Status
Available
Genres
Publication
Haymarket Books (2017), 288 pages
Description
A road map to resistance in the Trump era from internationally acclaimed journalist, activist, and bestselling author Naomi Klein. The election of Donald Trump is a dangerous escalation in a world of cascading crises. Trump's vision-a radical deregulation of the U.S. economy in the interest of corporations, an all-out war on 'radical Islamic terrorism,' and sweeping aside climate science to unleash a domestic fossil fuel frenzy-will generate wave after wave of crises and shocks, to the economy, to national security, to the environment. In No Is Not Enough, Naomi Klein explains that Trump, extreme as he is, is not an aberration but a logical extension of the worst and most dangerous trends of the past half-century. In exposing the malignant forces behind Trump's rise, she puts forward a bold vision for a mass movement to counter rising militarism, racism, and corporatism in the United States and around the world.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member willszal
This is not like Klein's other books. Rather than an in-depth piece with a lot of research, it's a summary of all that she has learned over the years, applied to Trump's presidency.
It's a brilliant book, and I highly recommend it if you're trying to make sense of these times. In some ways, I've
The basic premise is that we can't just resist Trump; we need compelling alternatives. This has been my area of expertise for many years, and I found this sentiment reassuring.
It's a brilliant book, and I highly recommend it if you're trying to make sense of these times. In some ways, I've
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been so immersed in this discourse (reading "The Intercept" and such), that I didn't feel as though I was presented with new material.The basic premise is that we can't just resist Trump; we need compelling alternatives. This has been my area of expertise for many years, and I found this sentiment reassuring.
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LibraryThing member Othemts
Klein's latest work is aptly summed up by it's title, the necessity of doing more than just resting Trump but also creating a positive alternative for the future. Although it was published last summer it feels like it sums up the Trump regime's first year pretty thoroughly. Klein elaborates on the
Klein then revisits her earlier book The Shock Doctrine, focusing on how it played out in Pinochet's Chile, the war in Iraq, and in post-Katrina New Orleans. Many of the actors involved in the catastrophic decisions in Chile, Iraq, and New Orleans are now major players in the Trump administration, and seem poised to exploit a disaster (natural, financial, or terrorist) to bring the shock doctrine to widespread application in the United States.
Klein revisits the coalition of activists who had success opposing the WTO and economic globalization in the 1990s, but organizational problems lead to its collapse after the September 11th attacks. Learning lessons from the previous generation of activists, Klein and others have created the Leap Manifesto in Canada as a model for activist coalitions around broad goals of economic equality and stopping/slowing climate change.
Klein's book seems like a quick summary of other books and ideas put together in one volume, but it's well-organized and pointed toward the situation we are dealing with today.
Favorite Passages:
"All this work is born on the knowledge that saying no to bad ideas and bad actors is simply not enough. The firmest of no's has to be accompanied by a bold and forward-looking yest - a plane for the future that is credible and captivating enough that a great many people will fight to see it realized, no matter the shocks and scare tactics thrown their way. No - to Trump, to France's Marine Le Pen, to any number of xenophobic and hypernationallist parties on the rise the world over - may what initially brings millions to the streets. But it is yes that will keep us in the fight.
Yes is the beacon in the coming storm that will prevent us from losing our way."
"In this sense, there is an important way in which Trump is not shocking. He is entirely predictable, indeed cliched outcome of ubiquitous ideas and trends that should have been stopped long ago. Which is why, even in this nightmarish world, will remain to be confronted. With US vice president Mike Pence or House speaker Paul Ryan waiting in the wings, and a Democratic Party establishment also enmeshed with the billionaire class, the world we need won't be won just by replacing the current occupant of the Oval Office."
“[Hillary Clinton's] failure was not one of messaging but of track record. Specifically, it was the stupid economics of neoliberalism, fully embraced by her, her husband and her party’s establishment that left Clinton without a credible offer to make to those white workers who had voted for Obama (twice) and decided this time to vote Trump”
“Trump’s assertion that he knows how to fix America because he’s rich is nothing more than the uncouth, vulgar echo of a dangerous idea we have been hearing for years; that Bill Gates can fix Africa. Or that Richard Branson and Michael Bloomberg can solve climate change”
"But crises, as we have seen, do not always cause societies to regress and give up. There is also a second option - that, faced with a grave common threat, we can choose to come together and make an evolutionary leap. We can choose, as the Reverend William Barber puts it, "to be the moral defibrillators of our time and shock the heart of the nation and build a movement of resistance and hope and justice and love." We can, in other world, surprise the hell out of ourselves - be being united, focused, and determined. By refusing to fall for those tired old shock tactics. By refusing to be afraid, no matter how much we are tested."
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conditions in the USA that made Trump's election possible including: the shift in corporations from manufacturing products to downsizing resources and focusing on creating brand identities, the mainstream news media's infotainment style of political coverage that focuses on the personality clash of candidates rather than issues, the rise of reality television competitions, and even the culture of professional wrestling. The Democrats play a role in setting the stage for a Trump Presidency as well with their embrace of neoliberal ideology, their emphasis on wealthy celebrities having the solutions to world problems, and development of philanthropic organizations enmeshed with access to political leaders, all of which have been reflected in the dark mirror of Trump.Klein then revisits her earlier book The Shock Doctrine, focusing on how it played out in Pinochet's Chile, the war in Iraq, and in post-Katrina New Orleans. Many of the actors involved in the catastrophic decisions in Chile, Iraq, and New Orleans are now major players in the Trump administration, and seem poised to exploit a disaster (natural, financial, or terrorist) to bring the shock doctrine to widespread application in the United States.
