Whistleblowers

Honesty in America from Washington to Trump

By: Allison Stanger

Narrated by: Kate Mulligan

Length: 9 hrs and 42 mins

Publisher's summary

A magisterial exploration of whistleblowing in America, from the Revolutionary War to the Trump era

Misconduct by those in high places is always dangerous to reveal. Whistleblowers thus face conflicting impulses: by challenging and exposing transgressions by the powerful, they perform a vital public service - yet they always suffer for it. This episodic history brings to light how whistleblowing, an important but unrecognized cousin of civil disobedience, has held powerful elites accountable in America.

Analyzing a range of whistleblowing episodes, from the corrupt Revolutionary War commodore Esek Hopkins (whose dismissal led in 1778 to the first whistleblower protection law) to Edward Snowden, to the dishonesty of Donald Trump, Allison Stanger reveals the centrality of whistleblowing to the health of American democracy. She also shows that with changing technology and increasing militarization, the exposure of misconduct has grown more difficult to do and more personally costly for those who do it - yet American freedom, especially today, depends on it.

©2019 Allison Stanger (P)2019 Blackstone Publishing

Excellent until sharp veer to partisan left at end

Most of book is excellent fact based analysis of whistleblowing. But it seemed like someone else, a bias political hack, wrote the last chapter - partisan, opinionated anti-Trump double-talk

Recommended

Very good read, specially the historical rundown of the whistleblower statues in the United States.

Wow!

There is a distinct difference between whistleblower and leaker that I was totally unaware of and changes my opinion about some of the folks discussed in this book! Awesome job!

whistleblowers was highly informative

this book was highly informative I recommended to anyone who has an interest in government operations

Politics is a cancer

The author's politics ruins the book. She cautions the reader that whistle blowing is about exposing corruption not partisanship. She is nothing but partisan through the last part of the book. She loses focus on what she is trying to say. She talks about the whistle blowers then spends the rest of the time raping herself in moral outrage. Is this a history or a political rant. I'm so tired of trolls dressing up as books.

Anti-Trans

During the discussion of Chelsea Manning, the author repeatedly dead names Ms. Manning as well as uses incorrect pronouns. I find these behaviors to be wholly unacceptable. One can disagree with a person without denying their whole humanity.

Her politics are clearly evident in the latter part of the book, that is masked as a history.