Naomi Klein lecture in Vancouver
I have to hold my hand up here and say that although I was aware of No Logo I haven't read it. The same can be said for her latest book. Given this I wasn't expecting what for the writer was clearly an already converted audience. I appreciate that writers have their fans but I'm sure some people were in a state of nervous and premature hand clapping readiness.
The subject matter was and is a serious matter and given I wasn't already converted I was hoping to learn more about it. I did in a limited way as Klein attempted to tell road stories from the book tour. In fact this aspect of things nagged at me. There was a feeling of self proclaimed celebrity, endorsed by the crowd of course, which made me uneasy. Given the gravity of what her book maybe I expecting someone a little more humble. Klein has a powerful and valuable contribution to make and I hope she is able to focus on this despite the media attention - as she said 'it's just reporting.'
Don't misunderstand me though. It IS a powerful story, much of which resonates with me but I did feel at times like I should have either just read the book, or seen her speak in somewhere other than Vancouver. I was especially pleased that Klein talked a lot about storytelling and the power of narrative to connect people with the bonus it might just make the world a better place.
However, given this focus on storytelling I did feel a little let down when Klein set up an excellent structure (road stories - be they of the book tour(?) rather than her travels) and then not really deliver the content. It reminded me of those formulaic sitcoms where the structure is set out for each episode before the plot is worked out.
There was some very good stuff in amongst all this and perhaps I am being a little harsh. I was pleased to see that the organisers bazarre attempt to dismiss the idea of questions afterwards allowed Klein the opportunity to really connect with people in the hall on a personal level. One lady courageously stood up and explained she was subject to the truly appalling Residential Schools experiment at it's height in the 1950s. This demonstrated very quickly the value and power of narrative.
Maybe I don't know the subject well enough but I did struggle, beyond the solidarity with activism, with how Klein managed to make a connection between her book and the striking library workers (another subject I know little about!) in Vancouver. That said it was a very interesting way to spend a couple of hours and I look forward to supporting my local library when it reopens by taking out Klein's book.
Technorati Tags: BC, naomiklein, narrative, ShockDoctrine, storytelling, Vancouver, VancouverInternationWritersFestival