Customer Reviews

Fences And Windows Dispatches From The Front Lines Of The Globalization Debate

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Fences and Windows is a poignant and highly important collection of on-the-scene essays and articles from Klein's travels participating in and observing the ongoing struggles between ruling elites and a diverse array of opposition. Klein is an excellent writer and very incisive. She brings the brute reality of the fences being drawn around democracy while the corporate globalization movement claims to be opening windows to freedom. But it is the diverse and decentralized "global justice" movement that is working to open the windows to a truly democratic globalization, one that places people over profits. While the WTO and FTAA factions work to push through economic legislations that will further remove most people from democratic decision making, the police are developing more brutal strategies to scare the conscientious populace from participation in demonstrations. But as this political climate heats up, the decentralized movement is coming together more cohesively in the face of this repression. Klein writes of how politics is becoming a "gated community," and how the protest movements are struggling but still pushing for real democracy. There are no easy answers in Fences and Windows, but lots of necessary information and insight for anyone who cares about their world.

Naomi Klein's "Fences and Windows" is an inspired and brilliant collection of dispatches written from the front lines of the anti-globalization movement. Whether it was due to the deadline pressures of submitting her newspaper columns, her proximity to numerous protest sites, or her keen understanding of contemporary politics, Ms. Klein's writing in this book is as powerful, concise and insightful as it has ever been.

While Ms. Klein herself might modestly suggest that this book represents a "stopgap" effort sandwiched between "No Logo" and her forthcoming research project, you will be impressed by the author's dedication and conviction to the subject matter. The book has been given structure by grouping its articles into discreet categories that in turn relate to the "fences and windows" theme. For example, the section "Fencing in Democracy" contains stories that describe the ways in which the benefits of free trade have largely been realized by the rich but not the poor, while "Windows to Democracy" describes how formerly exploited communities and peoples have managed to positively transform and better their lives in creative ways.

Throughout the book, Ms. Klein's intellect and analysis is in top form. She skillfully and routinely turns the tables on neoliberal propaganda, exposing the greed and hypocrisy at the heart of the corporate agenda. For example, "Genetically Altered Rice: You Can't Eat Public Relations" deconstructs the claim that genetically engineered (GE) "golden rice" could save millions of lives in Asia. The author correctly points out that malnutrition has more to do with policy decisions than with technology, and that pushing the GE solution is to merely sustain and perpetuate the profits of the agribusiness industry at the expense of the people.

In its totality, the book suggests a world that has become post-democratic in the sense that unelected organizations and unaccountable corporations are exerting greater control over people's lives than perhaps at any time in recent human history. But Ms. Klein has given voice to the scores of people who are speaking truth to power. In my view, this outstanding book is evidence that we couldn't ask for a more articulate and passionate spokesperson for the post-democracy struggles than Ms. Klein.

I encourage everyone to read this timely, relevant and important book.

People who should read this book: fans of Naomi Klein's work, people who are unfamiliar with free trade agreements like NAFTA, and those looking to understand the resistance to those trade agreements.

While any collection of articles and speeches can seem to be all over the place, this book is very well organized and edited. Keep in mind that these are relatively short pieces but they still provide valuable information about the topic if you are not already familiar with it. Not knowing much about free trade before I read the book, I feel much more knowledgeable about it and I feel inclined to learn more. If you already have a good grasp on free trade and the resistance to it, you most likely will not find anything new here, but there are helpful thoughts and entertaining anecdotes from the author that makes it a good, quick read.

The thing about a book by Klein is you are either a real fan or you aren't - there really isn't a middle point. Most people who have encountered Klein before would have read `No Logo' and this book is very much in the same vein, with commentary on, or more specifically against, the perceived rise of a capitalist corporatist culture, driven by a consumerist West which is disadvantaging the rest of the world. This book is a collection of articles and speeches by Klein about issues regarding international regimes, the good and bad sides of globalisation, and the resistance movements that seem to now be a prerequisite for any meeting of economic importance. A good non-scholarly take on one facet of the many-sided debate on globalism and its effects.

