money-bags financier orchestrating war for Israel, he stopped to wonder: How has the Jewish experience changed, especially under a leader like Donald Trump?

In (((Semitism))), Weisman explores the disconnect between his own sense of Jewish identity and the expectations of his detractors and supporters. He delves into the rise of the Alt-Right, their roots in older anti-Semitic organizations, the odd ancientness of their grievances—cloaked as they are in contemporary, techy hipsterism—and their aims—to spread hate in a palatable way through a political structure that has so suddenly become tolerant of their views.

He concludes with what we should do next, realizing that vicious as it is, anti-Semitism must be seen through the lens of more pressing threats. He proposes a unification of American Judaism around the defense of self and of others even more vulnerable: the undocumented immigrants, refugees, Muslim Americans, and black activists who have been directly targeted, not just by the tolerated Alt Right, but by the Trump White House itself. 

Usually, I don't include that much synopsis (I usually cut down a little of what Goodreads has) but with this book, I feel like you should know exactly what you're getting into and what the author believes. I don't agree with everything Weisman states throughout the book. There were points where I was rage-reading. Yelling at my computer screen while trying to get to the next chapter. But there were also parts where I was like, "whaaaaat?!" because I learned something I didn't know before.  Specifically about Leo Frank. He was a Jewish man who was falsely accused of rape and murder of a young girl. He was then taken out of the local jail by people of the community and killed. I asked my dad if he'd ever heard about this and he hadn't either. I love learning "new" history

Another one of my favorite parts of the book is every Zoe Quinn quote. She is a BAMF and she's been put through the wringer but is now helping people who are being targeted by trolls like she was. If any of her quotes were taken out of the book, I will be incredibly sad. I have to quote her (just once). “The thing that really gets me is this notion that any response emboldens them. No, what emboldens them is showing that there are no consequences for behaving like fucking little monsters.” 

I also liked that he pointed out that Jews should be helping fight causes other than just our own (and many are doing so!). If nothing else, Jews know what struggle is and they can bring that knowledge to help fight for LGBT rights, and gender, disability, and racial equality. White Jews, especially, can use their privilege to help shine a light on causes that need it. 

Now for the bits I yelled at: 

There were multiple times in the book where it felt like the author was being condescending, especially when talking about the BDS movement and college students, like college students can't have rational, well-thought-out opinions. It took me out of the book completely and just made me question the credibility of the rest of what I was going to read.

I also think the author discounts how powerful the MRA and anti-feminist sentiments are in some of these hate groups. Hating women is a powerful drug and should not be underrated as the reason all this hate is coming to the surface. Women have been fighting these assholes for years and have been warning of this hateful tide of shit we've found ourselves in for decades.

One quote I found disturbing: "Those racists, anti-Semites, and xenophobes communed in their own world, not in the younger, hipper worlds of 4chan or Reddit or the chat rooms of YouTube." Please never refer to 4chan as hip. *vomits* I just really needed to say that.

I also had a real problem that the author said that morality had never entered his mind when thinking about what the response should be to Nazis and anti-Semites. Like, WTF?! I am 0% religious and I think about morality all the time. You don't need theology to think about whether your response to hate is moral or not. I believe it is my moral imperative to shout down or punch any Nazi I come across. How could you have not thought about morality until you read Rabbi Yosie Levine?!

There also seemed to be an assumption that white Jews are the only Jews throughout this book. Like intersectionality isn't a thing. Like Jews of color don't exist. I'm sure there are plenty of Jews who are fighting for racial equality because they are a person of color. But, that was something that was not addressed by the author at all and it was upsetting that those people were not acknowledged at all in this book.

Additionally, Weisman's views on the Antifa are ridiculous. Maybe it's a generational thing but the Antifa has done a lot to stop assholes like Richard Spencer from feeling safe in public. He has bodyguards now. The Antifa saved lives in Charlottesville, NC. So by claiming that they turn even the smallest crowd of Nazis into "violent street theater," the author is spouting some bullshit.

But what about the writing, Sarah?

Ok, yes. I did say I was going to talk about that. For the most part, (((Semitism))) is a well-written book. Weisman is a New York Times editor and the book reads like a long NYT article. But there were times when it was hard to pinpoint exactly what he thought. I felt like I should have known the author's opinion within the first couple chapters and I didn't really get it until much later. Sure, yes, he's against anti-Semitism. Duh! But I wanted to know what he thought we should be doing to fight against it and I wanted to know sooner than the last couple of chapters. He works for the New York Times, so he might be more reticent to share his opinions, but I wanted him to shout it at me. I wanted him to be more radical and that's not what I got.

Overall, I found (((Semitism))) to be an interesting but difficult read. Weisman quotes a lot of racist, sexist, anti-Semitic assholes and it was hard to read all those slurs in one book. I am giving this book 3 out of 5 stars. I read this book because I wanted to know what I could do against the hate we seem to see more often to see these days but that's not exactly what this book is. 

(((Semitism))): Being Jewish In America in the Age of Trump by Johnathan Weisman came out March 20, 2018.

