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A review by lesserjoke
Permanent Record by Edward Snowden
3.0
This volume by infamous CIA/NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden reminds me somewhat of James Comey's A Higher Loyalty, and not just because I read both of them for my local book club. Each is also half memoir and half political tract, finding a controversial public figure recounting his ethical origins and engaging in a bit of soul-searching to explain certain unpopular decisions… to admittedly mixed effect.
I definitely feel like I have a firmer grasp now on the facts of America's clandestine mass surveillance program that Snowden leaked to the public, as well as the government operative's personal history, but I'm not sure the author has satisfied me as to the thought process that led him to take the drastic actions that some have labeled treason. It's fine documentation mixed with hacktivist advocacy straight out of a Cory Doctorow novel, but a step below Comey and other thinkers who are able to really walk readers through their exact judgment calls.
Although I broadly agree with the positions he articulates herein and can relate to his childhood on the early internet, I still don't truly understand why Snowden diverged so radically from the rest of the intelligence community -- or how the writer positions himself in his own understanding of events. And in that sense, this text seems like a bit of a wasted opportunity.
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I definitely feel like I have a firmer grasp now on the facts of America's clandestine mass surveillance program that Snowden leaked to the public, as well as the government operative's personal history, but I'm not sure the author has satisfied me as to the thought process that led him to take the drastic actions that some have labeled treason. It's fine documentation mixed with hacktivist advocacy straight out of a Cory Doctorow novel, but a step below Comey and other thinkers who are able to really walk readers through their exact judgment calls.
Although I broadly agree with the positions he articulates herein and can relate to his childhood on the early internet, I still don't truly understand why Snowden diverged so radically from the rest of the intelligence community -- or how the writer positions himself in his own understanding of events. And in that sense, this text seems like a bit of a wasted opportunity.
Find me on Patreon | Goodreads | Blog | Twitter