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“Reads like a le Carré novel crossed with something by Kafka…A
fast-paced, almost novelistic narrative…[The book] gives readers…a succinct overview of the momentous events of the past year…Leave[s] readers with an acute understanding of the serious issues
involved.”
— New York Times
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Reads like a le Carré novel crossed with something by Kafka. . . . A fast-paced, almost novelistic narrative. . . . [The book] gives readers . . . a succinct overview of the momentous events of the past year. . . . Leave[s] readers with an acute understanding of the serious issues involved.
— Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times
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[Snowden’s] story is one of the most compelling in the history of American espionage. . . . The Snowden Files, by Luke Harding, a correspondent for the Guardian newspaper, which broke the initial Snowden story, is the first to assemble the sequence of events in a single volume. The book captures the drama of Snowden’s operation in often-cinematic detail. . . . Harding has delivered a clearly written and captivating account of the Snowden leaks and their aftermath.
— The Washington Post
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Engaging and lucid. . . . A gripping read. . . . Harding is a gifted writer. . . . The strength of Harding's book is its ability to bring Snowden's story to life while elucidating the contours of a much larger set of issues. . . . In rendering the complicated comprehensible in an entertaining way, Harding's book provides an important public service.
— San Francisco Chronicle
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A super-readable, thrillerish account of the events surrounding the reporting of the documents. . . . Harding has done an amazing—and speedy—job of assembling material from a wide variety of sources and turning it into an exciting account.
— The London Review of Books
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A newsworthy, must-read book about what prompted Edward Snowden to blow the whistle on his former employer, the National Security Agency, and what likely awaits him for having done so. . . . Whether you view Snowden’s act as patriotic or treasonous, this fast-paced, densely detailed book is the narrative of first resort.
— Kirkus Reviews (starred)
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Engaging. . . . Harding’s well-researched and compelling book is highly recommended.
— Library Journal
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Recounts the incredible story of how Snowden becomes angry about the abuses he says he witnessed inside the system, resolves to pull off a stunning electronic heist by downloading the NSA’s and its partners’ most sensitive files, and gives them to journalists he has persuaded to meet him in Hong Kong. Harding captures nicely the moment when The Guardian pushes the button on its first Snowden story, an intense, adrenaline-filled cocktail of high-minded journalistic zeal and the sheer thrill of publishing sensitive information.
— Financial Times
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“[Snowden’s] story is one of the most compelling in the history of American espionage…The Snowden Files,
by Luke Harding, a correspondent for the Guardian newspaper, which
broke the initial Snowden story, is the first to assemble the sequence
of events in a single volume. The book captures the drama of Snowden’s
operation in often-cinematic detail… Harding has delivered a
clearly written and captivating account of the Snowden leaks and their
aftermath.”
— Washington Post
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“Engaging and lucid…A gripping read…Harding is a gifted
writer…The strength of Harding’s book is its ability to bring
Snowden’s story to life while elucidating the contours of a much larger
set of issues…In rendering the complicated comprehensible in an
entertaining way, Harding’s book provides an important public service.”
— San Francisco Chronicle
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“The Snowden Files, the first book on what British journalist
Luke Harding calls ‘the biggest intelligence leak in history,’ is a
readable and thorough account. The narrative is rich in newsroom
details, reflecting Harding’s inside access as a correspondent for the
London-based Guardian newspaper, which broke the story…The writer
deserves unqualified praise for fueling the debate on privacy that
Snowden so hoped to ignite.”
— Newsday
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“A newsworthy, must-read book about what prompted Edward Snowden to blow
the whistle on his former employer, the National Security Agency, and
what likely awaits him for having done so…Whether you view
Snowden’s act as patriotic or treasonous, this fast-paced, densely
detailed book is the narrative of first resort.”
— Kirkus Reviews (starred review)