
I'll Burn That Bridge When I Get to It
Heretical Thoughts on Identity Politics, Cancel Culture, and Academic Freedom
Norman G. Finkelstein(Author)
Or Books (Publisher)
2nd Edition
Published on 7. August 2025
Book
Paperback/Softback
560 pages
978-1-68219-640-3 (ISBN)
Description
America's most canceled intellectual presents a scorching defence of free thought and a devastating indictment of a left that has lost its way.
Norman Finkelstein made his name debunking Israel's apologists and exposing the cynical weaponization of Jewish history. In this work, Finkelstein trains that same forensic eye on identity politics writ large.
After methodically parsing the canonical identity-politics texts, 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.
Finkelstein shows how the cult surrounding Barack Obama used identity politics to burnish a status quo president's radical sheen. When a truly progressive movement cohered around presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, these "woke" liberals mobilised identity politics to discredit him.
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.
This revised edition of Finkelstein's instant classic features a new chapter dissecting the Supreme Court's landmark decisions on affirmative action. In a bracingly original analysis, Finkelstein shows the stark limits of affirmative action discourse in the face of an economic system that is fundamentally rigged.
Norman Finkelstein made his name debunking Israel's apologists and exposing the cynical weaponization of Jewish history. In this work, Finkelstein trains that same forensic eye on identity politics writ large.
After methodically parsing the canonical identity-politics texts, 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.
Finkelstein shows how the cult surrounding Barack Obama used identity politics to burnish a status quo president's radical sheen. When a truly progressive movement cohered around presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, these "woke" liberals mobilised identity politics to discredit him.
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.
This revised edition of Finkelstein's instant classic features a new chapter dissecting the Supreme Court's landmark decisions on affirmative action. In a bracingly original analysis, Finkelstein shows the stark limits of affirmative action discourse in the face of an economic system that is fundamentally rigged.
Reviews / Votes
"Badly needed, and done with Finkelstein's usual verve and precision."-Noam Chomsky
"There is no one like him today ... [an] incredible warrior for truth and justice."
-Alice Walker
"Like his magisterial work on Gaza, this book is both brilliant and brave."
-Cornel West
"Norman reaches into the bushes, grabs less rigorous analyses, and shakes them until the chaff shows. I may not always agree, but I require his view for a full accounting."
-Debra Winger
"Given his personal experiences of the cancel culture, he certainly deserves to be listened to on this too, whether he is expressing himself with vitriol or presenting more nuanced views, along with the supporting evidence, on academic freedom."
-Morning Star
More details
Edition
2nd New edition
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Edition type
New edition
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Illustrations
Illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 228 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 38 mm
Weight
826 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-68219-640-3 (9781682196403)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Norman G. Finkelstein
I'll Burn That Bridge When I Get to It
Heretical Thoughts on Identity Politics, Cancel Culture, and Academic Freedom
E-Book
06/2025
2nd Edition
OR Books
€9.49
Available for download
Person
Norman G. Finkelstein received his doctorate from the Department of Politics at Princeton University. For many years he taught political theory and the Israel-Palestine conflict. He is the author of a number of books, among them Gaza: An Inquest Into Its Martyrdom; Method and Madness: The Hidden Story of Israel's Assaults on Gaza; Knowing Too Much: Why the American Jewish Romance with Israel is Coming to an End; What Gandhi Says: About Nonviolence, Resistance and Courage; "This Time We Went Too Far": Truth and Consequences of the Gaza Invasion; Beyond Chutzpah: On the Misuse of Anti-Semitism and the Abuse of History; and The Holocaust Industry: Reflections on the Exploitation of Jewish Suffering.