Rating: 5 stars

Format: Audiobook

Genre: Nonfiction, politics, memoir

I now understand why this book has gotten such glowing reviews and why, post 2024 U.S. election results, it is being recommended so widely as essential reading. The construction of this “mirror world” where human beings are segmented into parts, reduced to brands, and exposed to systems and technology that are designed for exploitation and dehumanization was brilliantly conveyed. Klein covers a lot of topics here, but she does so deftly and with much-needed compassion. Klein speaks to several of the fears that many of us have on key social issues - social media, the emergency of AI, COVID-19 denialism and anti-vax sentiment, climate change, medical exploitation, conspiracy and misinformation. 

The use of the recurring theme of a doppelganger to discuss duplicity, self-partitioning, and disembodiment worked well and I appreciate the connections she drew between topics. This book gives you so much to think about and sheds light onto ways of viewing the world that confound so many of us that consider ourselves reasonable. An absolute must-read.