Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.31 AVERAGE
4.31 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
The sections reminiscing on the early years of the web were great both from a nostalgic point of view but also because they really put the oversight of it and the user interactions with it into perspective.
Then the latter sections regarding Snowden's journey through the IC were riveting.
Then the latter sections regarding Snowden's journey through the IC were riveting.
Absolutely fantastic book! He does a great way of telling his complex life, personal and professional perfectly woven together. Definitely recommend.
To me there were several timeless themes running through this account of one man's struggle.
- The underlying reality of human sinfulness which means that any innovation can be used for good and evil.
- The never-to-be-resolved tension between the rights of the individual and the needs of society.
- The inevitability that moral understanding develops after technological advances.
- The risk that government powers claimed and granted in times of crisis may not be repealed once the crisis is past.
- The agonising personal moral dilemma and the potential personal cost of speaking out in any age and about any abuse.
Hence his experience is, in one sense, not new (Many men and women through history have been called down such a path.) but it did require his own personal courage with significant wisdom and great loneliness and in this he was not found lacking.
I very much doubt that I would have had anything like the courage, conviction and fortitude, especially when it came to risking precious relationships.
- The underlying reality of human sinfulness which means that any innovation can be used for good and evil.
- The never-to-be-resolved tension between the rights of the individual and the needs of society.
- The inevitability that moral understanding develops after technological advances.
- The risk that government powers claimed and granted in times of crisis may not be repealed once the crisis is past.
- The agonising personal moral dilemma and the potential personal cost of speaking out in any age and about any abuse.
Hence his experience is, in one sense, not new (Many men and women through history have been called down such a path.) but it did require his own personal courage with significant wisdom and great loneliness and in this he was not found lacking.
I very much doubt that I would have had anything like the courage, conviction and fortitude, especially when it came to risking precious relationships.
Interesting insight into the thought process that led to the decision to become a whistleblower - fascinatingly honest.
Documenting the fact that I read this and reviewing it online seems like a bad idea but as he points out in the books, the government already knows because I checked it out from the library. This book is not some sort of bombshell dropping book, but is more about making Snowden human. He's a person, not just a hero or traitor depending on your viewpoint. He didn't make his decisions lightly. He knew what did would mean hurting loved ones and making sacrifices, although he definitely didn't expect to end up spending six years and counting in Russia. What I appreciated is that the book made him seem so normal. Astoundingly smart, but normal. We are about the same age and had the same experiences with video games in childhood and the beginning of the internet, well until he started hacking things obviously. I appreciated the diary entries from his then girlfriend now wife Lindsay. I would have been so furious that he didn't include me, although I know he was protecting her. I do wish there was more about his life now, but understand why there wasn't.
I never would’ve picked this to read, but I got it in my family’s Christmas book swap, so I was committed. It’s a well-written, interesting, disturbing book, and it taught me a lot about technology and the development of the Internet. I finished it with admiration for Snowden, for his bravery, thoughtfulness, and humility.
Kurzmeinung / Lese- bzw. Hörerlebnis
Obwohl dieses Buch auf meinem physischen Stapel ungelesener Bücher lag habe ich es fast vollständig über mein Scribd-Abo gehört.
Es handelt sich meiner Meinung nach durchaus um ein lohnenswertes Lese- bzw. Hörerlebnis bei dem ich vieles erfuhr, was mir bis dahin so nicht klar war.
Ich persönlich habe damals nicht verstanden, dass jemand, der einen Misstand aufdeckt, kriminalisiert wird und ins Exil muss anstatt von der Gesellschaft gefeiert und geschützt zu werden. Auch heute ist das, was er getan hat in meinen Augen nicht Landesverrat sondern Dienst an seinem Land.
Obwohl dieses Buch auf meinem physischen Stapel ungelesener Bücher lag habe ich es fast vollständig über mein Scribd-Abo gehört.
Es handelt sich meiner Meinung nach durchaus um ein lohnenswertes Lese- bzw. Hörerlebnis bei dem ich vieles erfuhr, was mir bis dahin so nicht klar war.
Ich persönlich habe damals nicht verstanden, dass jemand, der einen Misstand aufdeckt, kriminalisiert wird und ins Exil muss anstatt von der Gesellschaft gefeiert und geschützt zu werden. Auch heute ist das, was er getan hat in meinen Augen nicht Landesverrat sondern Dienst an seinem Land.