Denying History: Who Says the Holocaust Never Happened and Why Do They Say It? (released in 2002) is a collaboration between Michael Shermer and Alex Grobman with the goal of explaining and perhaps more importantly, debunking the growing movement of Holocaust deniers. In the book, the two take a deep dive into the world of Holocaust denial. They explore some of the deniers claims that the Holocaust did not occur (for example, some deniers claim that Zyklon B was used to delouse clothing, not to kill people, why is why scientists found heavy traces of Zyklon B in the crematoria where the Jews were executed) and their motivations for denying the genocide. To write the book, the authors immersed themselves into the Holocaust denial movement, interviewing deniers, attending their rallies, visiting their websites, and reading their literature. Because of this, they (according to the books synopsis)) "uncover[ed] a complex social movement." At its core, though, the book is about how one can be certain the Holocaust occurred and how any historical event can be confirmed. In doing so, it sharply rebukes Holocaust deniers and their nonsensical movement.
Needless to say, the book was poorly reviewed among Holocaust deniers, most of whom called the book "propaganda" which helped "drum up sympathies for the Jews." However, there were a few non anti-Semitic, non-deniers who offered up criticisms of the book, with most reviewers pointing out that the book "adds nothing new to the conversation" and that Shermer and his co-writer conveniently ignore some of the atrocities the Allies committed during the war. The majority of readers, however, adored the book. Among those who loved the book include Publisher's Weekly and CNN. Writes Publisher's Weekly: "Keeping their focus on larger questions about historical rigor and public memory, Shermer and Grobman look closely at the methods employed by deniers and those used by legitimate historians. "Holocaust denial," they argue, "is not just a Jewish issue. It is an attack on all history and the way we transmit the past to the future." CNN offered up a similarly glowing review, writing that "... Shermer and Grobman do more than just refute ridiculous allegations. They also use the example of Holocaust denial literature to examine free speech issues, the psychology of right-wing extremists, and the role of biases in historical research."
