Naomi Klein was born on May 8, 1970. She is a Canadian writer, social activist, and filmmaker. She is known for her political writings, support of ecofeminism and workers' rights, and her criticism of corporate globalization, fascism, and capitalism.

Klein became well-known internationally for her book No Logo, published in 1999. In 2004, she co-wrote and co-directed a documentary film called The Take, which tells the story of Argentine workers who manage their own factories. This film helped increase her recognition. In 2007, she wrote The Shock Doctrine, a book that analyzes the history of neoliberal economics. This work made her a well-known activist on the global stage. The book was adapted into a short film by Alfonso and Jonás Cuarón and a longer documentary by Michael Winterbottom. In 2014, Klein wrote This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. the Climate, which became a bestseller in the New York Times and won the Hilary Weston Writers' Trust Prize for Nonfiction.

In 2016, Klein received the Sydney Peace Prize for her work on climate justice. She is often listed among the world's most influential thinkers, including rankings by the Gottlieb Duttweiler Institute, Prospect magazine, and Maclean's magazine. She was once a member of the board of directors for the climate group 350.org. In 2021, she became a professor in the Department of Geography at the University of British Columbia and was named co-director of the Centre for Climate Justice, which was created that same year.

Family

Naomi Klein was born in Montreal, Quebec, into a Jewish family that has a long history of working for peace. Her parents were people who lived simply and opposed war. They moved from the United States to Canada in 1967 because they refused to fight in the Vietnam War. Her mother, Bonnie Sherr Klein, is a filmmaker known for making a movie called Not a Love Story, which focuses on the issue of harmful adult content. Her father, Michael Klein, is a doctor and works with a group called Physicians for Social Responsibility. Her brother, Seth Klein, writes books and used to lead a group in British Columbia that studies different ways to improve society. Seth is also in a relationship with a politician named Christine Boyle.

Before World War II, Naomi’s paternal grandparents believed in a political group called Communism. However, they stopped supporting this group after an agreement between two countries in 1939 called the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact. In 1942, Naomi’s grandfather, who worked as an animator for Disney, lost his job after a strike in 1941. He had to find work in a place where ships were built instead. By 1956, Naomi’s grandparents no longer believed in Communism. Naomi’s father grew up hearing about fairness and equality, but he found it hard and scary to be the child of people who once supported Communism, a term sometimes used for children of Communist parents.

Naomi’s husband, Avi Lewis, was born into a family with a history in politics and journalism. His grandfather, David Lewis, was an architect and helped lead a political group in Canada called the New Democratic Party (NDP). His father, Stephen Lewis, also worked with the NDP in Ontario. Avi’s mother, Michelle Landsberg, is a journalist, a supporter of women’s rights, and someone who works to help others. Avi Lewis is a filmmaker and journalist who now leads the New Democratic Party at the national level. The couple has one son named Toma.

Early life and education

Klein spent much of her teenage years in shopping malls, very interested in designer clothing. As a child and teenager, she found it "very challenging to have a mother who was very public about her feminist beliefs," and she avoided politics, choosing instead to focus on buying things from stores.

She said that two events changed her views. The first was when she was 17 and preparing for the University of Toronto. Her mother had a stroke and became very sick. Naomi, her father, and her brother cared for Bonnie in the hospital and at home, making sacrifices to support her. Missing a year of school helped her "grow up and become more responsible." The next year, after she started studying at the University of Toronto, the second event happened: the 1989 École Polytechnique massacre of female engineering students. This event made her realize the importance of feminism.

Klein began her writing career by contributing to The Varsity, a student newspaper, where she became editor-in-chief. After her third year at the University of Toronto, she left school to work at The Globe and Mail, followed by a job as an editor at This Magazine. In 1995, she returned to the University of Toronto to finish her degree but left again to do a journalism internship before completing the final requirements for her degree.

Works

In 1999, Klein wrote a book called No Logo, which many people saw as a key statement for the anti-globalization movement. In the book, she criticized the culture that focuses on brands and the ways large companies operate. She also claimed that some big companies unfairly used workers in poor countries to make more money. Her strong criticism of Nike led the company to respond with a detailed reply. No Logo became a popular book worldwide, selling over one million copies in more than 28 languages.

