You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.31 AVERAGE
4.31 AVERAGE
challenging
informative
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
informative
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
The first third did drag a bit about his personal life, but it was overall a good insight into his background and decision making.
I'm not a very computer literate person. In fact my computer use is like that of my use of a car; I can drive both but have no real idea of how they run underneath the bonnet. This is therefore not a book I would normally have chosen to read for fear of it being too technical. If I'm honest I only read it because it was a book club pick.
Having finished it I'm really pleased to have done so. Snowden writes engagingly and manages to explain complex ideas and systems well. I'm looking forward to discussing this at our next book club.
Having finished it I'm really pleased to have done so. Snowden writes engagingly and manages to explain complex ideas and systems well. I'm looking forward to discussing this at our next book club.
What a great read. Snowden's writing is split between technical, esoteric explanations of IT work, yet contrasts each account with a narrative or description allowing the reader (or non-computer savvy layman) to breath. His determination and passion is inspiring. His story doesn't romanticise the traditional narrative of a knight in shining armour, one who reveals the truth and gets justice. It is the brutal, exhaustive, labour-intensive plight to tell the truth, with all the sacrifices of a real hero. Like the blurb on the back says, this book will stand the test of time, a true account of a rare time in history. A time when we were all complicit perhaps, missing the bigger picture.
Interesting that encryption may the only weapon we have, as national laws fail to keep up with the pace of the internet and cross borders. Thinking about my data overseas and spread around the planet. Disturbing thinking about predicting movements, behaviour, and how you can control someone that way, direct them towards a product, move them further along that predetermined path. Disturbing account of the man and son overseas, the supposed "suspect" while Snowden spied on them behind the camera.
Enjoyed the constant return to Lindsay and the importance and role of love. Felt deeply moved by final movements in Hong Kong, waiting in the apartment. Of being filmed, bare and naked in front of the camera. Watching the real footage was powerful, knowing how he felt in that moment.
Interesting that encryption may the only weapon we have, as national laws fail to keep up with the pace of the internet and cross borders. Thinking about my data overseas and spread around the planet. Disturbing thinking about predicting movements, behaviour, and how you can control someone that way, direct them towards a product, move them further along that predetermined path. Disturbing account of the man and son overseas, the supposed "suspect" while Snowden spied on them behind the camera.
Enjoyed the constant return to Lindsay and the importance and role of love. Felt deeply moved by final movements in Hong Kong, waiting in the apartment. Of being filmed, bare and naked in front of the camera. Watching the real footage was powerful, knowing how he felt in that moment.
medium-paced
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
This was exactly what I had expected. An honest, inside look from the man who, it would not be hyperbole to say, changed the course of history for internet activism.