A review by bookishjesse
Snowden's Box: Trust in the Age of Surveillance by Jessica Bruder, Dale Maharidge
3.0
I am a big fan of the Intercept and was excited when I received the advanced audio book copy from Libro.fm. I was also intrigued by the premise of combatting declining social trust.
The sections based on personal narrative are excellent. They are compelling, interesting, and reveal how isolating being involved in whistleblowing can be. I respect the authors' vulnerability and believe these passages struck the right tone: enough information to tell a story, but not so much as to be melodramatic.
I did not enjoy the sections later in the book. Anyone interested enough to read a work like Snowden's Box is likely already aware of the various ways in which private companies and governments track, store, and share data citizens often give voluntarily. This meandering intro to Alexa and other devices and companies read like a "Privacy 101" primer that had little to do with the narrative at hand. To be honest, it seemed like the authors realized how short their book would be and so they added some sections about privacy more generally. I would be less critical had they not repeatedly mentioned being long-form journalists. Surely, they are aware of story arcs and so I was surprised they didn't choose another medium.
This would have made a fabulous podcast. The best parts of the book are those that seem to have been conceived during chats between a few people who experienced something extraordinary together.
The sections based on personal narrative are excellent. They are compelling, interesting, and reveal how isolating being involved in whistleblowing can be. I respect the authors' vulnerability and believe these passages struck the right tone: enough information to tell a story, but not so much as to be melodramatic.
I did not enjoy the sections later in the book. Anyone interested enough to read a work like Snowden's Box is likely already aware of the various ways in which private companies and governments track, store, and share data citizens often give voluntarily. This meandering intro to Alexa and other devices and companies read like a "Privacy 101" primer that had little to do with the narrative at hand. To be honest, it seemed like the authors realized how short their book would be and so they added some sections about privacy more generally. I would be less critical had they not repeatedly mentioned being long-form journalists. Surely, they are aware of story arcs and so I was surprised they didn't choose another medium.
This would have made a fabulous podcast. The best parts of the book are those that seem to have been conceived during chats between a few people who experienced something extraordinary together.