In 2002, Klein published Fences and Windows, a collection of her articles and speeches supporting the anti-globalization movement. All the money from the book went to help activist groups through a fund called The Fences and Windows Fund.

In 2004, Klein and Lewis made a documentary called The Take, which told the story of factory workers in Argentina who took over a closed plant and continued making products as a group. The first time the film was shown in Africa was in a settlement in Durban, South Africa, where a group called Abahlali baseMjondolo started.

An article in Z Communications said that The Take gave an incorrect picture of Juan Domingo Perón, an Argentine leader, by showing him as a social democrat.

Klein’s third book, The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism, came out in 2007. The book argues that free-market ideas promoted by economist Milton Friedman and the Chicago school of economics became important in countries like Chile under Pinochet, Poland, and Russia under Yeltsin. It also claims that policies, such as the privatization of Iraq’s economy after the war, were pushed quickly while people were dealing with disasters, conflicts, or invasions. The book became a bestseller in many countries and was translated into 28 languages.

The book’s main idea is that people who want to introduce unpopular free-market policies often do so by taking advantage of the chaos after major disasters, whether economic, political, military, or natural. It suggests that when a society is shocked by a disaster, people often want quick and strong actions to fix the problem. This desire for fast solutions creates chances for dishonest people to push policies that are not fair or necessary. The book also claims that some shocks are planned or even made on purpose.

Klein explains the "shock doctrine" as a new stage in capitalism’s cycle of "creative destruction," a term from economist Joseph Schumpeter that describes how old systems are replaced by new ones.

The Shock Doctrine was turned into a short film with the same name, which was posted on YouTube. The original video was viewed over one million times before being removed. A copy was later published in 2008. The film was directed by Jonás Cuarón and co-written by his father, Alfonso Cuarón. A documentary based on the book, directed by Michael Winterbottom and Mat Whitecross, was released in 2009.

After The Shock Doctrine was published, Klein became more well-known. The New Yorker called her "the most visible and influential figure on the American left—what Howard Zinn and Noam Chomsky were thirty years ago." In 2009, she won the first Warwick Prize for Writing, which included a cash award of £50,000.

Klein’s fourth book, This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. the Climate, was published in 2014. It argues that the dominance of free-market policies is stopping meaningful steps to address climate change and protect the environment. A representative from the World Bank said that the changes needed to control climate change would have major effects worldwide. The book won the 2014 Hilary Weston Writers’ Trust Prize for Nonfiction and was shortlisted for the 2015 Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing.

Klein’s fifth book, No Is Not Enough: Resisting Trump’s Shock Politics and Winning the World We Need, was published in 2017. In an article, it was described as calling for major changes and bold policies to challenge the Trump administration’s plans and prevent the worst effects of climate change. Klein criticized the idea that wealthy people can solve global problems, which she called "philanthrocapitalism." She also linked Trump’s rise to misplaced trust in powerful individuals.

In 2018, Klein released a paperback and e-book version of The Battle for Paradise: Puerto Rico Takes on the Disaster Capitalists. The book discusses how Hurricane Maria exposed the unfair treatment Puerto Rico faces, leading to a severe crisis. Klein used ideas from The Shock Doctrine to describe how Puerto Rico was managed after the storm. She criticized the government’s weak recovery efforts and pointed out leaders like Gov. Ricardo Rosselló, who focused on attracting foreign investment while many residents struggled.

In 2019, Simon & Schuster announced Klein’s seventh book, On Fire: The (Burning) Case for a Green New Deal, which was published in September. The book includes essays about climate change and the need for urgent action. Klein wrote about meeting Greta Thunberg and how young people are now leading climate activism. She supported the Green New Deal and discussed the 2020 U.S. election, saying it was crucial to choose candidates with strong climate plans.

In 2023, Klein published Doppelganger, a memoir and social critique that compares her life and views with those of Naomi Wolf, a writer often mistaken for her. Klein explained how she and Wolf have been confused for over a decade and how she decided to write the book to address Wolf’s connections with powerful people.

