I think this is a very thoughtful review. I have not read it but you have me more intrigued than I was. This sounds like it would be a good group read so you have people to discuss it with. I may give it a try.
Thank you. I think it would be a great buddy read or group read with buddies who you’re not afraid to discuss difficult topics with, I sometimes needed to stop for a rant to my husband. Not about the writing but about the content and some of the things people in the book did. 😊📚
Your full review has actually made me more interested to pick this up - as you say, that’s not how the book was marketed, so I wonder if I go into with different expectations I might enjoy it more than you did.
There are really good things about it and I wouldn’t like to put anyone off. It was still a really solid good book for me but just way way out of my comfort zone. The writing is good, I loved the sections on autism and neurodiversity, doppelgängers and doubles in literature and a lot of really interesting sections on Klein’s “doppelganger”. I also think some of the more global issues are ones you would be really interested to read more about, so I’m glad the review made you want to read it more.
You are not alone in approaching the news with trepidation these days! And I think Klein actually made a good point about the way that many of us who hold quite liberal views have started to disengage from political discourse which is dangerous And made me think about how much I show away from questioning or discussing politics in recent years when I used to be quite politically minded. Brilliant review Alice. I waited until I’d finally posted mine after watching yours immediately wanted to go back and say different things! 😂
Thanks Jack. I think it’s the sort of book where every time you talk about it or watch a video you think of more to say or mull over. I’m not very political at all. 😊📚
Try reading Naomi Wolf's 'The Bodies of Others' and 'Facing the Beast' for the other side of the story of these recent events. Though I loved Naomi Klein's 'Shock Doctrine', she's gone astray with this book, largely as a result of her family ties to the pharmaceutical industry.
Thanks for the review. I really enjoyed this book for lots of reasons. While it is pretty political and she makes it clear where she stands on the issues she discusses, I admired that she tried to be empathetic to people caught in what she calls the mirror world. Even the way she discusses the other Naomi’s descent into conspiracy theory is quite balanced. Edited to add - great thumbnail :)
I absolutely agree. Often when I felt that she had shown us the very worst in people she presented the other view and made it more balanced and I thought that was very well done and interesting. Thank you. 😊📚
I'm thinking that this might not be one of my high-priority Women's Prize NF books. While I often read about current events and politics, it can be exhausting (especially being in the US). One needs a balance, for sure.
I had the complete opposite reaction towards this book haha. For me I was able to appreciate it a lot more because as a Gen Z-er who spends way too much time on the internet I really feel like Klein got to the heart of a lot of the extremist discourse that permeates online culture. I (and I think it’s safe to say the judges as well) appreciated the fact that she was willing to be WILDLY ambitious with her analysis. I’ve only read two of the nominees: this one and How to Say Babylon and I much preferred this one because of how unique it was. Though I will say it was quite the experience reading How to Say Babylon immediately after Doppelganger because the latter is about the rise of fascism while the former is about actually living under an authoritarian and puritanical power figure 😅 They both have similar critiques of the world but I thought that Naomi Klein did it better and had more to say
Thanks so much for your comment, it’s really good and helpful to hear what you liked about it. I think my feelings about it are way more complex than can be expressed in a review video but what I would say is although it wasn’t for me I didn’t dislike the book, I just found it to be very challenging for me to read. I think Klein’s writing is really good, and there were many topics in the book that were really interesting to me. 😊📚
@@AliceandtheGiantBookshelfI totally understand if you felt it was too complex! I guess it was easier for me to follow along because I have some prior knowledge of what she was talking about haha
This isn't anything to do with Doppelganger but I have just read my first Agatha Christie Murder on the oriant express I loved it. Preferred the book to the Branagh film adaption as poirot less curmudgeonly but still enjoyable.
I’m really glad to hear that. I found the Branagh film Poirot a bit too action-hero when the book Poirot is a detective. It was my first Poirot book too and I never looked back! Thanks for letting me know you loved it. 😊📚
Great review and I think you are articulating what a lot of people are feeling as far as politics. I used to just love politics. I read long form news articles and wrote in margins but in the last few years I've felt really exhausted by it all. This sounds like an interesting book but might require a level of clear eyed and sobering reflection on the state of my country. Perhaps I'll pick it up in September to energize myself for the November elections. Or, I could bury my head in the sand with another epic fantasy series which is what I did after the 2016 elections. Ha!
