MEMOIR

Permanent Record: How One Man Exposed the Truth About Government Spying and Digital Security, Young Readers Edition by Edward Snowden; Henry Holt, 256 pages ($19.99) Ages 12 to 18.

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Edward Snowden, the whistleblower who disclosed classified information to journalists about the extent of National Security Agency surveillance of American citizens in 2013 and has been in exile in Russia ever since, offers a fascinating young readers edition of his 2019 memoir.

Young readers in this digital age get an interesting history lesson in Snowden's description of his "internetless" early childhood, a period of handwritten diaries, Polaroid pictures, of schoolwork done on paper. He was born in 1983; his father was a career Coast Guard officer. He recalls the thrill when his father brought home a Commodore 64 computer, spying as his father late at night played a game called Choplifter!

Edward became immediately entranced with computers and gaming and figured out how to "hack" high school – do the minimum required – so he could spend all his time on the computer exploring online. (As a teenager he noticed a security lapse on the Los Alamos National Laboratory website and brought it to the attention of a supervisor.) He joined the Army after the Sept. 11th attacks, but had to take an administrative discharge after suffering stress fractures in both legs during basic training. He applied for and got the highest-level security clearance and went to work in intelligence.

Snowden has a real gift for lucidly explaining technical information and his book often reads like a thriller as he describes his career in the intelligence community, his work as a systems engineer, his growing unease at the extent of the NSA's surveillance and his growing conviction that such programs violated the Fourth Amendment, protecting citizens from unreasonable search and seizure.

"Generations to come would get used to a world in which surveillance was a constant and indiscriminate presence; the ear that always hears, the eye that always sees, a memory that is sleepless and permanent."

Snowden advances compelling arguments for why he felt he had to do what he did, actions the U.S. government considers a violation of the Espionage Act of 1917. An afterword includes information on protecting your privacy online and also includes interesting details on the extreme precautions he took to protect himself while writing his book.

I wanted this book because I never fully understood the Edward Snowden situation. I love a Young Readers edition because it makes the content and material easy to digest and understand. I would recommend this to students who were curious about this topic and enjoy non-fiction books.

Permanent Record is an autobiographical account of Edward Snowden's life leading up to his exile after releasing government documents. It focused on his love for computers dating back to his childhood, and how he came to be the technology expert he is today.

This is the Young Reader's version of his original novel. The technical language might hinder some students while reading. However, there are definitely students who fell in love with technology, like Snowden, who will find refuge in this book! There is definitely an audience for books surrounding technology, and it may help some kids feel "seen" after reading!

The name “Edward Snowden” gets many reactions from Americans. Some view him as the champion of internet privacy, while others see him as a traitor to the United States Government. Almost everyone has heard about him and many wonder, as I do, what would motivate a person to give up his life and family for the sake of an idea? Permanent Record is a very interesting look at the intelligence community and what it is like to be a part of it.

Snowden worked as an information technology professional in a series of top-secret positions until he decided to expose the Government’s information-gathering activities regarding average citizens. This book attempts to educate readers about computers and the intelligence community, but it often uses complicated jargon. Permanent Record is geared toward middle-grade readers, but I feel that its complexity makes it a better fit for older students. Snowden suggests that students keep up on developments in the online community and use open source software for word processing and other activities. If this book is for middle-grade students, I would also have liked to have seen it encourage readers to think about what they post on social media and their online footprint.

Permanent Record is excellent as a biography and gives an in-depth portrayal of the life of Edward Snowden. It should be a part of any public or secondary school library collection.