Scan barcode
A review by bookshelfmystic
Doppelganger: A Trip into the Mirror World by Naomi Klein
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
slow-paced
4.5
Doppelganger is...hard to explain.
It's a book about doubles, in the literal sense and in myriad metaphorical ways. This is the uniting theme across the broad sociopolitical landscape Klein writes about, from QAnon to wellness influencers (and the surprising alliances between them found in the "diagonalist" movement). The framing concept is the author's persistent confusion with Naomi Wolf, and through exploring this uncanny doppelganger she's found herself saddled with, she dives into the rabbit hole of what she calls the Mirror World.
I'm not going to do her arguments justice by explaining them further here, but I found a lot of value in Klein's exploration of the motivations of Steve Bannon and his ilk, the pitfalls of the modern internet left and social justice movements, internet privacy, the history of Nazism and antisemitism, Zionism, diagonalism, and more.
Having read This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. The Climate several years ago, I already trust that Klein knows what she's talking about, and her careful excavation of the cause and effect of so many destabilizing cultural forces in Doppelganger adds to her leftist cred. I really appreciated her well-argued, non-performative writing--she knows her stuff, has spent decades living it and writing about it, and doesn't come off as preachy. In my notes I said this book feels like "coming home to the left". It's such a refreshing change from most of the internet discourse you get about these topics.
I think the biggest aha moment for me was Klein's differentiation between understanding the forces that cause social issues vs. conspiracy theories blaming some super-powerful bad actor. Incentive structures in capitalism (e.g.) cause all sorts of social ills, but it's easy to see these effects and blame them on some evil intelligent force instead. Again, I'm not going to do her argument justice, but this point is a really powerful one.
Doppelganger is not a light read, but it's well worth it. I'm glad I finished it now, while I'm pregnant, instead of trying to listen to it while taking care of a newborn. I don't think that would have worked too well. It deserves the time spent chewing on its contents.
It's a book about doubles, in the literal sense and in myriad metaphorical ways. This is the uniting theme across the broad sociopolitical landscape Klein writes about, from QAnon to wellness influencers (and the surprising alliances between them found in the "diagonalist" movement). The framing concept is the author's persistent confusion with Naomi Wolf, and through exploring this uncanny doppelganger she's found herself saddled with, she dives into the rabbit hole of what she calls the Mirror World.
I'm not going to do her arguments justice by explaining them further here, but I found a lot of value in Klein's exploration of the motivations of Steve Bannon and his ilk, the pitfalls of the modern internet left and social justice movements, internet privacy, the history of Nazism and antisemitism, Zionism, diagonalism, and more.
Having read This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. The Climate several years ago, I already trust that Klein knows what she's talking about, and her careful excavation of the cause and effect of so many destabilizing cultural forces in Doppelganger adds to her leftist cred. I really appreciated her well-argued, non-performative writing--she knows her stuff, has spent decades living it and writing about it, and doesn't come off as preachy. In my notes I said this book feels like "coming home to the left". It's such a refreshing change from most of the internet discourse you get about these topics.
I think the biggest aha moment for me was Klein's differentiation between understanding the forces that cause social issues vs. conspiracy theories blaming some super-powerful bad actor. Incentive structures in capitalism (e.g.) cause all sorts of social ills, but it's easy to see these effects and blame them on some evil intelligent force instead. Again, I'm not going to do her argument justice, but this point is a really powerful one.
Doppelganger is not a light read, but it's well worth it. I'm glad I finished it now, while I'm pregnant, instead of trying to listen to it while taking care of a newborn. I don't think that would have worked too well. It deserves the time spent chewing on its contents.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism and Antisemitism