We Are Anonymous

Inside the Hacker World of LulzSec, Anonymous, and the Global Cyber Insurgency

By: Parmy Olson

Narrated by: Abby Craden

Length: 14 hrs and 16 mins

Publisher's summary

We Are Anonymous is a thrilling, exclusive expose of the hacker collectives Anonymous and LulzSec.

In late 2010, thousands of hacktivists joined a mass digital assault by Anonymous on the websites of VISA, MasterCard, and PayPal to protest their treatment of WikiLeaks. Splinter groups then infiltrated the networks of totalitarian governments in Libya and Tunisia, and an elite team of six people calling themselves LulzSec attacked the FBI, CIA, and Sony. They were flippant and taunting, grabbed headlines, and amassed more than a quarter of a million Twitter followers. The computer security world - and world at large - realized quickly that Anonymous and its splinter groups are something to treat with dead seriousness.

Through the stories of three key members, We Are Anonymous offers a gripping, adrenaline-fueled narrative in the style of The Accidental Billionaires, drawing upon hundreds of conversations with the members themselves, including exclusive interviews. By coming to know them - their childhoods, families, and personal demons - we come to know the human side of their virtual exploits, and why they're so passionate about disrupting the Internet's frontiers.

©2012 Parmy Olson (P)2012 Hacette Audio

Reads like fiction, tastes like chicken

Couldn't put it down. The story reads like a fiction novel. Be prepared for a narrator, trying to imitate accents and failing. Enjoyed it regardless.

A true, front row seat on something historic

If it were fiction, nobody would believe it. What an amazing story, flawlessly told, about a period that will be prominently featured when the history of the internet is finally written.

I had to continually remind myself that the author wasn't a participant in this story, because it's told with such compelling vividness it's hard to imagine the facts being gathered any other way.

If you took any interest in the devastation wrought by LulzSec and Anonymous, you will find this book very difficult to put down.

My only criticism deals with the (otherwise exceptionally good) narrator's insistence on attempting the accents of the players in this story. That sort of thing always bugs me. But not enough to keep me from giving the work five stars and emphatically recommending it.

Overly long with overacting

The story could have been condensed to about half the length. Lots of filler dialog that doesn't add to the narrative. The reading was focused on too much voice acting which distracts from the story.

Much ado about very little

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Abby Craden?

Anyone who didn't try to use ridiculous accents. The character who is supposed to be Scottish got a Liverpool accent. The guy from the Lower East side of Manhattan (of Puerto Rican heritage) got a strange mix of Eastern European and Latin accents. It was painful to listen to.

Any additional comments?

I was interested in reading about Anonymous because it's a subject that we need to understand in the modern, internet dependent world. What I realized early on is that the majority of these "cyber hacks" (I won't glorify them by calling them "terrorists") are a bunch of anti-socials with physical defects that force them to spend the majority of their time in their rooms with their computers because they can't "make it" out in society. Anonymous and movements like theirs are literally culminated in online chat rooms. I was sort of hoping to find that they were a group of geniuses who had honorable goals, and used their technical knowledge to change the world. But alas, they are no more than ultra geeks with nothing better to do, and are looking for some kicks in between playing online video games.

died off at the end. but overall fantastic read

G R E A T READ ON THE SUBJECT AND HOW IT CAN ALTER YOUR STATE OF MIND.

Interesting...

I wonder how much of this is actually true when it comes to the little teeny tiny details...but a good read nonetheless!

Not So Anonymous...

If you think you understand Anonymous because you watched 20/20 or Fox News, you should listen to this book. Parmy Olson does a great job introducing us to the mindset behind Anonymous and explaining how the press, law enforcement and the government don't understand the concept. You will be taken on a tour of the individuals who made governments shake their heads and corporations foam at the mouth. You'll find yourself wondering "why" at times and at others you'll be shaking your head in agreement.

I would highly recommend this audio book. Abby Craden does a wonderful job with the narration although I found it amusing at times as most of the quotes she reads require her to imitate mail voices. All and all, I found the narration smooth and enjoyable.

Great book! Great story

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes! It's a great look into the darker sides of the cyber World. Great story! Great perforamce by Abby Craden

Masterfull performace by Abby

Would you listen to We Are Anonymous again? Why?

it was very informative, detailed, perfectly performance. it made me sad to finish it.

What other book might you compare We Are Anonymous to and why?

Ghost in the Wires, another one rich in relevant information and masterfully performed.

Which character – as performed by Abby Craden – was your favorite?

Sabu, K and Topiary

If you could give We Are Anonymous a new subtitle, what would it be?

The ways of the new activists

An important and educational story, well-told

If you are like me, you followed the story of Anonymous in the popular press. If so, you know about 10% of the story, most of which is completely wrong. This book tells the story of an important, emerging phenomenon that will shape our society for good or ill for many years to come. The book is well-researched and the story well-told. It is interesting and occasionally compelling. While the notion of a narrator reading chat-logs from the inner sanctum of Anonymous sounds boring, it is not. The author tells the broader story of the Anons who organized the most famous "operations" or attacks / hacks on Paypal, Scientology, HB Gary etc. The narrator brings the characters to life reasonably well, although the narration is occasionally marred by mispronunciations ("kern" for "CERN"). Oh, and also, this book will scare the stuffing out of you. If you think anything on your computer is private any longer, you couldn't be more wrong. Ironically, the "leaders" of Anonymous made that same mistaken assumption--a fact that drives the narrative to its conclusion.