Bad Jews: A History of American Jewish Politics and Identities

Journalist Tamkin (The Influence of Soros) connects interviews, personal reflections, and anecdotes rejecting the notion that Jews are a “monolithic or hegemonic entity.” Tamkin argues that Jews are complicated, diverse in their opinions, and multiracial. She backs up this argument with statistical information about trends in Judaism and Jewish demographics, drawing upon interviews with prominent Jewish influencers and Jewish organizational leaders. Most interesting are the anecdotes and interviews with her own family members. She includes her personal reflections on her own Jewish identity, social justice, and the mainstream “white” Jews’ attitude toward Jews of color. Each chapter focuses on a different Jewish group and their influence and attitude toward other Jews. Narrator Kendra Hoffman modulates her voice when she reads quotes by different characters, yet her presentation falls short in the pronunciation of Jewish words—even “Judaism” is mispronounced.