Views

Naomi Klein has written about the Iraq War. In her article "Baghdad Year Zero" (Harper's Magazine, September 2004), Klein stated that the George W. Bush administration had a clear plan for Iraq after the invasion: to create a free market economy with few rules. She described efforts to let foreigners take resources from Iraq and the ways these goals were achieved. Her article inspired the 2008 film War, Inc.

In another article, "Bring Najaf to New York" (The Nation, August 2004), Klein wrote that Muqtada Al Sadr's Mahdi Army reflected the views of most Iraqis. She claimed that if Al Sadr were elected, he might try to make Iraq like Iran, a theocracy. However, his immediate demands were for direct elections and an end to foreign forces in Iraq.

In 2004, Klein signed a petition titled "We would vote for Hugo Chávez." In 2007, she described Venezuela under Chávez as a country where people believed democracy could improve their lives. She said Chávez's policies protected Venezuela from economic problems caused by capitalism. She claimed Chávez created a stable economy. A reviewer named Todd Gitlin said Klein's book The Shock Doctrine (2007) was mostly correct but called her a "romantic" who believed Chávez would create a future where workers controlled the economy. The book aligned with her earlier views on globalization and described Chávez's policies as ways to protect poor people from globalization's harms. In 2017, Mark Milke and writer James Kirchick criticized Klein for supporting Chávez.

In 2008, Klein spoke at the first national conference of the Alliance of Concerned Jewish Canadians (now Independent Jewish Voices). In January 2009, during the Gaza War, Klein supported the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) campaign against Israel. She argued that the best way to end the conflict was to create a global movement similar to the one that ended apartheid in South Africa.

In 2009, Klein visited Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza to promote her book The Shock Doctrine and support the BDS campaign. In an interview with the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, she said it was important to boycott the normalization of Israel's actions in the conflict, not Israelis themselves. During a speech in Ramallah, she apologized to Palestinians for not joining the BDS campaign earlier. Her comments, including a statement about some Jews believing they could avoid consequences for genocide, were criticized by Noam Schimmel of The Jerusalem Post as "violent" and "unethical."

Klein also spoke against a spotlight on Tel Aviv at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival, calling it a misleading portrayal of Israel. She served on the advisory board of Jewish Voice for Peace.

In 2023, during the Gaza war, Klein wrote about the conflict. At a "Seder in the Streets" event in 2024, she compared the "false idol of Zionism" to the story of the Israelites worshipping the golden calf in the Bible. She said Zionism misuses biblical stories of justice and freedom to justify land theft and ethnic cleansing.

Klein has focused on climate change since 2009, writing the book This Changes Everything (2014). The book and its film explored how the climate crisis could drive economic and political change. She served on the board of 350.org from 2011 to 2018 and participated in their "Do the Math" tour in 2013, promoting divestment from fossil fuels.

In an interview, Klein argued that climate change is inherently political and criticized those who claimed the issue should be apolitical. She encouraged the Occupy movement to unite with environmental activists, saying both crises stem from corporate greed. At Occupy Wall Street, she described the world as "upside down," where people ignore the limits of natural resources and the need for a fair society.

Klein has criticized the Athabasca oil sands in Alberta, calling them "terrestrial skinning" in a TED talk. She attended a protest against the Keystone XL pipeline in 2011 and was arrested. She praised President Obama's decision to delay the pipeline's approval in 2013 as a win for the environment.

Klein attended the 2009 Copenhagen Climate Summit and blamed President Barack Obama for its failure. She called Canada a "climate criminal" and presented the Angry Mermaid Award to Monsanto for harming climate negotiations.

After Hurricane Sandy, Klein warned that the climate crisis could benefit "disaster capitalists" who profit from crises. She also said the crisis could lead to a "People's Shock" and progressive change.

In 2016, after Donald Trump's election, Klein called for economic sanctions against the U.S. if it ignored the Paris Agreement. In 2022, she wrote an article criticizing Egypt's government for hosting COP27, calling it repressive despite its focus on renewable energy. She noted that Egypt's government imprisons activists and limits research.

