The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism
Score Modern
What it's about
Naomi Klein argues that free-market policies have repeatedly been pushed through in the chaos after a crisis, a war, a coup or a natural disaster, when people are too shocked to resist. From Chile in the 1970s to Baghdad after the U.S. occupation, Sri Lanka after the tsunami and New Orleans after Katrina, she traces what she calls disaster capitalism.
Why it's worth reading
It's on the Guardian's list of the 100 best books of the 21st century. It's a sweeping, widely debated argument about power and economics.
You'll love it if you liked
No Logo, The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine or On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons From the Twentieth Century
Good to know
It's a polemic, and economists have challenged parts of it. It's long and dense with reporting.
Quick answers
Is The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism worth reading?
Yes. It's on the Guardian's list of the 100 best books of the 21st century. It ranks #424 of the 2,819 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 79.4 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism about?
Naomi Klein argues that free-market policies have repeatedly been pushed through in the chaos after a crisis, a war, a coup or a natural disaster, when people are too shocked to resist. From Chile in the 1970s to Baghdad after the U.S. occupation, Sri Lanka after the tsunami and New Orleans after Katrina, she traces what she calls disaster capitalism.
How long does it take to read The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism?
About 14 hours (558 pages), or about 4 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism?
If you liked it, try No Logo by Naomi Klein, The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine by Michael Lewis or On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons From the Twentieth Century by Timothy Snyder.
By the numbers
- Readers86 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics51 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller28 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
On the Guardian 100 Best Books of the 21st Century list.
Where it ranks
- #11 of the 44 politics books we rank
- #216 of the 1,575 modern books we rank
- #424 of the 2,819 books we rank
On the lists
- Guardian 100 Best Books of the 21st Century
Reads as
True story
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