Reviews tagging 'Police brutality'

Doppelganger by Naomi Klein

19 reviews

katrinarose's review against another edition

challenging informative reflective medium-paced

4.0

This is a hard book to review because it covers so much ground. While she dives into many topics, I would consider her overarching themes to be about the causes and consequences of misinformation and conspiracies, and ultimately how cycles of oppression have played out in history through capitalism, fascism, and misinformation. She makes many interesting connections and observations that were insightful to me (such as the connection between anti-vaxxers and white supremacy, and the history of Asperger), as well as many I’ve heard before in circles of leftist politics. She does take on a hopeful tone and gives good advice for how leftist politics could be more effective. I think this book was an avenue for her to get a variety of topics off her chest (especially vaccine misinformation), and while I found some parts engaging, others dragged. Overall it’s a good read if you want to think about the state of politics and the internet.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Death, Genocide, Antisemitism, Medical content, Colonisation, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Racism, and Police brutality

bevconrique's review

informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

This book is brilliant from start to finish! Naomi Klein (or Naomi Wolf, if you're only half-paying attention lol) begins with the simple premise that people often confuse the two of them. From there, she weaves a fascinating exploration of identity, social media, capitalism, conspiracy theories, radicalization, and fascism—blending memoir and nonfiction to dissect the fractured nature of our reality today. It felt timely and prescient in a way few nonfiction books do. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide, Antisemitism, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Racism, Police brutality, and Colonisation

Minor: Rape, Violence, and War

alexisgarcia's review

informative reflective slow-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Genocide, Mental illness, Racism, Police brutality, Antisemitism, Abortion, and Classism

emilyseebold's review against another edition

challenging dark hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Racism, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, Religious bigotry, Colonisation, and War

Moderate: Slavery and Police brutality

Minor: Rape

carojust's review

challenging informative reflective slow-paced

3.75

"Doppelganger" is a book you read to find footing in our tumultuous world of politics, technology, war, healthcare and the permanent, pervasive ecological damage we've done in the name of capitalism. 

Naomi Klein centers this book around the strange occurrence of being mistaken as Naomi Wolf, a fellow writer and feminist whose beliefs she deems harmful and flat-out wrong. But she quickly expands this idea of doppelgangers toward the two selves of a person, a religion, a country. Then brings it back to say, rather persuasively albeit incongruously, that our answer to making the world better lies in abandoning individualism and engaging in a care-based, communal society.

Throughout the book, this idea of relating the world to "doubling" felt like a reach, and overdone. I appreciate the sentiment, but I don't need the constant packaging of mirrors and shadow worlds. Yin and yang, I get it. 

Also, this is a call to socialism, essentially. You'll be disappointed if you go into this expecting more of a memoir with a "Black Mirror" angle. But it's a great read for your social consciousness, and how to approach our increasingly hostile, diametrically opposed world.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Genocide, Racism, Rape, Police brutality, Antisemitism, Islamophobia, Mass/school shootings, Cultural appropriation, Colonisation, War, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic

nreyno's review

adventurous challenging dark informative inspiring medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Eating disorder, Genocide, Gun violence, Rape, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Antisemitism, Islamophobia, Mass/school shootings, Pregnancy, Colonisation, War, and Pandemic/Epidemic

turidt's review against another edition

challenging informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Genocide, Racism, Violence, Police brutality, Antisemitism, and Murder

sydapel's review against another edition

dark hopeful informative reflective slow-paced

4.5

I really don't rate non-fiction, but we're making an exception for this one since it's one of the only books I've read that discusses our current political polarization without making me feel entirely defeated. Klein approaches alt right talking points with context, facts and a deep amount of empathy that both holds these pundits accountable while recognizing how they've gotten there. I also appreciate the reference made to other explorations of dopplegangers and double-think, it really brings the book together in such a satisfying way. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Hate crime, Mental illness, Racism, Sexism, Transphobia, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Islamophobia, War, and Pandemic/Epidemic

uranaishi's review

challenging emotional informative reflective tense medium-paced

4.75

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Content Warnings

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

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny informative medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

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