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Permanent Record

A Memoir of a Reluctant Whistleblower

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Permanent Record

Written by: Edward Snowden
Narrated by: Holter Graham
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THE SUNDAY TIMES TOP TEN BESTSELLER

Edward Snowden, the man who risked everything to expose the US government’s system of mass surveillance, reveals for the first time the story of his life, including how he helped to build that system and what motivated him to try to bring it down.

In 2013, twenty-nine-year-old Edward Snowden shocked the world when he broke with the American intelligence establishment and revealed that the United States government was secretly pursuing the means to collect every single phone call, text message, and email. The result would be an unprecedented system of mass surveillance with the ability to pry into the private lives of every person on earth. Six years later, Snowden reveals for the very first time how he helped to build this system and why he was moved to expose it.

Spanning the bucolic Beltway suburbs of his childhood and the clandestine CIA and NSA postings of his adulthood, Permanent Record is the extraordinary account of a bright young man who grew up online – a man who became a spy, a whistleblower, and, in exile, the Internet’s conscience. Written with wit, grace, passion, and an unflinching candor, Permanent Record is a crucial memoir of our digital age and destined to be a classic.

 Activists Freedom & Security Intelligence & Espionage Politicians Politics & Activism Politics & Government Social Sciences
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Critic Reviews

Riveting, pacy
The world's most famous whistleblower
Fascinating
A riveting account . . . Reads like a literary thriller
Gripping
His disclosures of mass surveillance and bulk collection of personal information are as relevant now as they were in 2013
Full of surprises . . . A deeply reluctant whistleblower . . . he deserves our thanks
Well-written
A very significant figure in the history of intelligence
Thriller plot
A thoughtful and elegantly written book (Steven Poole, New Statesmen)
All stars
Most relevant
It was so encouraging to read how Mr. Snowden threw all the personal comforts to stand up for what he believed in it. This world will thank him for the sacrifice he has done for the benefit of the citizens of this world.

A must read in the time of censorship and snooping

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Snowden did an amazing job of putting together how from a 90's teenager he grew up to be a brave whistle blower. it's genuine , honest.

A must read for everyone who uses a smartphone

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Story of why Edward Snowden is in Exile, and a grim reminder that nothing is ours once we share it on the net. No email, picture, contact or even this comment.

Very Enlightening

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I bought the hardcopy copy of the book about 30 months ago, and I don't know I never was able to finish it till now. I literally cried out during the final chapters where Ed writes with such detail, compassion and insight and the same has been given voice by the narrator. I am a very private and eccentric person, though the world is never kind the sort and have to dabble around "Muggles" once in a while, and I am a firm believer in creating conscious data/cyber footprint. When I heard/read the lines about OSH/OSS creators and what we leave behind for children, I couldn't really control my emotions. "Privacy without someone to share it with is Exile", glad to see this story/life end in a really good way, atleast till.

Permanently Recorded into my heart

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A relentless scifi movie happening in real time, Story of a whistleblower's confession, blowing up the worlds strongest power's Mass Surveillance System. This is a story of love and also a universal love, to do the right thing.

I so loved when Edward wanted to delete his all online presense ever, his teen age years posts on dating sites, his chats on encrypted chat rooms as a hacker, anything. But he chose to not do that, as doing this would mean he is the perfect human who never made mistakes, the one who have never regretted his old actions, the one who denies that he was ever bad in his life.. Doing that would be lie and a pretense. This is the closest to all of our actions/thoughts combined, which he had the courage and humility to accept publically 🙏

Brilliant story of Courage and Hope

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