Scan barcode
ivvtheral's review against another edition
4.5
Conspiracy theorists get the facts wrong but often get the feelings right ... The word for the system driving those feelings starts with c, but if no one ever taught you how capitalism works, and instead told you it was all about freedom and sunshine and Big Macs and playing. y the rules to get the life you deserve, then its easy to see how you might confuse it with another c-word: conspiracy.
Naomi Klein (not Wolf) and her trip into the Mirror World proved to be a surprisingly light-hearted read for a topic so serious, and by its very nature, dark. This is something I picked up on a whim, having recognised her name from the much-worn copy of No Logo I'd inherited from some random, Little Free Library that I haven't visited in years. I expected little, and I received a lot.
Klein put into words a lot of the feelings I myself have had since I first began paying attention to brief mentions of a mysterious illness in late 2019. It was nice to see my thoughts, my feelings, and my utter hopelessness at the (seemingly) sudden change in western society that has cost lives and relationships, and to see it in a way that was clear, precise, and not altogether hopeless.
Contemplating capitalism and conspiracy, and their innate relationship, Klein tracks her own veritable doppelgängers descent into something other than reality; a path many have set out on since the first lockdowns of 2020. This path many took was ridiculed. Worse, those that led others down the path were seemingly immune to reason, to logic.
Impunity can drive a person mad. Maybe it can drive a whole society mad.
I needed to read this, I think, to find perspective, and to feel less alone. I think there's a lot of people who need to read this so as to reframe a lot of their feelings and confusion and general shrugging in the face of absurdism. It helps. And, it gives hope.
All of this destabilisation places demands on us: to change, to reassess, and to reimagine who we need to become.
Graphic: Genocide, Antisemitism, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Xenophobia
Minor: Ableism
sydapel's review against another edition
4.5
Moderate: Hate crime, Mental illness, Racism, Sexism, Transphobia, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Islamophobia, War, and Pandemic/Epidemic
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
uranaishi's review against another edition
4.75
Graphic: Gaslighting
Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Genocide, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Antisemitism, Religious bigotry, Colonisation, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Ableism, Body horror, Cancer, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Transphobia, Violence, Xenophobia, Excrement, Islamophobia, Medical content, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, War, and Deportation
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
katharina90's review against another edition
4.5
The book is well written, covers a lot of ground and offers much food for thought.
Trying to tie all of these topics back to the doppelganger motif at times feels like a stretch? I definitely lost the thread a few times but was captivated by Klein's meandering narrative nonetheless.
Moderate: Ableism, Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Racism, Sexism, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Antisemitism, Islamophobia, Colonisation, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Dementia 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
cerysl's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Ableism, Bullying, Chronic illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Antisemitism, Islamophobia, Medical content, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Religious bigotry, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Colonisation, War, Classism, Deportation, and Pandemic/Epidemic