Thank you. I think that the book isn’t directly about the politics but they are so much a part of all of the various things going on in Klein’s book that I would definitely consider it political. Mainly in the discussion of the views held by various people in the book. I would love to hear what you think if you do end up picking Doppelganger up one day. 😊📚
I don't mind Klein's writing and as you say she is very clever, however it is important to note she has been involved in political campaigns herself so there is a political bias. Same as you, I thought Doppleganger was a bit long and I found the last couple of chapters dragged. It was fine, but not my favourite by any means.
Absolutely, yes. She makes her feelings and bias fairly clear I thought, but I didn’t really have the background knowledge to know she’d been involved in political campaigns until she told us in the book. I know what you mean, I was definitely ready for the book to finish. 😊📚
Fair enough. A lot of the topics were definitely not new to me either and I can see it being a lot if you’re already very familiar with them. Not my favourite either but there were certainly parts of it I found more interesting than others. 😊📚
Politics!! Big yuck!! I'm so glad you don't include them on your channel. I do vote, but I'm sick to death of all the squabbling. 🙉🙊🙈. My only 2 reads from the NF longlist will be Young Queens and Wifedom. Wifedom is not yet available in our library system and I've just started Young Queens. Hope you enjoy the rest of your NF selections!! Thank you for sharing your thoughts 🙂
Thanks BJ. I hope you enjoy your selections too. I definitely still want to read Young Queens, and as you know I enjoyed Wifedom. I hope you’ll be able to get hold of it one day. 😊📚
very typical of Naomi Klein to pick at a thread and unravel everything that’s wrong and corrupt with the world! she still intimidates me but still want to give this one a go at some stage before the winner announcement 🪞🌍
Absolutely! I didn’t know too much of her before this but I did like the way she gave background on her own work as well as what her “doppelganger” had done previously. I found it quite intimidating in places when I began to realise the sheer scope of the book, but there were definitely parts of it I found really interesting. 😊📚
I think this is a very thoughtful review. I have not read it but you have me more intrigued than I was. This sounds like it would be a good group read so you have people to discuss it with. I may give it a try.
Thank you. I think it would be a great buddy read or group read with buddies who you’re not afraid to discuss difficult topics with, I sometimes needed to stop for a rant to my husband. Not about the writing but about the content and some of the things people in the book did. 😊📚
Your full review has actually made me more interested to pick this up - as you say, that’s not how the book was marketed, so I wonder if I go into with different expectations I might enjoy it more than you did.
There are really good things about it and I wouldn’t like to put anyone off. It was still a really solid good book for me but just way way out of my comfort zone. The writing is good, I loved the sections on autism and neurodiversity, doppelgängers and doubles in literature and a lot of really interesting sections on Klein’s “doppelganger”. I also think some of the more global issues are ones you would be really interested to read more about, so I’m glad the review made you want to read it more.
You are not alone in approaching the news with trepidation these days! And I think Klein actually made a good point about the way that many of us who hold quite liberal views have started to disengage from political discourse which is dangerous And made me think about how much I show away from questioning or discussing politics in recent years when I used to be quite politically minded. Brilliant review Alice. I waited until I’d finally posted mine after watching yours immediately wanted to go back and say different things! 😂
Thanks Jack. I think it’s the sort of book where every time you talk about it or watch a video you think of more to say or mull over. I’m not very political at all. 😊📚
Try reading Naomi Wolf's 'The Bodies of Others' and 'Facing the Beast' for the other side of the story of these recent events. Though I loved Naomi Klein's 'Shock Doctrine', she's gone astray with this book, largely as a result of her family ties to the pharmaceutical industry.
Thanks for the review. I really enjoyed this book for lots of reasons. While it is pretty political and she makes it clear where she stands on the issues she discusses, I admired that she tried to be empathetic to people caught in what she calls the mirror world. Even the way she discusses the other Naomi’s descent into conspiracy theory is quite balanced. Edited to add - great thumbnail :)
I absolutely agree. Often when I felt that she had shown us the very worst in people she presented the other view and made it more balanced and I thought that was very well done and interesting.
Thank you. 😊📚
I'm thinking that this might not be one of my high-priority Women's Prize NF books. While I often read about current events and politics, it can be exhausting (especially being in the US). One needs a balance, for sure.
