As an antidote to the Christmas consumer-fest, the timing of the paperback publication of Naomi Klein's No Logo is hard to beat. In her lively, engaging style she looks at the truth behind those made in China/Philippines/Taiwan/Vietnam labels on all that designer clothing and all those children's toys. She finds young workers enduring 12hour days, sometimes earning less than a dollar an hour to make sneakers that sell in the brand-obsessed developed world for $100. And in case you think your high-priced sweatshirt is better than its nearest branded competitor, she points out that they are probably both made in the same factory by the same workers. Work practices, advertising, marketing and the development of some of the world's most familiar brands are discussed, and the role of transnational companies in economic tourism (going where the workers are cheapest) is explored. Klein says her book is an attempt to capture a growing anti-corporate attitude among young people. It certainly does that - and because of its strength of argument will pick up recruits along the away.
