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A review by speculativeshelves
Bottoms Up and the Devil Laughs: A Journey Through the Deep State by Kerry Howley
informative
medium-paced
4.0
A compelling read and a fascinating look at a number of topics - post 9/11 surveillance, drone warfare, confidentiality, whistleblowers, conspiracy theories, the framing and interpretation of information, and the justice system. I liked how it gave a broad overview of the past 20+ years from the War on Terror through the insurrection of January 6th, 2021. A lot is covered despite this being a relatively short and quick read.
I quite enjoyed how the author wove together the stories of a variety of people - John Lindt, John Kiriakou, Chelsea Manning, Joe Biggs, and Reality Winner (to name just a few). Occasionally the various stories told in this meandered didn't always provide a solid conclusion but that didn't take away much from my enjoyment.
It's quite a thought provoking book that I feel primarily explores how nuanced situations/ideas get approached through a lens of subjective black and white morality. It also makes you VERY aware of how much of your information is monitored and collected (and sometimes ignored because the amount is overwhelmingly large - and continues to grow). To any NSA agent reading this review for whatever reason: hello!
I quite enjoyed how the author wove together the stories of a variety of people - John Lindt, John Kiriakou, Chelsea Manning, Joe Biggs, and Reality Winner (to name just a few). Occasionally the various stories told in this meandered didn't always provide a solid conclusion but that didn't take away much from my enjoyment.
It's quite a thought provoking book that I feel primarily explores how nuanced situations/ideas get approached through a lens of subjective black and white morality. It also makes you VERY aware of how much of your information is monitored and collected (and sometimes ignored because the amount is overwhelmingly large - and continues to grow). To any NSA agent reading this review for whatever reason: hello!