Other activities

Naomi Klein writes for several well-known publications, including The Nation, In These Times, The Globe and Mail, This Magazine, Harper's Magazine, and The Guardian. She is also a senior contributor for The Intercept. She previously worked as a Miliband Fellow and taught at the London School of Economics about the anti-globalization movement. In October 2018, she became the first person to hold the Gloria Steinem Endowed Chair in Media, Culture, and Feminist Studies at Rutgers University–New Brunswick. This position lasted for three years.

In 2005, Klein was ranked 11th in a global poll of top intellectuals. This list was created by Prospect magazine and Foreign Policy magazine. On Google Scholar, which tracks academic work, Klein has an h-index of 53. Her research has been cited more than 49,000 times in scholarly articles as of May 2023. In 2010, she participated in protests during the G-20 Toronto summit and criticized the use of force by police. She also spoke at a rally in June 2010, where people demanded the release of arrested protesters.

In October 2011, Klein visited the Occupy Wall Street movement and called it "the most important thing in the world." On November 10, 2011, she joined a panel discussion about the future of the movement with other experts, including Michael Moore, William Greider, and Rinku Sen. She emphasized the importance of the movement’s goals. In 2017, she appeared on the British radio show Desert Island Discs on BBC Radio 4.

Klein helped create the Leap Manifesto, a political statement from 2015 that focused on solving the climate crisis by changing Canada’s economy and addressing issues like inequality, racism, and colonialism. This document influenced the Green New Deal and led to the creation of The Leap, an organization that promotes the ideas in the manifesto.

In 2019, Klein signed a letter supporting Jeremy Corbyn, a leader of the Labour Party in the UK. The letter described Corbyn as "a beacon of hope" in fighting far-right nationalism, racism, and xenophobia. She endorsed him in the 2019 UK general election.

In 2025, Klein helped campaign for Zohran Mamdani, a Democratic mayoral candidate in New York. She also supported her husband, Avi Lewis, in his 2026 campaign to become leader of the New Democratic Party.

Honours and awards

• 2009: Received the Warwick Prize for Writing for the book The Shock Doctrine
• 2011: Awarded an honorary doctorate degree by Saint Thomas University
• 2011: Recognized by Time magazine as one of the Top 100 Non-Fiction books published since 1923, for the book No Logo
• 2014: Won the Hilary Weston Writers' Trust Prize for Nonfiction for the book This Changes Everything
• 2014: Named Book of the Year by The Observer for This Changes Everything
• 2014: Included in The Guardian Readers' 10 best books of 2014, for This Changes Everything
• 2016: Received the Sydney Peace Prize
• 2017: No Logo listed in The Guardian's Top 100 Non-Fiction books of all time
• 2019: Awarded an honorary doctorate degree by the University of Amsterdam
• 2021: Received the Neil Postman Award for Career Achievement in Public Intellectual Activity by the Media Ecology Association
• 2023: Doppelganger included in The Guardian's Best Ideas Books of 2023
• 2024: Won the Women's Prize for Non-Fiction for Doppelganger
• 2017: Received the National Book Award for Nonfiction for No Is Not Enough

List of works

• —— (1999). No Logo: Taking Aim at the Brand Bullies. Knopf Canada and Picador. ISBN 9780312421434.
• —— (2002). Fences and Windows: Dispatches from the Front Lines of the Globalization Debate. St. Martin's. ISBN 9780312307998.
• —— (2007). The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism. Knopf Canada. ISBN 9780676978001.
• —— (2014). This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. the Climate. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 9781451697384.
• —— (2017). No Is Not Enough: Resisting Trump's Shock Politics and Winning the World We Need. Haymarket Books. ISBN 9781608468904.
• —— (2018). The Battle for Paradise: Puerto Rico Takes on the Disaster Capitalists. Haymarket Books. ISBN 9781608463572.
• —— (2019). On Fire: The (Burning) Case for a Green New Deal. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 9781982129910.
• —— (2021). How to Change Everything: The Young Human's Guide to Protecting the Planet and Each Other. Penguin Books. ISBN 9780241530023.
• —— (2023). Doppelganger: A Trip into the Mirror World. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. ISBN 9780374610326.

• The Corporation (2003) (interviewee)
• The Take (2004) (writer)
• The Shock Doctrine (2009) (writer)
• Catastroika (2012) (appearance)
• This Changes Everything (2015)