I did find reading this a bit exhausting if I’m honest. Good but difficult. 😊📚
The thumbnail is great 😊
Thank you! 😊
Ooooh okay the marketing needs to be altered for this one but I’m curious with your review!! 🩵
It’s definitely a book that makes you think a lot, even if it’s about a lot more than it said it was. 😊📚
I had the complete opposite reaction towards this book haha. For me I was able to appreciate it a lot more because as a Gen Z-er who spends way too much time on the internet I really feel like Klein got to the heart of a lot of the extremist discourse that permeates online culture. I (and I think it’s safe to say the judges as well) appreciated the fact that she was willing to be WILDLY ambitious with her analysis. I’ve only read two of the nominees: this one and How to Say Babylon and I much preferred this one because of how unique it was. Though I will say it was quite the experience reading How to Say Babylon immediately after Doppelganger because the latter is about the rise of fascism while the former is about actually living under an authoritarian and puritanical power figure 😅 They both have similar critiques of the world but I thought that Naomi Klein did it better and had more to say
Thanks so much for your comment, it’s really good and helpful to hear what you liked about it. I think my feelings about it are way more complex than can be expressed in a review video but what I would say is although it wasn’t for me I didn’t dislike the book, I just found it to be very challenging for me to read. I think Klein’s writing is really good, and there were many topics in the book that were really interesting to me. 😊📚
@@AliceandtheGiantBookshelfI totally understand if you felt it was too complex! I guess it was easier for me to follow along because I have some prior knowledge of what she was talking about haha
This isn't anything to do with Doppelganger but I have just read my first Agatha Christie Murder on the oriant express I loved it. Preferred the book to the Branagh film adaption as poirot less curmudgeonly but still enjoyable.
I’m really glad to hear that. I found the Branagh film Poirot a bit too action-hero when the book Poirot is a detective. It was my first Poirot book too and I never looked back! Thanks for letting me know you loved it. 😊📚
Great review and I think you are articulating what a lot of people are feeling as far as politics.
I used to just love politics. I read long form news articles and wrote in margins but in the last few years I've felt really exhausted by it all. This sounds like an interesting book but might require a level of clear eyed and sobering reflection on the state of my country. Perhaps I'll pick it up in September to energize myself for the November elections. Or, I could bury my head in the sand with another epic fantasy series which is what I did after the 2016 elections. Ha!
Thank you. I think that the book isn’t directly about the politics but they are so much a part of all of the various things going on in Klein’s book that I would definitely consider it political. Mainly in the discussion of the views held by various people in the book. I would love to hear what you think if you do end up picking Doppelganger up one day. 😊📚
I don't mind Klein's writing and as you say she is very clever, however it is important to note she has been involved in political campaigns herself so there is a political bias. Same as you, I thought Doppleganger was a bit long and I found the last couple of chapters dragged. It was fine, but not my favourite by any means.
Absolutely, yes. She makes her feelings and bias fairly clear I thought, but I didn’t really have the background knowledge to know she’d been involved in political campaigns until she told us in the book.
I know what you mean, I was definitely ready for the book to finish. 😊📚
I live in the US and topics she brings up in this book are not new to us and I was skipping a lot. Not my favorite non-fiction read.
Fair enough. A lot of the topics were definitely not new to me either and I can see it being a lot if you’re already very familiar with them. Not my favourite either but there were certainly parts of it I found more interesting than others. 😊📚
Politics!! Big yuck!! I'm so glad you don't include them on your channel. I do vote, but I'm sick to death of all the squabbling. 🙉🙊🙈. My only 2 reads from the NF longlist will be Young Queens and Wifedom. Wifedom is not yet available in our library system and I've just started Young Queens. Hope you enjoy the rest of your NF selections!! Thank you for sharing your thoughts 🙂
Thanks BJ. I hope you enjoy your selections too. I definitely still want to read Young Queens, and as you know I enjoyed Wifedom. I hope you’ll be able to get hold of it one day. 😊📚
very typical of Naomi Klein to pick at a thread and unravel everything that’s wrong and corrupt with the world! she still intimidates me but still want to give this one a go at some stage before the winner announcement 🪞🌍
Absolutely! I didn’t know too much of her before this but I did like the way she gave background on her own work as well as what her “doppelganger” had done previously. I found it quite intimidating in places when I began to realise the sheer scope of the book, but there were definitely parts of it I found really interesting. 😊📚