nickel_is_neat's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
3.5
I would have loved to read this book if it had been published today, not because of anything wrong with its current state, but because I feel like I need some updates, have things changed, what is the analysis of modern events from this perspective? Also, the short hopeful ending was just all right, but not enough to change the tone of the book by making me feel either hopeful or empowered.
mairimav's review against another edition
4.0
Wow. This book makes you think. It is completely raw and real and unapologetic and true and analytical and shows how thorough Klein was with her research.
But trigger warnings ahead because it is also extremely disturbing.
Also, more current than ever.
But trigger warnings ahead because it is also extremely disturbing.
Also, more current than ever.
yaybaum's review against another edition
5.0
Audiobook listen for me and my god, this was chilling and fascinating at the same time. I can’t recommend this enough.
rick2's review against another edition
3.0
The core concept is fantastic. I think the mechanism of destruction to profiteering is well illustrated.
This book starts to sound a little bit like Mongolian throat singing after a while, where at first it’s really novel and you’re like whoa that’s interesting. But then, after about two songs, you start to go “you know it’s kind of the same thing and realistically I’m not catching the nuance in any sort of significant way“ Klein seems to find that every business action is malicious and done with a sort of cackle and evil intent. Is she wrong? I don’t know. That’s not a really straightforward answer. But it does get a little repetitive.
Is the say that while the core concept is powerful, blaming everything on capitalism has been kind of a developing pet peeve of mine as of late. It strikes me as unrealistic and short of supplying your own sort of framework for how it should be, it’s starting to become sort of an empty punchline that Business is the root of all evil.
I’m coming to this opinion from a pretty neauvou liberal background. But earnestly I can’t quite bring myself to believe it anymore. I think there’s a lot of harms imposed by our current systems and economic structures. But also many of the good things and positives like easy availability of food and medicine stem from the same system. Unfortunately, I read this book kind of in the middle of that transition so a lot of the stuff struck me as very discordant. It’s like hearing the chance that your favorite football team have against another bad football team for the first time and you’re like “well yeah like we’re telling these other fans that they should drive their car into a telephone pole. That’s not the coolest thing.“
This book starts to sound a little bit like Mongolian throat singing after a while, where at first it’s really novel and you’re like whoa that’s interesting. But then, after about two songs, you start to go “you know it’s kind of the same thing and realistically I’m not catching the nuance in any sort of significant way“ Klein seems to find that every business action is malicious and done with a sort of cackle and evil intent. Is she wrong? I don’t know. That’s not a really straightforward answer. But it does get a little repetitive.
Is the say that while the core concept is powerful, blaming everything on capitalism has been kind of a developing pet peeve of mine as of late. It strikes me as unrealistic and short of supplying your own sort of framework for how it should be, it’s starting to become sort of an empty punchline that Business is the root of all evil.
I’m coming to this opinion from a pretty neauvou liberal background. But earnestly I can’t quite bring myself to believe it anymore. I think there’s a lot of harms imposed by our current systems and economic structures. But also many of the good things and positives like easy availability of food and medicine stem from the same system. Unfortunately, I read this book kind of in the middle of that transition so a lot of the stuff struck me as very discordant. It’s like hearing the chance that your favorite football team have against another bad football team for the first time and you’re like “well yeah like we’re telling these other fans that they should drive their car into a telephone pole. That’s not the coolest thing.“
rltinha's review against another edition
5.0
Tem somente o problema de não trazer uma goteira, pois a argumentação de Naomi Klein, expondo os neocoisos em todo o esplendor da sua meandrada de jogadas sujas à custa de imensa miséria humana, insanamente narrada como maravilhosa em novilíngua viscosa até aos quarks, tende a motivar um danado ranger de dentes.
shona22's review against another edition
5.0
I don't know exactly what I was expecting but I guess it was more of a history lesson than I thought it would be. This is such an interesting read in light of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan because it places it in a pattern of US invasion, disruption and interference. It's also a great read for a post-Covid world where we have more attention on epidemic profiteering. So many of the bad actors that feature in this book are still around causing trouble and for that reason I think it's a powerful call to action. Also, not as depressing as I expected, there IS a hopeful thread through it!
hberg95's review against another edition
5.0
Engrossing and horrifying.
Klein's thesis is one of those that just seems obviously correct. From Chile to Israel to Iraq to New Orleans, the shock doctrine and its corresponding economic and political procedures have clearly allowed for incredible amounts of wealth to enter private pockets at the expense of the suffering of the masses.
This book taught me a ton about what happened in Chile with Allende and Pinochet, which I only abstractly understood before. It also taught me how many of the same strategies used in Chile have been used around the world to make effective use of dangerous situations.
Klein's book should be required reading for anyone curious about the Bush administration and/or the dangers of modern imperialism embodied by the United States. It was great.
Klein's thesis is one of those that just seems obviously correct. From Chile to Israel to Iraq to New Orleans, the shock doctrine and its corresponding economic and political procedures have clearly allowed for incredible amounts of wealth to enter private pockets at the expense of the suffering of the masses.
This book taught me a ton about what happened in Chile with Allende and Pinochet, which I only abstractly understood before. It also taught me how many of the same strategies used in Chile have been used around the world to make effective use of dangerous situations.
Klein's book should be required reading for anyone curious about the Bush administration and/or the dangers of modern imperialism embodied by the United States. It was great.
colin_cox's review against another edition
5.0
In the opening pages of The Shock Doctrine, Naomi Klein defines "disaster capitalism" as "orchestrated raids on the public sphere in the wake of catastrophic events, with the treatment of disasters as exciting market opportunities" (6). The notion that catastrophe breeds economic opportunity is arguably the most unsettling (and salient) observation Klein develops principally because free-market liberalism argues that government interventions stymie opportunity rather than produce it. Nevertheless, Klein solidifies what remains a rather nebulous concept for many regarding capitalism and its foundational idea: an economic system that prioritizes profit and growth will naturally perceive ideas such as egalitarianism and fairness as its enemy.
But perhaps there is hope. Seeing the consequences of unfettered, unregulated capitalism may encourage citizens to vote for and advocate for progressively-minded lawmakers who see government as a solution to the problems Klein explores in The Shock Doctrine. This may, however, be a tall order. Even if it produces few tangible results, The Shock Doctrine is a well-written and comprehensively researched book that investigates capitalism as it has operated since Chicago School economist Milton Friedman rose to power and prominence within the neoconservative community. Finally, Part 6 explores the transgressions of the Bush Administration in ways that I had not considered (principally because I'm not an economist). The point, I suppose, is to read this book as soon as possible.
But perhaps there is hope. Seeing the consequences of unfettered, unregulated capitalism may encourage citizens to vote for and advocate for progressively-minded lawmakers who see government as a solution to the problems Klein explores in The Shock Doctrine. This may, however, be a tall order. Even if it produces few tangible results, The Shock Doctrine is a well-written and comprehensively researched book that investigates capitalism as it has operated since Chicago School economist Milton Friedman rose to power and prominence within the neoconservative community. Finally, Part 6 explores the transgressions of the Bush Administration in ways that I had not considered (principally because I'm not an economist). The point, I suppose, is to read this book as soon as possible.
sallyjaygatsby's review against another edition
5.0
I took my time with this one because it’s difficult to read with all the torture and it does get dense. Should be required reading for everyone though.