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The conversation must begin and this is a great place to start. Because we, as Jews, always struggle to find a starting point in a conversation, a reference, a beginning to the discussion. In this case, we really want to talk about the present day, about Trump and the forces he has unleashed in modern America and how they have been empowered across social media, other media and real life. How these forces have received energy and implicit support (and explicit financial support) to engage in all sorts of activities that threaten the daily lives of variously defined 'others.'

We are reluctant to sound like our grandparents/ parents if we see anti-Semitism in daily life. We want to seem too "American" for that. But then there is Trump and his Administration.

Author Weisman does an excellent job of depicting the assimilated adult American Jew, less involved in his/her Jewishness than with his/her American-ness; reluctant to now alter that identity. Much more comfortable to advocate or fight for someone else than our/themselves. Eager to separate from the right-wing Israeli government but not from Zionism per se. Not eager to explain that fine point.

Are we the vanguard of the Resistance or the dirty secret? Do we even yet know? This is a great beginning but we need a far more robust discussion and it won't be an easy one. Many thanks to the author for his contribution. I received my copy of the book from the publisher through NetGalley and I am very appreciative.

"Anti-Semitism tends to be invisible until it isn't." This book is a chilling reminder that anti-semitism, often a less visible form of bigotry, is alive and thriving in the US and growing in popularity and acceptance under the Trump regime. Jews face hatred from the alt-right who back Israel because they want the Jews to all leave the US and go to Israel, and from the far left who promote the BDS to the point that they are anti Israel and anti Jewish. The author shares his experience as a journalist of the virulent hatred of the online attacks on Jewish journalists especially and the technique of the alt-right neo-Nazis of surrounding the name of a Jewish journalist with three parentheses on each side to mark them for easy searching to target them online with hateful messages and images including death threats and gas chamber photos. Many policies of hatred perpetuated by the Trump regime and its followers as well as an explanation of the alt-right and neo-Nazis are explained in eye opening ways. I highly recommend this book.

(((Semitism))): Being Jewish in America in the Age of Trump by Jonathan Weisman is a study of antisemitism in American both personal and general. Weisman is the congressional editor and deputy Washington editor at the New York Times, is the author of the novel No. 4 Imperial Lane. In his 25-year journalism career, he has covered the White House, national politics, and defense for the Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, USA Today, and The Baltimore Sun.

Antisemitism is probably as old as Judaism. It was institutionalized in Europe, de facto or de jure, at various times in history not to mention Czarist Russia and Nazi Germany. In America Jews are said to control the banking and entertainment industry -- the bread and circuses of America. In many areas, Jews simply blended into American society. Being Jewish could be something as invisible as being a nonpracticing Catholic or a high protestant. Judaism can be about heritage, tradition, religion, or community. Like many religions, there can be an invisibility to it in public life.

The melting into American society suffered a reversal recently. The rise of the alt-right, neo-Nazis, and White Supremacist that seemed to ride on the coattails of President Trump became a vocal and violent force. Attacks against synagogues have risen. Protests by the above groups have turned violent and with it, a violent left rising up to match their level. although these groups regularly praise the president and offer their voting support, it is doubtful that the President is any part of the movement, although his condemnation of it has been very weak.

Antisemitism has been in America all along but the internet and social media have brought it out and increased its voice. No longer are mimeographed fliers and underground newspapers the source of propaganda. Websites like the Daily Stormer could virtually reach everyone in the US, Europe, and most of the free world. It's not only on the specific websites. It goes deeper. News and social sites like Twitter are a platform for attacks against individuals and groups. Weisman himself has been a victim of these attacks as well as others he documented. Personally, I had several friends leave Twitter since the campaign and election. Attacks on them had nothing to do with race but with politics. The once friendly online hang out has turned vicious for some.

Internet attacks have grown. The title of the book is in triple parentheses. These are "echo marks" because the names inside echo through history in a negative way according to hate groups. There was a Google Chrome plugin that placed triple parentheses around the names of Jewish people for identification and to make people targets for online abuse.  Even this book on Goodreads receives written reviews with good ratings and is offset by plenty of one-star ratings without explanation.  Although that does not prove anything it does lead to the idea of hate without reason. The online abuse is more than just words. There have been incidents of public releasing phones numbers and addresses too along with murders and assaults.

Weisman documents and discusses the rise in antisemitism since 2016 in America and gives a history of antisemitism in America and Europe.  In an age when general acceptance seems to be on the rise by the majority of the population.  There is a vocal and violent minority spreading hate.  This group survives and now thrives because we have grown complacent.  In the words of Edmund Burke, "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."

I wish that we lived in a world that this book didn't need to be written. It was insightful to have a Jewish perspective on the current rise of the alt-right, and the hate that is directed not only at Jews, but women and all other minority groups. While the focus is on antisemitism, the author includes a look at other instances of the alt-right such as church shootings, Charlottesville and gamergate. Information is provided on details about the alt-right and some of their code words, and you get a sense of the devastation and fear the campaigns of cyber attacks cause. A depressing but informative read that will unfortunately likely need a sequel.

One of the best things about this book is how it isn't entirely about antisemitism. While it is the main focus, Weisman does a fantastic job of talking about how antisemitism has worked with and within other forms of hatred, like the misogyny of Gamergate, the racism towards African Americans, and Islamophobia. It works well to emphasize an overall message of our need to fight hatred at large instead of just hatred towards whatever we consider our tribe.