I don’t usually read autobiographies and the ones I’ve read so far are by filmmakers I revere. So it’s not that I dislike the genre as a whole or consider autobiographies dull and boorish. I just have to find the person interesting enough to read their life story—not because they’re famous. That person has to matter to me. People like that are usually artists I cherish. They say—it’s not healthy to look upon a professional’s life (whom you admire) with probing eyes—you might not like what’s there. True, I’ve seen stains on the shinest stars but it didn’t bother me as I do not idolize or judge someone based on my own moral ideas. We are all human beings with mixed qualities.

---

Snowden’s case was different. He’s no artist, nor am I related to his discipline. I admire him for taking such a big step for himself and for all of us. If you’re living under a rock—Snowden was an employee of the CIA who leaked some highly classified documents from the NSA regarding mass global surveillance conducted by the US Govt.

So, when Edward Snowden released his autobiography I made plans to read it. I have seen the film Snowden (2016) and the documentary Citizen Four (2014) as well. So I knew how he whistleblowed. I wanted to know how he went to that point where he decided...

“I had hoped to serve my country, but instead I went to work for it. This is not a trivial distinction.”

...and how the final decision was made from himself, without theatricality.

The book isn’t that big. It somewhat contains all the events the movie and the documentary had. However, we see his childhood, how he grew up, and how his ideologies changed over time as he matured. He presents his arguments about why you should know about mass surveillance and why you have to be vigilant about it.
Some people do not care about privacy and if you ask them they’ll probably shrug nonchalantly—it doesn’t apply to them! They have nothing to hide! Snowden offers them a counter logic—

“Ultimately, saying that you don't care about privacy because you have nothing to hide is no different from saying you don't care about freedom of speech because you have nothing to say.”

I’m actually surprised at his persuasive writing style. He’s never written a book but his prose is not immature or uninteresting.
Snowden offered some of the ideas on how to be vigilant— using Tor system, file encryption, etc. I think the most interesting part of the book is where he goes on explaining how technology, networking work in layman’s terms. He also gives a comprehensive idea of the history of surveillance, US intelligence agencies, how they lay out new policies, and as well as the culture within. Beware though, as Snowden put’s it—

“Which means that if you’re reading this now—this sentence—on any sort of modern machine, like a smartphone or tablet, they can follow along and read you.”

---

When Snowden went through the act of whistleblowing, he was about my age. I pondered upon it for a while—Would I logically, in my right mind be able to choose a life of uncertainty and angst— always looking over my shoulder? I don’t think so (even though my upbringing is entirely alien to his). The same goes for his colleagues.

You may or may not like Snowden and the actions he has taken to expose the US government. But people like Snowden and Assange are extremely important for the coming age where digital dictatorships will probably control most of the internet activities of regular people. He’s a hero, not a black sheep.