No Place to Hide

Edward Snowden, the NSA, and the U.S. Surveillance State

By: Glenn Greenwald

Narrated by: L. J. Ganser

Length: 9 hrs and 49 mins

Publisher's summary

In May 2013, Glenn Greenwald set out for Hong Kong to meet an anonymous source who claimed to have astonishing evidence of pervasive government spying and insisted on communicating only through heavily encrypted channels. That source turned out to be the 29-year-old NSA contractor Edward Snowden, and his revelations about the agency’s widespread, systemic overreach proved to be some of the most explosive and consequential news in recent history, triggering a fierce debate over national security and information privacy. As the arguments rage on and the government considers various proposals for reform, it is clear that we have yet to see the full impact of Snowden’s disclosures.

Now for the first time, Greenwald fits all the pieces together, recounting his high-intensity 10-day trip to Hong Kong, examining the broader implications of the surveillance detailed in his reporting for The Guardian, and revealing fresh information on the NSA’s unprecedented abuse of power with never-before-seen documents entrusted to him by Snowden himself. Going beyond NSA specifics, Greenwald also takes on the establishment media, excoriating their habitual avoidance of adversarial reporting on the government and their failure to serve the interests of the people. Finally, he asks what it means both for individuals and for a nation’s political health when a government pries so invasively into the private lives of its citizens - and considers what safeguards and forms of oversight are necessary to protect democracy in the digital age.

Coming at a landmark moment in American history, No Place to Hide is a fearless, incisive, and essential contribution to our understanding of the U.S. surveillance state.

Download the accompanying reference guide.

©2014 Glenn Greenwald (P)2014 Audible Inc.

True story about a few brave people and a hero .

This is one of the most underrated stories of our time... Edward Snowden - American-Hero!

Good story, overly detailed

I liked learning about Snowden and what led him to do what he did. The section on HKG meetings between Snowden & journalist was interesting, indeed gripping in parts. Regretfully the rest of the book (except for the epilogue) is composed of mind numbing statistics. Here it becomes obvious that the author is more a lawyer than a journalist with his booting & repetitive detail. He repeats statistics to the nth digit. A journalist would get the message across without all the statistics. It's as it he is trying to defend himself in court rather than paint the essence of what Snowden did, why and its impact. A journalist should have written this, not a lawyer. The second half of the book is all mind numbing statistics which best to skip over. One may or may not agree with the content of his epilogue but at least it is a summary of the outcome as he saw it in 2014.

Very eye opening!!

I couldn’t believe all the things I learned were happening and never knew it. Also, I’m glad to hear how things evolved regarding the revelation of this information. Thank you for writing this book!

must read!

Must read. Very focused on a direct account heavy with facts and the narration is good too.

Fantastic and terrifying

Any additional comments?

Well written and compelling, this book sucks you in from the very beginning. Very informative (and terrifying) insights into the NSA and Edward Snowden's story. A great listen!

Utterly shocking

The NSA has clearly run amok. The politicians either fully endorse the programs or are terrified by the repercussions to those who vote down a system supposedly used to stop terrorism if something else were to happen here again...even though the Boston Bombing was not prevented by their omni-surveillance. I doubt it will play a major role in the upcoming presidential election, but I will be voting on this issue.

My take

Like most, I was outraged when Snowden's first documents were released. Outraged. I pretty much trusted the US government prior to Snowden. I enjoyed listening to a first hand account of how this played out.

Thanks to Glen, Laura and Ed. I appreciate your work.

I had no idea

What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?

The most compelling aspect of this story is that it's true. I began this book prejudiced that Snowden was one of those people who is all about the 15 minutes of fame, but I'm now convinced that he was thoughtful and intentional about his patriotism. And I'm convinced that he did it for the right reasons. I didn't realize all the ramifications of what we leaned in those documents, but I know that without people like Snowden, those in power can get away with anything. Listening to the story from the mouth of the journalist who exposed Snowden's information made me realize how hard it is to be a whistleblower.

Good job Mr. Greenwald.

Would you listen to No Place to Hide again? Why?

Yes, to cross reference for further research.

What was one of the most memorable moments of No Place to Hide?

Understanding how Edward Snowden amassed the information and the how he got his access. Can you imagine the reach of those "under corporate cover"? What does the government not influence?

Which scene was your favorite?

The initial meeting.

What’s the most interesting tidbit you’ve picked up from this book?

Edward Snowden's resume.

Any additional comments?

Greenwald is very proud of himself and he probably should be, but at times it is hard to get past. I would like to hear the story from Edward Snowden.

too detailed

It's interesting to hear Glenn Greenwald's perspective, but the story was too diluted with details.