First published 2020
In summer 2013, journalists Jessica Bruder and Dale Maharidge receive an unexpected package. Edward Snowden has mailed them printed copies of classified NSA documents revealing massive government surveillance programs. The reporters must learn to hide the papers in barrels, outhouses, and trees while navigating a world where digital privacy no longer exists. As Snowden reaches out to Laura Poitras and Glenn Greenwald, Bruder and Maharidge stumble through their own crash course in surveillance and counter-surveillance. Their paranoia grows with each revelation about how deeply the NSA has penetrated tech companies, communication systems, and private communications to monitor American citizens. The story follows their increasingly frantic efforts to protect themselves and their sources while grappling with the magnitude of what they possess.
Genres: political-science, non-fiction, 21st-century, journalism, activism, american-history
Vibes: emotional, fast-paced, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, paranoia
Period: 2013
160 pages · Hardcover · Verso