“Permanent Record” by Edward Snowden

Hero or traitor?

I became interested in reading this book after watching the movie "Snowden", and I wasn't disappointed.

“Permanent Record” is Edward Snowden's memoir, but in my opinion it is a confession or disclosure of sorts, through which the author intended to tell the world the reasons behind what he did, in his own words.

Divided into three parts, in his book Snowden walks us through the different stages of his life - his early years, his work as a spy, and of course how he became a whistleblower, which transformed his life completely.

Considered both as a hero and as a traitor, in 2013 Snowden made headlines by exposing the US government's surveillance programs, which give it the ability to invade the privacy of American citizens.

Snowden came from a family of service, including the FBI, the Coast Guard, the NSA, and the Army, but after years of working as a spy, he risked everything in order to stay true to his integrity and be loyal to the US citizens. In just a few days, he found himself with a revoked passport and stranded in Moscow (where he still lives), as a result of having violated the US Espionage Act.

I found this book interesting, but mostly, very smartly written. Snowden is wise enough to share an overview of his life and work, along with what drove him to did what he did, but he doesn’t reveal any specific information of the surveillance systems, and neither shares any details about his loved ones. It is an informative and entertaining read that is worth checking out.