Doppelganger (Klein book)

Doppelganger: A Trip Into the Mirror World is a 2023 memoir and political analysis by Canadian author, social activist, and filmmaker Naomi Klein. In it, Klein examines the current climate of political polarization and conspiracy thinking by contrasting Klein's worldview with that of Naomi Wolf, who is often confused for Klein.[1]

Doppelganger: A Trip Into the Mirror World
AuthorNaomi Klein
CountryCanada
LanguageEnglish
Published2023
PublisherFarrar, Straus and Giroux
Pages350
ISBN978-0-374-61032-6
Preceded byOn Fire 
Websitenaomiklein.org/doppelganger

History
Naomi Klein and Naomi Wolf

Development

Naomi Klein is a Canadian author known for her generally left-leaning political views and analysis.[2] Klein is often confused with Naomi Wolf, an American author who is a notable third-wave feminist and has expressed center-left views. However, by the time of writing Wolf had become known for her right-wing political opinions, especially those related to the anti-vaccination movement.[3][4] The Washington Post's Laura Wagner described the two as both being "White Jewish women" who "published big-idea bestsellers in the '90s" (Wolf wrote The Beauty Myth, Klein No Logo), writing that the two had been casually confused for each other for several years prior to the publication of Doppelganger.[1] The claim that Wolf and Klein were confused for each other was backed up by other commentators, including those in New York, The New Yorker, and Wired.[5][6][7]

In the early stages of writing the book, Klein kept it secret and used the writing process to make sense of the confusion others experienced.[1] Klein intended the book to be different from her previous works The Shock Doctrine and This Changes Everything, which were structured like a traditional thesis defense. Instead, Klein structured Doppelganger in a more narrative way.[1][7] Despite several contact attempts by Klein, Wolf was not involved in the writing of the book.[1]

Publication history

Doppelganger was published in the United States by Farrar, Straus and Giroux on 12 September 2023.[8][9] It was published in the United Kingdom by Allen Lane.[10]

Reception

Doppelganger was positively received by critics. Kirkus Reviews described the prose as being "tight and urgent, almost breathless" and praised Klein's blend of cultural criticism and biographical research into Wolf's life.[11] The New Republic published a positive review, describing the story of Klein and Wolf's mistaken identities as being riveting and praising the book for explaining "how so many people have...broken with conventional left-right political affiliations and shared understandings of reality".[12] The Evening Standard was also positive, saying that Klein wrote with lucidity and noting that the book was much more personal than Klein's earlier work.[13]

The Irish Independent praised the book for those personal moments but criticized the book's depth, writing that "the scope is so wide-ranging that at times the reader can wonder how everything is linked".[14] The Washington Post criticized the book's argument that leftists ought to reconsider their approaches to conflict, language, and identity politics, writing that "it's the only argument in the book not bolstered by specifics".[1] New York was critical as well, with Jacob Bacharach writing that the book did not substantially engage with the doppelgänger concept, instead using it as a jumping-off point to a range of different topics. The result, according to Bacharach, was that too many concepts seemed to fit into Klein's framework without sufficient analysis to justify their inclusion.[5]

By contrast, the Los Angeles Times praised the book for tying its disparate concepts together, describing it as "both timely and timeless".[3] William Davies, writing in The Guardian, praised Klein's analysis of conspiracy theories and the book's attempt to understand and empathize with conspiracy theorists.[10] The New York Times' Michelle Goldberg wrote that no text "better captures the berserk period we're living through", while Katie Roiphe positively described Klein's hopeful tone.[15][16]

It debuted at number 8 on the New York Times Best Seller list for hardcover nonfiction works.[17]

References
  1. Wagner, Laura (11 September 2023). "In Naomi Klein's Doppelganger, Naomi Wolf is more than a gimmick". The Washington Post. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  2. Dobson, Kit (1 September 2023). "Naomi Klein". Encyclopædia Britannica. Archived from the original on 9 August 2023. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  3. Vognar, Chris (5 September 2023). "She followed her 'doppelganger' down the rabbit hole. What Naomi Klein found there". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 10 September 2023. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  4. Featherstone, Liza (10 June 2021). "The Madness of Naomi Wolf". The New Republic. Archived from the original on 6 September 2023. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  5. Bacharach, Jacob (6 September 2023). "Is Naomi Klein's Doppelganger Weird Enough?". New York. Archived from the original on 13 September 2023. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  6. Tolentino, Jia (10 September 2023). "Naomi Klein Sees Uncanny Doubles in Our Politics". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on 11 September 2023. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  7. Knibbs, Kate (7 September 2023). "Unhinged Conspiracies, AI Doppelgangers, and the Fractured Reality of Naomi Klein". Wired. Archived from the original on 10 September 2023. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  8. "Doppelganger: A Trip Into the Mirror World". BookMarks. Archived from the original on 25 September 2023. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  9. "Naomi Klein has new, more personal book out in September, Doppelganger". Associated Press. 17 May 2023. Archived from the original on 5 September 2023. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  10. Davies, William (9 September 2023). "Doppelganger: A Trip Into the Mirror World by Naomi Klein review – a case of mistaken identity". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 10 September 2023. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  11. "Doppelganger: A Trip Into the Mirror World". Kirkus Reviews. 26 June 2023. Archived from the original on 23 September 2023. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  12. Marsh, Laura (5 September 2023). "Naomi Klein's Journey Into the Unnerving World of Naomi Wolf". The New Republic. Archived from the original on 10 September 2023. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  13. Jones, Alexandra (5 September 2023). "Doppelganger by Naomi Klein: a compelling portrait of the apocalyptic mindset". Evening Standard. Archived from the original on 10 September 2023. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  14. Barry, Aoife (4 September 2023). "A conspiracy queen? You're confusing me with the other Naomi". Irish Independent. Archived from the original on 8 September 2023. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  15. Goldberg, Michelle (4 September 2023). "Naomi Klein, Naomi Wolf and the Political Upside Down". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 5 September 2023. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  16. Roiphe, Katie (7 September 2023). "A 'Mirror World' Where Leftist Disdain Feeds Right-Wing Paranoia". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 10 September 2023. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  17. "Hardcover Nonfiction Books – Best Sellers – Books". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 25 September 2023. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
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