Doppelganger: A Trip into the Mirror World

Leftist writer Naomi Klein opens this hard-to-characterize book explaining how she is frequently mistaken for journalist Naomi Wolf, especially online. Klein's area of expertise is “corporate power and its ravages,” while Wolf, whose [b:The Beauty Myth 39926 The Beauty Myth Naomi Wolf https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388197585l/39926.SY75.jpg 836516] was beloved by white feminists, has gradually became more hard core right wing. After COVID upended everything, Wolf found a home with Trump acolytes like Steve Bannon and Tucker Carlson, spouting anti-vaxxer, anti-mask, rabid conspiracy theories. For this issue and many others, Klein offers examples of how a real systemic problem (such pharmaceutical greed, poorly funded public health systems) was transformed in Wolf's mirror world into a nefarious plot. Klein has great insight into the way Bannon and his ilk have seized on complex concerns, such as child abuse or healthcare access, and have offered simple explanations: Hillary Clinton is killing babies in the basement of a pizza place. The government is hiding cures for cancer, but this 100% natural oil will save you. She even provides a remarkably cogent analysis of the current Israel/Palestine tragedy,* putting the Holocaust –> founding of Israel narrative in the context of other genocides and colonizations. Klein attempts to broaden the doppelganger experience of Klein vs Wolf (Klein = fine, Wolf = oof) into psychological concepts like shadow lands and mirror worlds, and at times she seems to be reaching for connections that don't quite exist. However, Doppelganger is still a fascinating, well-written look at the ongoing dumpster fire of 2024, and two women who exemplify the divisions between us. * This book was published before October 7, 2023 when a tragic situation somehow became even worse.