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18 reviews for:
Fences and Windows Dispatches from the Frontlines of the Globalization D ebate
Naomi Klein
3.64 AVERAGE
18 reviews for:
Fences and Windows Dispatches from the Frontlines of the Globalization D ebate
Naomi Klein
3.64 AVERAGE
challenging
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
Over twenty years after publishing and it seems things have only gotten worse in our world. That being said, the lessons learned from this book remain important and applicable to advocacy and organizing today. As usual, Klein writes beautifully and accessibly - her essays reflect the struggles of millions worldwide and synthesize the pieces of a decentralized movement clearly. Despite the apparent lack of progress between the turn of the century and now, Klein's words inspire hope and action in me!
Bad typography makes this collection of articles and essays on globalisation much harder to read than it should be.
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Both Inspiring/enlightening and discouraging. Much has remained the same or has gotten worse. Great writing; well deserved praise for her reports and observations, she nails it frequently:
"....when Wally Olins, co-founder of... brand consultancy, was asked for his take on America’s image problem, he complained that people don’t have a single clear idea about what the country stands for but rather have dozens if not hundreds of ideas that ”are mixed up in people’s heads in a most extraordinary way. So you will often find people both admiring and abusing America, even in the same sentence.”....
Having conflicting views about the U.S.- admiring its creativity, for instance, but resenting its double standards- doesn’t mean you are mixed up” to use Olin’s phrase, it means you are paying attention.”
The possibilities-...”’the participatory budget,’ a system that allows direct citizen participation in the allocation of scarce city resources. Through a network of neighbourhood and issue councils, residents vote directly on which roads will be paved and which health care facilities will be built. In Porte Alegre (Brazil), this devolution of power has brought results that are the mirror opposite of global economic trends. For instance, rather than scaling back on public services for the poor, as is the case nearly everywhere else, the city has increased those services substantially. And rather than spiralling cynicism and voter dropout, democratic participation increases every year.”
"....when Wally Olins, co-founder of... brand consultancy, was asked for his take on America’s image problem, he complained that people don’t have a single clear idea about what the country stands for but rather have dozens if not hundreds of ideas that ”are mixed up in people’s heads in a most extraordinary way. So you will often find people both admiring and abusing America, even in the same sentence.”....
Having conflicting views about the U.S.- admiring its creativity, for instance, but resenting its double standards- doesn’t mean you are mixed up” to use Olin’s phrase, it means you are paying attention.”
The possibilities-...”’the participatory budget,’ a system that allows direct citizen participation in the allocation of scarce city resources. Through a network of neighbourhood and issue councils, residents vote directly on which roads will be paved and which health care facilities will be built. In Porte Alegre (Brazil), this devolution of power has brought results that are the mirror opposite of global economic trends. For instance, rather than scaling back on public services for the poor, as is the case nearly everywhere else, the city has increased those services substantially. And rather than spiralling cynicism and voter dropout, democratic participation increases every year.”
Good collection, but scattered and inconsistent (as expected from a collection of articles) - some incredible foresight, but the occasional miss too
Very good counter argument to globalisation, but don't use this book alone to found your opinion on the debate. The short storied are easy to read, and if one bores you (unlikely as that may seem), it is possible to skip the vignette and move onto the next without a loss of understanding.
informative
reflective
fast-paced
Fantastic, prophetic, depressingly topical, but still and urgent message that too many have and will continue to ignore.
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
I didn't realise it was a collection of articles and speeches when I picked the book up, but it was nonetheless an interesting read. The book offers an insider perspective, reflections and analysis of the anti-neoliberal movement of the late 90s and early 2000s. The interesting thing for me was reading these articles as historical, something that occurred before i could grasp them, and draw parallels with today's state of the world. The movement is very much still alive, though as fragmented as ever, it has had an impact on how society percieves solutions for a more sustainable world. And perhaps the most visible to me is the rise of the climate movement and the acceptance of local solutions to global problems.