Klein revisits the coalition of activists who had success opposing the WTO and economic globalization in the 1990s, but organizational problems lead to its collapse after the September 11th attacks. Learning lessons from the previous generation of activists, Klein and others have created the Leap Manifesto in Canada as a model for activist coalitions around broad goals of economic equality and stopping/slowing climate change.
Klein's book seems like a quick summary of other books and ideas put together in one volume, but it's well-organized and pointed toward the situation we are dealing with today.
Favorite Passages:
"All this work is born on the knowledge that saying no to bad ideas and bad actors is simply not enough. The firmest of no's has to be accompanied by a bold and forward-looking yest - a plane for the future that is credible and captivating enough that a great many people will fight to see it realized, no matter the shocks and scare tactics thrown their way. No - to Trump, to France's Marine Le Pen, to any number of xenophobic and hypernationallist parties on the rise the world over - may what initially brings millions to the streets. But it is yes that will keep us in the fight.
Yes is the beacon in the coming storm that will prevent us from losing our way."
"In this sense, there is an important way in which Trump is not shocking. He is entirely predictable, indeed cliched outcome of ubiquitous ideas and trends that should have been stopped long ago. Which is why, even in this nightmarish world, will remain to be confronted. With US vice president Mike Pence or House speaker Paul Ryan waiting in the wings, and a Democratic Party establishment also enmeshed with the billionaire class, the world we need won't be won just by replacing the current occupant of the Oval Office."
“[Hillary Clinton's] failure was not one of messaging but of track record. Specifically, it was the stupid economics of neoliberalism, fully embraced by her, her husband and her party’s establishment that left Clinton without a credible offer to make to those white workers who had voted for Obama (twice) and decided this time to vote Trump”
“Trump’s assertion that he knows how to fix America because he’s rich is nothing more than the uncouth, vulgar echo of a dangerous idea we have been hearing for years; that Bill Gates can fix Africa. Or that Richard Branson and Michael Bloomberg can solve climate change”
"But crises, as we have seen, do not always cause societies to regress and give up. There is also a second option - that, faced with a grave common threat, we can choose to come together and make an evolutionary leap. We can choose, as the Reverend William Barber puts it, "to be the moral defibrillators of our time and shock the heart of the nation and build a movement of resistance and hope and justice and love." We can, in other world, surprise the hell out of ourselves - be being united, focused, and determined. By refusing to fall for those tired old shock tactics. By refusing to be afraid, no matter how much we are tested."
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LibraryThing member johnjmeyer
Probing analysis of where we are and how we got here with realistic assessment of how things could get worse but an overall upbeat view of the opportunity of turning these dark days toward a radically different, sustainable, just, and equitable society. Kudos. Naomi has done it again!
LibraryThing member arewenotben
Klein uses the concepts from her previous books (namely branding, the use of disasters to push through unpalatable agendas and climate change) to needle into Trump, examining his modus operandi and how how the conditions appeared for him to be President.
It works really well and I agree with her
Although too recent for her book to mention, Labour's recent success with a manifesto that doesn't sing from the usual neo-liberal hymnsheet and presents a politics of hope shows that more progressive ideas, often seen as political suicide, are actually popular and well received by the public when given a fair hearing. Klein's book is recommended reading if you're feeling depressed by the state of things currently, times are bad but there's definitely seeds of hope.
It works really well and I agree with her
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central statements that Trump is a symptom of our broken system (which she constantly eviscerates - along with Clinton's/Centrists woeful attempts to offer anything other a than the status quo) and figuratively cutting off his head through impeachment etc will just lead to another (probably less orange) one emerging. Although he should still be called out and protested against, more time and energy needs to be ploughed into more general, progressive and community based programs to try to forge an image of a new future. Although too recent for her book to mention, Labour's recent success with a manifesto that doesn't sing from the usual neo-liberal hymnsheet and presents a politics of hope shows that more progressive ideas, often seen as political suicide, are actually popular and well received by the public when given a fair hearing. Klein's book is recommended reading if you're feeling depressed by the state of things currently, times are bad but there's definitely seeds of hope.
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LibraryThing member wagner.sarah35
With the next presidential election approaching, I figured it was time to read this before it (hopefully?) becomes irrelevant. Parts of this book, such as the author's insights into how brands like Trump are structured, are insightful and information I've not encountered elsewhere. Climate change,
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and how it intersects with other social justice movements, are clearly where the author's passions lay and make for the overriding theme of this book. Admittedly, this book was written over two years ago now, but the concluding optimism feels a little too far-fetched for the current state of affairs. I'm glad I read this one, but considering how much has changed since its publication, I'm not certain how useful this book is for understanding and evaluating current politics. Show Less
LibraryThing member Steve_Walker
Rating of 4.95. A to-the-point description of the Problem America elected into office.
LibraryThing member goosecap
This is my second review of this book. In my first review I got a little caught up in her heady negativity—she is very smart, so she can see all these things wrong with the world and get infected by negativity—but I don’t want to snarl. Yes, she snarls, and, to be fair, at everyone.
But I would like to know more about climate change and the destruction of both the natural environment and Native cultures.
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Twitter’s too chatty, and rich people have too much money; everybody’s bad! And the world is evil. We want to cut down all the trees so that there can be more people to get insulted (and die). But cut people a break. As evil as humanity usually is, we don’t all act the same, and not everyone formally and publicly avers Mexicans to be rapists, so cut people a break. Just cut them a deal, right. But I would like to know more about climate change and the destruction of both the natural environment and Native cultures.
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Awards
National Book Award (Longlist — Nonfiction — 2017)
Publishers Weekly's Best Books of the Year (Nonfiction — 2017)
Original language
English
Original publication date
2017-06
Physical description
288 p.; 5.75 inches
ISBN
1608468909 / 9781608468904
Local notes
politics