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I‘m LOVING this book! #womensprizeNF

This is the only book I've read from the #WomensPrize non-fiction shortlist, but I wouldn't be surprised if it wins. Important book that attempts to explain the right shift/turn to conspiracy theory that has happened in the Western world. Slow going in parts, because there is a lot to take in. Difficult to summarise.

Up to 20 inches of snow projected to fall over the next few days. I have a multitude of books and magazines to entertain myself with when I‘m not shoveling. This is one book I‘ll be dipping in and out of.

Feminist writer Naomi Wolf took a hard right turn some years ago, and many people were confusing Klein with Wolf. Using this as a jumping off point, Klein explores our divided culture and how this is harmful to all of us. Overall, this is good, but while I agree with her that finding common ground is vitally important, I wonder how her use of the term “mirror world” to define another world view is helpful.

Wow, this was so good! Smart, relevant, thought-provoking.

#WomensPrizeNF

Very well researched and laid out. Thoughtful challenging arguments. Makes me want to demand more of systems - because their failure is failing some very badly, where people believe they have no alternative but to follow power hungry people into the “mirror world”.

I did wonder at the start how the author would extend a story about being mistaken for Naomi Wolf into a full-length book, but this is so much more than that. Sometimes rather impenetrable and often rather scary, Klein looks at many different cases of ‘mirroring‘ in society, with particular reference to Covid, as well as Israel, Trump and even the wellness industry.

A fascinating read, even if I had to read it in chunks to understand it fully.

That's supposed to be MY reading chair Daisy! That's yours on the floor.

• nonfiction • memoir • politics • technology • culture • 2.5 Stars (Meh) Not my favorite genre

Doppelganger: A Trip into the Mirror World by Naomi Klein is a good fit for people who are interested in reflecting on the current state of the world and their place in it, and who are looking for a thought-provoking and intellectually stimulating read that challenges their perspectives on politics, identity, and the impact of technology on society.

SO EXCITED the #womensprize is doing a nonfiction book beginning this year! The longlist was announced today and I‘ve read 2, already had 1 checked out, 2 were on my tbr and the rest seem pretty interesting too!
Anyone else going to read these? I haven‘t seen any posts so far, but also haven‘t scrolled through. How about a tag? #WPNF24

This is an exceptional read. I liked how Klein challenges liberals and leftists to really look at the world, to see the many layers of an issue. She spends a lot of time on Naomi Wolf (her own doppelganger) but also on mirror and shadow worlds. The unraveling of the known with Trump and COVID but also how the other side might not push back enough against big government because they are trying to balance the crazy on the right.
Really enjoyed

#weeklyforecast
My goal this year was to read more books that were not British or US, and read more nonfiction (NF). This next week looks like a success I will be finishing and starting books from:
Canada (NF) (granted a lot about the US)
US (NF)
Portugal
New Zealand
Argentina

An interesting and thought-provoking intersection between memoir and social philosophy. I think the first half — where Klein‘s observations about her “doppelgänger” Naomi Wolf intertwines with discussions about right-wing conspiracies — is more interesting than the second half, where we take a few detours. But overall I loved this a lot.

Klein and Wolf, have you ever gotten the two confused? As Wolf fell deeper into right-wing conspiracy theories and Steve Bannon TV, the confusion became more problematic for Klein. In this excellent book, she looks at Wolf‘s descent but also how society can easily descend into fascism and conspiracy and the mirror selves we all have. Her insights into vaccination and the Israel/Palestine issue are particularly important and timely.

Fascinating! This book went down many rabbit holes. “It all would be so ridiculous- if it weren‘t so serious.” I wasn‘t sure if I should laugh or cry over so much of this book. It nailed the world we are living in, where so many of us have no commonsense. I have admiration for Klein who has been mercifully mistaken, mocked and hounded for another‘s ideals, yet she can still show empathy to her doppelgänger. She deals with it all with such grace.

The information in this is interesting but her devotion to the concept/structure hinders the analyses and messages.

I feel like there were two books fighting with each other in this. Klein is a nonfiction writer, but the doppelganger stuff would have made an intriguing autofiction novella, or as a monograph on psychoanalysis. The part that was interesting, which is the capture of the public imagination by the right-wing around the time of the pandemic & ensuing lockdowns, is where the book failed me. The Klein of Shock Doctrine & No Logo would have dug deep 🔽

By facing her own doppelgänger, leftist activist Naomi Klein explores the absurdity, inversion, & surreality of our cultural and political moment, offering piercing perspectives on self-branding, conspiracy theories, climate change, the Israeli-Palestinian crisis, & more. Sprawling, funny, intellectually invigorating, & disturbing in equal measure—if you get lost following Klein in the mirror world, you‘ll end with your feet on more solid ground.

Idk… I liked it! Maybe because of how much it was hyped up, I was hoping it would be paradigm-altering. It wasn‘t- not to me, at least. But it was still very interesting & enjoyable. A bit frenetic, maybe a bit narcissistic in a pandemic era-way… but also completely self-aware about that fact, which makes it work on some level. Probably didn‘t help that I find it almost completely possible to focus on anything right now that is not Gaza 🙃

31 Oct-3 Nov 23 (audiobook)
Interesting non-fiction. I was drawn to this being one who had been guilty of confusing the two Naomis. I still find it difficult to believe that the woman who wrote The Beauty Myth has gone on to become a prominent anti-vaxxer who makes regular appearances on Steve Bannon‘s channels.
Klein does jump about to address a myriad of issues though. Interesting in light of the current Gaza/Israel conflict but bit disjointed.

Naomi Klein has been repeatedly confused with Naomi Wolf, who wrote the feminist book “The Myth of Beauty”. Wolf then “switched sides” and began appearing on Fox News against the COVID vaccine. Klein uses this mistaken identity to explore so many contemporary issues we face today: climate change, politics, the pandemic, racial justice, the Israeli-Palestinian crisis, social media, autism, and so much more. Long, and all over but a good audio.

The consequences of modern society‘s ability to obscure important truths, profit off of that obscurity, and ignore large segments of the population are folks like Naomi Wolf, Steve Bannon, and Donald Trump.

Have you been feeling that in the last few years things are slightly off with the world? I know that I sometimes look around & wonder what the hell is going on. There's a feeling that we have truly stepped through the looking glass. Naomi Klein calls this the Shadow or Mirror world, which leads her onto Doppelganger culture: the world of the Shadow selves. (cont'd)