Some Kind of Hate

by Sarah Darer Littman

Overview

A Sydney Taylor Honor Book

“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...” —Liza Wiemer, author of the Sydney Taylor Notable Book The Assignment

Declan Taylor is furious at the world. After winning state as a freshman starting pitcher, he accidentally messes up his throwing arm. Despite painful surgery and brutal physical therapy, he might never pitch again. And instead of spending the summer with his friends, Declan is forced to get a job to help his family out. On top of that, it seems like his best friend, Jake Lehrer, is flirting with Declan’s crush and always ditching him to hang out with the team or his friends from synagogue.

So Declan ends up playing a lot of Imperialist Empires online and making new friends. It’s there he realizes he’s been playing with Finn, a kid from his class. Finn is the first person who might be just as angry as Declan. As the two spend more time together, Finn also introduces Declan to others who understand what it’s like when the world is working against you, no matter how much you try. How white kids like them are being denied opportunities because others are manipulating the system. And the more time Declan spends with Finn, the more he sees what they’re saying as true. So when his new friends decide it’s time to fight back, Declan is right there with them. Even if it means going after Jake and his family. And each new battle for the cause makes Declan feel in control of his rage, channeling it into saving his future. But when things turn deadly, Declan is going to have to decide just how far he’ll go and what he’s willing to sacrifice.

In a stunning story set against the rise of white nationalism comes an unflinching exploration of the destruction of hate, the power of fear, and the hope of redemption.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781338746815
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	11/01/2022
Pages:	336
Sales rank:	172,015
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.40(h) x 1.20(d)
Age Range:	12 - 18 Years

About the Author

Sarah Darer Littman is the critically acclaimed author of Some Kind of Hate; Deepfake, Backlash; Want to Go Private?; Anything But Okay; In Case You Missed It; Life, After; and Purge. She is also an award-winning news columnist and teaches writing at Western Connecticut State University and with the Yale Writers' Workshop. Sarah lives in Connecticut with her family in a house that never seems to have enough bookshelves. You can visit her online at sarahdarerlittman.com.

Editorial Reviews

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 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.” —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 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.” —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

From the Publisher

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)

Kirkus Reviews

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.”

author of The Memory of Things Gae Polisner

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.”

CEO of the Anti-Defamation League Jonathan A. Greenblatt

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.”

author of The Assignment Liza Wiemer