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Jews Don’t Count

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Jews Don’t Count

By: David Baddiel
Narrated by: David Baddiel
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About this listen

How identity politics failed one particular identity.

‘A must read and if you think YOU don’t need to read it, that’s just the clue to know you do’ SARAH SILVERMAN

‘A masterpiece' STEPHEN FRY

Jews Don’t Count is a book for people who consider themselves on the right side of history. People fighting the good fight against homophobia, disablism, transphobia and, particularly, racism. People, possibly, like you.
It is the comedian and writer David Baddiel’s contention that one type of racism has been left out of this fight. In his unique combination of close reasoning, polemic, personal experience and jokes, Baddiel argues that those who think of themselves as on the right side of history have often ignored the history of anti-Semitism. He outlines why and how, in a time of intensely heightened awareness of minorities, Jews don’t count as a real minority: and why they should.

©2021 David Baddiel (P)2021 HarperCollins Publishers Limited Freedom & Security Judaism Politics & Government Racism & Discrimination Social Sciences Discrimination Social justice Funny Human Rights Comedy

Critic Reviews

‘Jews Don’t Count is a supreme piece of reasoning and passionate, yet controlled, argument. From his first sentence, the energy, force and conviction of Baddiel’s writing and thinking will transfix you…as readable as an airport thriller…a masterpiece.’
STEPHEN FRY

‘I don’t think I have ever been so grateful to anyone for writing a book. Baddiel’s Jews Don’t Count is incisive, urgent, surprisingly funny and short. It’s also a beautiful piece of publishing. It needs to be read’
JAY RAYNER

‘Brilliant, furious, uncomfortable, funny. Essential reading.’
SIMON MAYO

‘I'm about a quarter of the way into this thus far and it's very well argued and written. It's a book you know the author HAD to write, and those are the best books’
JON RONSON

‘I only big up work I really believe is good and this is extra-ordinarily good. And important’
JONATHAN ROSS

‘This is brilliant – funny and furious, mostly at the same time’
MARINA HYDE

‘A convincing and devastating charge sheet’ Dominic Lawson, Sunday Times

‘It is so gripping – I read it in a single sitting’ Stephen Bush, The Times

‘A fascinating book, I urge you to read it’ Piers Morgan

‘I really think it’s a great book … the real triumph is its tone, its straightforwardness, and its spectacular tact and wit’ Adam Phillips, author of Monogamy

‘this short and powerful book shows, with remarkable humanity and humour, that no contemporary conversation about racism is complete without confronting antisemitism. An essential read – and a compulsory one too, if I had my way.’ Sathnam Sanghera

‘Funny, complex and intellectually satisfying – a really good piece of work’ Frankie Boyle

‘Just so brilliantly argued and written, I was completely swept along’ Hadley Freeman

‘David Baddiel is a brilliant thinker and writer. Even when I disagree with him – especially when I disagree with him – I feel profound gratitude for his intellectual and moral clarity. This is a brave and necessary book.’ Jonathan Safran Foer
All stars
Most relevant  
David Baddiel highlights in an accessible and concise way the complexity and ensuing double standard of prejudice that Jews have to deal with from society today. Highly recommended if you are interested in why Jews get tense about talking about Israel, and whether Jews are white or not.

Finger on the pulse

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Well narrated, solid, compelling,well argued. Listen to this and you can help to make Jews count.

This audio book counts

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This is an excellent polemic, well argued and referenced. I'm currently listening to Frank McDonough's The Hitler Years Part 1 which covers the 1930's Germany. It's horrifying how anti-Semitic views throughout the world enabled Hitler to systematically and progressively discriminate and almost totally destroy European Jewry. We must never forget that Jews do count and that the scourge of anti-Semitism must always be addressed as forcibly as all other racism.

Thought provoking and timely

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I wasn’t expecting to be as challenged as I was (thought I was pretty right-on) - but I found it really thought provoking.

Excellent book - thanks

Better than I expected

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Thank you so much to David Baddiel for writing this book. We need it so much, especially since Oct 7 2023

Very important book

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David takes a complex subject and very much enlightened feelings in myself as a Jewish person that I previously could not articulate. The diametric polemic of the Jew being a symbolic and actual instigator of the power imbalance in the world, the some what “super white” against the depiction of the jew as a inferior verminesque type, is exactly why some Jews have struggled to be listened to when discussing their discrimination within the many hierarchies of discrimination that exist in this world.

David is not focusing on blatant anti-semitism racism but the imbalances in weight and attitudes in society/media towards a people who have “privilege” seemingly on their side.

On another note I listened to this while jogging. David’s delivery and tone were entertaining and I have never had easier exercise sessions due to being enthralled in the material.

Amazing and insightful

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I listened to this in essentially one sitting with a copy of the physical book also there to read through as I listened. That gave me some additional pages of information that weren’t in the audio book and added to its informative nature. I think it’s a very important look into how the left doesn’t acknowledge these biases and all the smaller examples of everyday antisemitism that goes unnoticed due to our privilege.

The only thing I disliked intensely about the book was towards the end, the discussion about J.K Rowling and her transphobia. With the very direct criticism that her whole character is not taken into account so she is simply canceled because of her blind spot. This is a massive minimisation of her harm to the trans community and the many other minorities that she actively harms.

The biggest blind spot David shows is that her work has been very easily analysed as having antisemitism throughout with the Goblins in the world of Harry Potter very clearly being racist depictions of Jewish stereotypes.

On top of the transphobia, J.K Rowling has been spouting ableist rhetoric that is dehumanising towards disabled people in many ways to attempt to rationalise the unjustifiable transphobia, she has associated with actual present day Nazis and she also continues to vehemently defend her inaccurate hate-filled views acting as if her views are virtuous and framing trans people as abuses of children while massive exaggerating the amount of detransitioning that happens and the harm that trans affirming care causes.

Her work is now tainted by her blind hatred for trans people, so when he says that “Those who condemn her do not say she is a thoroughly decent person with an unfortunate blindspot.” He is defending the nature of a woman who he believes is good based on falsehoods and his own blind spots about the topic that are echoed by his own issues with language around trans people in both the audiobook and the physical one.

The general point he was trying to make in that section of the coda is therefore made inaccurate and feels much less like someone making a good point about how different minorities experience different levels of acknowledgement of how they are discriminated than it does someone venting that a friends transphobia is just a blindspot and argue that she is still a good human simply to excuse his friendship with them.

Great book about how we (the left) fail Jews with a single glaring issue.

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I learnt a lot listening to this. I am not Jewish. I mean I’m not a Jew.

Well articulated viewpoints

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