Briahna Joy Gray Interviews Norman Finkelstein | A Busboys and Poets Books Presentation
Date and Time
Jun 26, 2023 6:00 pm
Location
14th & V
2021 14th St NW, Washington, District of Columbia, 20009
Jun 26, 2023 6:00 pm
14th & V
Busboys and Poets Books welcomes Briahna Joy Gray, Former National Press Secretary for #BernieSanders2020 and Norman Finkelstein to discuss identity politics, cancel culture and other topics from Norman Finklestein's newest book: I'll Burn That Bridge When I Get To It
Originating as a response to the 2020 publication of “A Letter on Justice and Open Debate” in Harper’s, Finkelstein’s new book I’ll Burn That Bridge When I Get to It takes aim at both “cancel culture” and “identity politics”. Critiquing everyone from Robin DiAngelo to Barack Obama, Finkelstein delivers a rigorous argument for free expression along with a death blow to leftist hypocrisy.
“I thought early on of Obama's joke at the expense of Rahm Emanuel: "he's one of a kind, and thank god he's one of a kind." Finkelstein, too, is very much one of a kind. But the analogy with Emanuel fails, because in fact one Rahm Emanuel is far too many whereas one Finkelstein is not nearly enough. We need hundreds of him.” - Chris Wright for CommonDreams.org
Norman Finkelstein first made his name while still in graduate school when he exposed an acclaimed national bestseller as a hoax. He went on in subsequent decades to subject Israel's apologists as well as Holocaust hucksters to withering scrutiny,
In his new book, Finkelstein focuses his keen forensic eye on the canonical texts of identity politics. After methodically parsing them, Finkelstein concludes that they're lacking in intellectual substance. Instead, the real purpose of identity politics is to derail a class-based movement bent on radical change. In a long, scathing chapter, Finkelstein analyzes the cult surrounding Barack Obama, which he reveals as the ultimate product of identity politics. The first Black president rose to power by having, in Obama's own cynical words, "pulled off a neat trick" by standing for nothing except his skin color. If "woke" liberals embraced him, it was because, beneath his hip veneer, Obama was a sure bet to prop up the corrupt status quo.
Along the way, Finkelstein recalls his own life in radical politics and his close encounters with cancel culture, which left him unemployed and unemployable. He situates his personal story within broader debates on academic freedom and poignantly concludes that, although occasionally bitter, he harbors no regrets about the choices he made. "If I can't laugh, I don't want your revolution," Finkelstein declares. Laced with his signature wit, readers of this book will get to laugh along with him.
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Norman Finkelstein is joining us on the Busboys stage to share his eloquent and hilarious thoughts, with some scathing critiques guaranteed during the evening. Copies of the book will be available for purchase during and after the event, and Finkelstein will be signing following the program.
This event is free and open to all. Our program begins at 6:00 pm, and will be followed by an audience Q&A. Copies of I’LL BURN THAT BRIDGE WHEN I GET TO IT will be available for purchase before and after the event. Please note that this event is in person and will not be livestreamed.
We ask that guests RSVP in order to receive direct updates about the event from Busboys and Poets Books
Norman G. Finkelstein received his PhD from the Princeton University Politics Department in 1987. He is the author of many books that have been translated into 60 foreign editions, including THE HOLOCAUST INDUSTRY: Reflections on the exploitation of Jewish suffering, GAZA: An inquest into its martyrdom, and most recently, I ACCUSE! Here with a proof beyond reasonable doubt that ICC Chief Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda whitewashed Israel. In the year 2020, Norman Finkelstein was named the fifth most influential political scientist in the world.
Briahna Joy Gray is an American political commentator, lawyer, and political consultant who served as the National Press Secretary for the Bernie Sanders 2020 presidential campaign. Gray is a contributing editor for Current Affairs, and was a senior politics editor for The Intercept
