Quarantining Hate

Hate is a Virus that Spreads Rapidly until Stopped

Kerrie Taber is a university professor and author of Ã?Æ'Ã?¢Ã?¢ââ?¬Å¡Ã?¬Ã?â?¦"Quarantining Hate.Ã?Æ'Ã?¢Ã?¢ââ?¬Å¡Ã?¬Ã?â??Ã?Â? As a professor, there are certain requirements around publishing work for promotions. Typically, university professors find themselves publishing in journals in line with their disciplines, however, Taber chose to instead write a book for the masses, chronicling her experience and research, on the topic of hate.

One doesnÃ?Æ'Ã?¢Ã?¢ââ?¬Å¡Ã?¬Ã?¢ââ?¬Å¾Ã?¢t need to look too far to see the poison that is hate. From the media, racism, and genocides present, hate is a plague. Taber chose to face her familyÃ?Æ'Ã?¢Ã?¢ââ?¬Å¡Ã?¬Ã?¢ââ?¬Å¾Ã?¢s secret head-on, sharing it with the world in an attempt to stop the virus. By not allowing her grandfatherÃ?Æ'Ã?¢Ã?¢ââ?¬Å¡Ã?¬Ã?¢ââ?¬Å¾Ã?¢s biggest secret to remain hidden she hopes to open the conversation to showing the need for repercussions when hate is present because if we canÃ?Æ'Ã?¢Ã?¢ââ?¬Å¡Ã?¬Ã?¢ââ?¬Å¾Ã?¢t stop hatred, we are allowing it to grow and spread like a virus.

Ã?Æ'Ã?¢Ã?¢ââ?¬Å¡Ã?¬Ã?â?¦"Quarantining HateÃ?Æ'Ã?¢Ã?¢ââ?¬Å¡Ã?¬Ã?â??Ã?Â? is a powerful read. At the heart of this book is TaberÃ?Æ'Ã?¢Ã?¢ââ?¬Å¡Ã?¬Ã?¢ââ?¬Å¾Ã?¢s grandfather. Having known him her whole life, she was told he was a Lithuanian refugee who moved to the United States after WWII. He rarely left his home, a home that he bordered by shrubs, planted as a wall to keep others out. He loved his granddaughter, our author, especially. Set in his ways, as most elders tend to be, with strained relationships as a result. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary growing up with a grandfather like this. However, after his death, and the death of her uncle, Taber began to uncover things that led her to question everything she knew about her grandfather, ultimately discovering the role they played in helping the Nazis to murder tens of thousands of Jews.

Readers are taken through the range of emotions this realization causes. You begin to feel a sense of empathy for Taber as she clinically dissects the feelings she now harbors towards someone she loved. Someone who allowed countless people to be murdered because of a genocide playing out. Written both from a personal perspective and through the lens of a seasoned professor, Ã?Æ'Ã?¢Ã?¢ââ?¬Å¡Ã?¬Ã?â?¦"Quarantining HateÃ?Æ'Ã?¢Ã?¢ââ?¬Å¡Ã?¬Ã?â??Ã?Â? provides a unique and thought-provoking view of the spread of hate.

It is convenient and desirable for families to come up with ways to distance themselves from relativesÃ?Æ'Ã?¢Ã?¢ââ?¬Å¡Ã?¬Ã?¢ââ?¬Å¾Ã?¢ hate crimes. Crafting stories and family histories allows them to see their ancestors more as a victim of circumstance while providing a way out of feeling shame or guilt. Taber refuses to allow this, exposing the hate and digging deeper as she quarantines the virus one hateful person at a time, starting with her own grandfather in this powerful penning, Ã?Æ'Ã?¢Ã?¢ââ?¬Å¡Ã?¬Ã?â?¦"Quarantining Hate.Ã?Æ'Ã?¢Ã?¢ââ?¬Å¡Ã?¬Ã?â??Ã?Â?

Exposing the secrets of her own grandfatherÃ?Æ'Ã?¢Ã?¢ââ?¬Å¡Ã?¬Ã?¢ââ?¬Å¾Ã?¢s past, Taber provides a well-researched, well-articulated basis on hate and how to stop the spread. Using past and present instances of hate, and media portrayal, Taber uses her academic background to peel back the layers and stop the virus.