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bookishmillennial's review against another edition
This was such a fascinating read and not what I was expecting (I don't read premises, so idk what I was expecting actually....).
I am a tiny bookstagrammer who shares a username with other "bookish millennial"s whose "brands" are much different than mine; they focus on SJM, Fourth Wing, etc. while I ..... do not - no shade, we are just different! I found the premise of this so relatable and compelling. I'm no one, but Naomi Klein's career and brand is deeply impacted by having this author doppelganger. Absolutely wild.
I also heavily related to this because I too, have lost loved ones to the "mirrorworld," who dove deep into the covid, 5G, and other endless political conspiracies that have spread like wildfire since the pandemic shutdown in 2020. It's painful, exhausting, and leaves you in a bit of despair wondering why they can't be pulled back from the dudebro podcasts or vile Trump camp. I appreciated that Klein weaved in so much context about how these ran rampant and gained such strong traction, because it ironically made me feel less alone in my own grief of the people I love changing right in front of me.
The way we think about our online selves, and how performative activism has become a thing was something that I think anyone on Instagram or who is perpetually online can feel connected to. It is something I ruminate about often, as I believe to be seen is to be loved. However, to be perceived incorrectly (sometimes poeple really do intentionally misunderstand you) is viscerally painful and sometimes infuriating. And in other times, you don't want to be perceived at all. This cultural zeitgeist is such a mindfuck sometimes.
I don't particularly think there was anything absolutely novel in this, and though it could feel dense at times, I am really glad I read it and felt really comforted that it's something we are all navigating (to different extents) in this "brave new world" lol.
Graphic: Genocide, Racism, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, Colonisation, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Rape, Violence, and War
peckreadsbooks's review against another edition
5.0
Moderate: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Slavery, Violence, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Antisemitism, Islamophobia, Religious bigotry, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Colonisation, War, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic
madisus's review against another edition
5.0
Minor: Genocide, Rape, Xenophobia, and War
amachonis's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Antisemitism
Moderate: Racism, Xenophobia, and Classism
Minor: Rape
rissryann's review against another edition
5.0
Moderate: Ableism, Genocide, Gun violence, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racism, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Antisemitism, Colonisation, War, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Rape and Violence
oworthyfool's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Ableism, Death, Genocide, Hate crime, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Antisemitism, Grief, Gaslighting, Colonisation, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Bullying, Cursing, Death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Police brutality, Medical content, Mass/school shootings, Cultural appropriation, Injury/Injury detail, and Deportation
madscientistcat's review
5.0
Graphic: Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Antisemitism, Mass/school shootings, Colonisation, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Child death, Islamophobia, and War
Minor: Rape, Slavery, Transphobia, and Abortion
Extensive discussion of various genocides and the holocaust specificallymads_jpg's review against another edition
4.25
While this is a very zeitgeisty book, I think it'll age better than others, as it serves almost as a history book mixed with memoir mixed with psychology.
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism, and Antisemitism
Moderate: Body shaming, Chronic illness, Confinement, Eating disorder, Genocide, Gun violence, Racism, Rape, Police brutality, Islamophobia, Mass/school shootings, Colonisation, War, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Sexual violence, Slavery, Transphobia, and Abortion
misha_ali's review against another edition
4.75
Honestly, I would describe this book as listening to your favourite professor giving a lecture about a subject and then carrying on talking about adjacent things and giving you lots to think about after it's over. In particular, I found Klein's thoughts on the historical status of Jews in the world and in Europe, the recurrence of genocides and them being a legacy of the world rather than unique in that time and those conditions, and then the search for a home in the same way that major world powers in the world today achieved that home state (occupation and genocide of the indigent population), really interesting and frames the conflict in a novel way for me.
Aside from that topic, Klein dives into the literal and metaphorical representations of doppelgangers in literature, and in life, and how we can use them to understand ourselves better. This leads to a truly fascinating set of connections that she posits in explaining why unexpected groups of people suddenly appear to veer so hard into right-wing conspiracy theories instead of more liberal views. Her thoughts on tying together the mindset of avoiding COVID without vaccinations leading into the idea of superiority of blood and the very specific (and possibly intentional by some bad actors in the right-wing arena) phrasing used are really interesting.
I keep overusing the word interesting in this review but that's honestly the word that comes to mind. This was a lot of really novel and interesting things to chew on about the state of the world today, including roping in thoughts on digital existence, personal brands, Palestine and Zionism, the conservative media, COVID deniers, antivaxxers, autism, and many other fascinating ideas. Klein does her research and makes some evocative points and even ties it in with the Other Naomi right at the end. Well done!
Minor: Rape and Sexual assault
eslsilver's review against another edition
4.75
Graphic: Ableism and Classism
Minor: Rape