What emerged on the streets of Seattle and Washington was an activist model that mirrors the organic, decentralized, interlinked pathways of the Internet--an Internet come to life…. But while the movement's Web-like structure is, in part, a reflection of the Internet-based organizing, it is also a response to the very political realities that sparked the protests in the first place: the utter failure of traditional party politics.

The book is structured as a series of "hub and spokes," one of the metaphors Klein uses to describe the movement. The broad themes of intolerance towards and criminalizing of dissent, the impact of a genetically engineered food supply, the privileging of corporate profit over social welfare, the erosion of national sovereignty, and the neglect of ecological considerations are the hubs around which gravitate her reports on the protests that have taken place in Toronto, Quebec City, South Africa, Prague, Chiapas, Washington, D.C., and elsewhere. The reader, Klein states upfront, should not expect a sustained thesis. Instead, the articles are dispatches from the many sites of dissent--brief, immediate, impassioned, engaged, positioned, incendiary, persuasive, crafted. A moment comes, however, when the reader does desire a more in-depth dialogue about the issues raised by these confrontations, especially when presented with a simplistic "us-versus-them" slant. One example is the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty protest in Toronto which erupted into a violent (some may argue provoked) clash between police and demonstrators. Klein almost seems to brush it off by taking one side, rather than contemplating the question "Is this the only kind of response possible, and should it be?" At a time when, as this book makes abundantly clear, the very topography of democracy is experiencing seismic tremors, critical and rigorous reflection by our intellectuals becomes of utmost importance. This is where Fences and Windows either constitutes a lost opportunity or presents an invitation for reflection. --Diana Kuprel

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.


A passionate call to action and engagement   October 26, 2002
 4 out of 5 found this review helpful

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.