Permanent Record (Young Readers Edition): How One Man Exposed the Truth about Government Spying and Digital Security

by Edward Snowden

Overview

A young reader’s adaptation of whistleblower and bestselling author Edward Snowden's memoir, Permanent Record—featuring a brand-new afterword that includes resources to learn about the basics of digital security.

In 2013, Edward Snowden shocked the world when he revealed that the United States government was secretly building a system of mass surveillance with the ability to gaze into the private lives of every person on earth. Phone calls, text messages, emails—nothing was safe from prying eyes. Now the man who risked everything to expose the truth about government spying describes for a new generation how he helped build that system, what motivated him to try to bring it down, and how young people can strive to protect their privacy in the digital age.

“Snowden's sprightly prose, his deep technical knowledge, his superb knack for explaining complex matters, his ability to articulate principled action all come together in a book that is, if anything, BETTER than the adult version.” —Cory Doctorow, BoingBoing

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250767912
Publisher:	Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Publication date:	02/09/2021
Pages:	256
Sales rank:	376,814
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.10(d)
Lexile:	1120L (what's this?)
Age Range:	10 - 14 Years

About the Author

Edward Snowden was born in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, and grew up in the shadow of Fort Meade, Maryland. A systems engineer by training, he served as an officer of the Central Intelligence Agency and worked as a contractor for the National Security Agency. He has received numerous awards for his public service, including the Right Livelihood Award, the German Whistleblower Prize, the Ridenhour Prize for Truth-Telling, and the Carl von Ossietzky Medal from the International League for Human Rights. Currently, he serves as president of the board of directors of the Freedom of the Press Foundation.

Table of Contents

Foreword ix

Preface xi

Part 1

Looking Through the Window 3

The Invisible Wall 11

Beltway Boy 24

American Online 28

Hacking 36

Incomplete 46

9/11 53

9/12 60

X-rays 66

Cleared and In Love 74

Part 2

The System 81

Indoc 89

The Count of the Hill 100

Geneva 110

Tokyo 119

Home on the Cloud 130

On the Couch 137

Part 3

Heartbeat 145

Whistleblowing 153

Fourth Estate 159

Read, Write, Execute 167

Encrypt 177

The Boy 185

Hong Kong 194

Moscow 207

From the Diaries of Lindsay Mills 219

Love and Exile 221

Afterword 231

Acknowledgments 237

Editorial Reviews

"Snowden's sprightly prose, his deep technical knowledge, his superb knack for explaining complex matters, his ability to articulate principled action all come together in a book that is, if anything, BETTER than the adult version." —Cory Doctorow, BoingBoing

"A fascinating look behind the scenes of real-life espionage." —School Library Journal

"An absorbing read about digital privacy and one man’s fateful choice to disclose government secrets." —Kirkus

"Skillfully adapted from his best-selling adult book . . . fascinating." —Booklist

Praise for Permanent Record

“A riveting account... Reads like a literary thriller... Snowden pushes the reader to reflect more seriously on what every American should be asking already. What does it mean to have the data of our lives collected and stored on file, ready to be accessed? When it comes to privacy and speech and the Constitution, his story clarifies the stakes.” —The New York Times

“Gripping... Snowden demonstrates a knack for explaining in lucid and compelling language the inner workings of [CIA and NSA] systems and the menace he came to believe they posed.” —The Washington Post

“Well-written . . . Offers a useful reminder of the god-like omniscience that digital data can bestow on those with the power to collect it all.” —The Economist

From the Publisher

01/01/2021

Gr 9 Up—In 2013, CIA contractor Edward Snowden (b. 1983), a white American, fled the country after copying and leaking classified National Security Agency data on global surveillance. Snowden, who was charged with espionage by the U.S. government, currently remains exiled in Moscow, Russia. In the preface, Snowden adopts a conversational tone and language appropriate for young readers to unpack why he became a whistleblower. The text describes his childhood both in North Carolina and near Fort Meade in Maryland where both of his parents worked. Students who don't like the monotony of school will enjoy Snowden's stories about being bored in the classroom and not feeling challenged by curricula or teachers. As the memoir progresses, Snowden discusses his post-secondary education, military service, and first jobs while seamlessly defining terms and explaining relevant network technology. Reviews of the adult trade edition describe the book as part memoir, part fictional thriller—those elements are definitely part of this adaptation. The short chapters are suspenseful. Snowden shares in meticulous detail how he copied, stored, and transported the classified data all while in fear of detection and arrest. VERDICT A fascinating look behind the scenes of real-life espionage. Recommended for high school and public libraries.—Anne Jung-Mathews, Plymouth State Univ., NH

School Library Journal

2020-11-17
The young readers version of the bestselling memoir by a man who revealed the scope of the U.S. government’s spying on its own citizens.

Snowden gained instant fame in 2013 when he released documents to hand-picked journalists that demonstrated the depth of the National Security Agency’s unconstitutional surveillance of ordinary Americans’ phone calls, emails, texts and more. His memoir uncovers the roots of his concerns and traces his journey from eager government intelligence worker to whistleblower. The book is divided into three parts. The first covers Snowden’s growing-up years, including his fascination with computers and the internet, his hacks for getting through school with minimal effort, his first job, a short stint in the Army, meeting his future wife, and eventually obtaining his first high-level security clearance at age 22. Part 2 focuses on his increasing unease as he moved up the intelligence career ladder. Part 3 details how he discovered the massive invasion of ordinary citizens’ privacy, his decision to alert the press, and the sobering aftermath. Snowden tells good stories that illuminate his thinking while also providing intriguing glimpses into the world of surveillance. His prose is crisp and clear, although the afterword written for this version, which focuses on staying digitally safe on the internet, is not as tight as the rest of the book.

An absorbing read about digital privacy and one man’s fateful choice to disclose government secrets. (Memoir. 12-18)

Kirkus Reviews