Glenn Greenwald's "No Place to Hide:Edward Snowden, the NSA, and the U.S. Surveillance State

I was doing some online shopping today and was looking to buy a copy of Glenn Greenwald's newest book
No Place to Hide:Edward Snowden, the NSA, and the U.S. Surveillance State. I had previously read his book How Would a Patriot Act? and thought it a thought provoking expose on the National Security Agency, the powers of the US and world governments ability and audacity to spy on every person on earth. So looking to buy his newest publication I approached it from a non-skeptic. But before I hit enter to purchase a new book for my own library I wanted to see what others had thought of his work.

It is marvelous to see the enlightenment that has come about in the past 8 years or so. My own philosophy has developed and changed, my skepticism of government grown to resentment and anarchism. To cast away the last remaining chain to hierarchy and outside governance takes a full deck of honesty with yourself about what you see and what you allow to be seen, it take diligence to not sweep the facts or evidence under anyone's rug. To be quite honest it takes a keen mind to develop the mindset that the government, any government that is forced upon people, used to subject those unwilling to its rule and its laws, to be taken by theft your personal wealth, to beg and clamor for freedom only receiving licenses and regulations, dos and don'ts, laws and mandates, it undoubtedly too large, too cumbersome and too tyrannous. It isn't a partisan issue, but a moral dilemma. One that must be faced headstrong and sooner rather than later. It is one large stand the citizens of the world MUST make to remain free in their own privacy, at least as much as is left to be.

I read the comments left by readers of this new book. It was uplifting to see that others see what I see, they believe what I believe, they think as I think.
Just some quick samples of the reviews left me with no doubt that this was a book I NEEDED to have in my collection.

The blurb on the book, the short details of what await the reader was fascinating...

"In May 2013, Glenn Greenwald set out for Hong Kong to meet an anonymous source who claimed to have astonishing evidence of pervasive government spying and insisted on communicating only through heavily encrypted channels. That source turned out to be the 29-year-old NSA contractor Edward Snowden, and his revelations about the agency’s widespread, systemic overreach proved to be some of the most explosive and consequential news in recent history, triggering a fierce debate over national security and information privacy. As the arguments rage on and the government considers various proposals for reform, it is clear that we have yet to see the full impact of Snowden’s disclosures.

Now for the first time, Greenwald fits all the pieces together, recounting his high-intensity ten-day trip to Hong Kong, examining the broader implications of the surveillance detailed in his reporting for The Guardian, and revealing fresh information on the NSA’s unprecedented abuse of power with never-before-seen documents entrusted to him by Snowden himself.

Going beyond NSA specifics, Greenwald also takes on the establishment media, excoriating their habitual avoidance of adversarial reporting on the government and their failure to serve the interests of the people. Finally, he asks what it means both for individuals and for a nation’s political health when a government pries so invasively into the private lives of its citizens—and considers what safeguards and forms of oversight are necessary to protect democracy in the digital age. Coming at a landmark moment in American history, No Place to Hide is a fearless, incisive, and essential contribution to our understanding of the U.S. surveillance state." Taken from the Amazon store page for the book.

And then a sample of the comments...

"It is 4 AM and I have just finished reading, in one sitting, the Kindle download of a book that I only intended to skim because I thought that I knew the full story. What was compelling was encountering the courage and decency of this whistleblower and that of the few brave journalists willing to honestly tell his story. That and the justifiable contempt for those in the housebroken media and compromised government who felt the need to besmirch the character of those willing to bear witness to crimes that almost everyone else in a position to know chose to ignore. The result is a page turner survey of just what the Snowden leaks tell us about the creation of the modern surveillance state and a reminder of the deep wisdom of this nation's founders in insisting on the Constitution's Fourth Amendment. This is a brilliant book that you will want to pass on to that neighbor absolutely convinced that the hollowing out of liberty has made us safer. Glenn Greenwald reminds us just why the Guardian and Washington Post won the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service in publishing the documents that Edward Snowden made available and how outrageous it is that his effort to inform the public of attacks on their freedom has left this brave young man a hunted fugitive." From Reader Robert Scheer

A comment by a man only noted as Tony.

"A brief note before you purchase this book:

This is not a book written for the purpose of telling you the US government is watching your every step and every move, everyone knows that. And the author did not waste time replicating news articles you've already read through the media outlets. I finished this book within 5 hours, and thought it was well written and well worth your time.

Greenwald, one of the original journalists who revealed Snowden's leaks last year, did a remarkably good job on going over the history of U.S.'s surveillance tactics. In his new book, No Place to Hide, Greenwald briefly goes over his adventures/experience on meeting with Edward Snowden and revealing US's NSA surveillance program. Greenwald explains the difficulties and obstacles that were involved before the story went live, mostly by reluctant lawyers, and news agencies such as NYT and Washington Post. For those curious, Greenwald also explains in detail the true intentions of Edward Snowden.

Later chapters of the book reveal Greenwald's opinion on the recent NSA leaks, and his classification of US as a surveillance state.

Keep in mind that Greenwald was previously a columnist, and his writing style of a columnist is clearly seen throughout the book. This is not merely a book with facts, but a book with opinion, with logical and concrete evidence that not just the U.S., but other state actors are well, are progressing into what George Orwell wrote in his infamous 1984 novel (Orwellian state).

Greenwald ends the book by warning the consequences involved as we progress into the Orwellian state and the issue of journalists not being journalists, but being government puppets instead.

This is a highly recommended book for those who wish to read into detail one of the biggest government leaks in the history."

And then there is this from Reader "Jono"

"This has to be one of the most important books ever written -- a gripping, first-hand account of the events leading to the unveiling of the NSA's vast data collection program, chilling details of the program itself, the dangers posed by a world without privacy, as well as an indictment of the current state of journalism which serves to amplify government's message rather that to serve as its watchdog.

No Place to Hide is an absolutely fascinating read, occupying the intersection of politics, journalism, espionage in the digital age, and the sacrifice of our 1st and 4th amendment rights in the wake of 9/11 to paranoia and the the pursuit of hundreds of billions of dollars in government contracts to "collect it all".

It's nothing less than astonishing to see the difference between the talking-head celebrity journalists who overpopulate our media outlets and parrot the usual talking points, and the truly courageous reporting of Glenn Greenwald. This book is required reading for anyone who aspires to be an informed citizen and serves as a cautionary tale of how fear and secrecy can be leveraged to steer government in ways that would never stand in the light of day."

There are many many many more comments, 607 to be exact at the time of this posting. Most of them praising the writer, Snowden and all the players in the attainment and distribution of this information. But there are, without any disappointment, those that defend the actions of the governments in their roles as what George Orwell author of the futuristic tyrannical novel 1984 calls them "BIG BROTHER".

I will be adding this book to the bookshelf very soon and will review it upon completion.