Doppelganger: A Trip into the Mirror World

Development Naomi Klein is a Canadian author known for her generally left-leaning political views and analysis. Klein is often confused with Naomi Wolf, an American author who originally rose to prominence as a notable third-wave feminist, with generally centre-left views. However, by the time of writing, Wolf had become known for her right-wing political opinions, especially those related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the anti-vaccination movement, and other conspiracy theories. The Washington Posts 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 with each other for several years, prior to the publication of Doppelganger. 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. It was published in the United Kingdom by Allen Lane. == 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. 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". 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. The Los Angeles Times praised the book for tying its disparate concepts together, describing it as "both timely and timeless". 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. The Irish Independent praised the book for its personal moments but criticized its breadth, writing that "the scope is so wide-ranging that, at times, the reader can wonder how everything is linked." 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". On June 13, 2024, Doppelganger won Klein the inaugural Women's Prize for Non-Fiction. == References ==