A wonderful little book about globalization, privatization and the loss of democracy around the world, FENCES AND WINDOWS does exactly what it sets out to do - it provides a global analysis of "anti-globalization" activism and profiles the activists that are doing it. Despite the monotony that is portrayed on television (black-block anarchists trashing Starbucks), this loose-fitting network of activists encompasses people from all sectors of society who share one thing in common: They are fed up - fed up with the World Bank and IMF, with closed-door trade meetings, and with surreptitious laws, like the ones that slipped genetically modified foods into our mouths. In a word, all across the globe people are sick and tired of "being acted on" by a group of international trade brokers and government leaders with fat pockets seeking to privatize away all the social services fought for and won throughout history. Although Klein by no means gives the last word on the issue here, these letters and dissent are informative and well worth the read. For a more comprehensive view of the economic issues that underpin the current global heist, check out WHEN CORPORATIONS RULE THE WORLD by David Korten, a good compliment.

I was not initially sold (no pun intended!) on Klein's earlier No Logo. I found it repetitive and lacking a clear literary style. Obviously I was pretty much alone in that as the book inspired a generation of young anti-Corporate activists. And rightly so. Klein returns with a collection of articles about the time after No Logo. I found these very moving and concise snapshots of the globalization movement and the need to regain a perspective on the role of multi-nationals in our lives. Now a respected voice on the world stage, Klein finally gets down to writing the book I wanted to read first time around. Not as cleverly titled though :-)

I read _No Logo_ soon after its publication and was impressed. In it Klein provided me with the arguments and the evidence to back up my own mounting dis-ease with the excesses of modern consumer culture. So I read her new book with eager interest. I was not disappointed. The book is comprised of short articles and speeches given over the past 3 years and, as such, is a chronicle of her ongoing activities within what she likes to call "the movement." The focus of each piece reflects the circumstances under which it was written and her concerns and activities at that time. While they do not perhaps add up to a wholly unified programme of action (and she freely admits this in her preface), they do provide a fascinating chronicle of both the growth and persecution of the movement and of her own fears, worries, and hopes for our collective future. This book is not one grand text but many smaller texts grouped together and, as such, acts as a fitting metaphor for her own celebration of multiplicity. She moves back and forth between looking at the big picture (the global movement for change) and looking at the local and particular. Act where you are, move to change what needs to be changed, support what needs to be supported, challenge what needs to be challenged in your own community, then make connections with others who are doing the same thing in their communities. I was inspired, moved, angered, engaged, frightened, and shocked by turns.

Silence is complicity. Do not remain silent.

A book of speeches and short essays, this book closely follows the changing global condition before and after Sept. 11. It also chronicles Naomi's growth from Brand fighter to Global activist. Her writing is very easy to read and is filled with relatable examples and life stories. Just as No Logo, this book is a must have for those with any concern for the future of the Global Community. Highly recommended.

Early last year I added myself to the Naomi Klein fan club - unfortunately I did not discover her sooner.

Since then I've read many of her books, checked out some web sites and seen her interviewed by Charlie Rose.

What a welcome phenomenon to the world of intellectual stimulus. Inteligent, focussed, clear, consistent, beautiful...

As I dwell in marketing, branding and creative consulting and coaching, Naomi Klein challenges my focus when I look into the mirror - a welcome discomfort to check my integrity.

This book is not "No Logo". It will not be the Bible of any movement, however it is a good source of information about events that are happening in the stuggle against globalization and neo-liberalisms. The media has a bias and Naomi is the one who gives us the truth behind the events. She gives us understanding into the police crackdown and the politicians desire to stifle freedom of expression.
As it is a collection of articles it's a book that can be picked up and read at any point. The articles are compelling and will help you to see a truth that's not given in the mainstream.