Snowden

August 10, 2015
It’s a safe bet that when a left-leaning political cartoonist like Rall (To Afghanistan and Back) authors an entire book about Snowden and his NSA whistle-blowing, it’s not going to be a hit job. Still, this simplistic chapbook throws uncritical glory over its subject. Rall begins with an overly simplified and frequently made parallel between the current state of surveillance and George Orwell’s 1984. Then he presents a pocket biography of Snowden, whose military service in 2003 failed ignominiously—he was discharged without finishing his training. Snowden then worked as an NSA security guard, quickly vaulting up the pay and responsibility scale (a potentially fascinating chain of events that Rall skips over). Snowden’s frustration in discovering the surveillance that the government insisted wasn’t happening is palpable but, again, barely explored. The dramatic decision to go public as a whistle-blower and flee the country is told in a crisp outline, but the broader issues are not engaged so much as flung at the reader in broadsides. The Snowden story is one of the greatest of our time, but Rall is not the one to deliver it in serious fashion.

September 15, 2015

Supertechie hero, or supertechie villain? The life and work of 32-year-old Edward Snowden command attention, whether one supports his mission to expose the U.S. National Security Agency's omnivorous appetite for data or whether one considers him traitorous for doing so. Cartoonist/reporter Rall (To Afghanistan and Back) is clearly in the first camp, while providing background about both sides and posing questions of universal interest: How much espionage is too much? What groups should be targeted? What kinds of checks and balances should be imposed? And how should dissent about such things be managed? Rall crunches a large amount of information into his narrative, documented in 14 pages of source notes in a presentation that is easy to follow and fascinating. Cartoony, full-color art supports the text-heavy account partly with illustrations and partly with examples, diagrams, attributed quotations, screen images, document excerpts, photos, and headlines. Seven Stories plans a discussion guide. VERDICT Written for adults but accessible to teens and sophisticated tweens, this work belongs in all libraries and will supply focus and background--if not unanimity--to everyone interested in government oversight issues.--M.C.

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