Permanent Record cover art

Permanent Record

A Memoir of a Reluctant Whistleblower

Preview

Try Premium Plus free
1 credit a month to buy any audiobook in our entire collection.
Access to thousands of additional audiobooks and Originals from the Plus Catalogue.
Member-only deals & discounts.
Auto-renews at $16.45/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Permanent Record

By: Edward Snowden
Narrated by: Holter Graham
Try Premium Plus free

$16.45 per month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $18.99

Buy Now for $18.99

Confirm Purchase
Pay using voucher balance (if applicable) then card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions Of Use and Privacy Notice and authorise Audible to charge your designated credit card or another available credit card on file.
Cancel

About this listen

THE SUNDAY TIMES TOP TEN BESTSELLER

Edward Snowden, the man who risked everything to expose the US government’s system of mass surveillance, reveals for the first time the story of his life, including how he helped to build that system and what motivated him to try to bring it down.

In 2013, twenty-nine-year-old Edward Snowden shocked the world when he broke with the American intelligence establishment and revealed that the United States government was secretly pursuing the means to collect every single phone call, text message, and email. The result would be an unprecedented system of mass surveillance with the ability to pry into the private lives of every person on earth. Six years later, Snowden reveals for the very first time how he helped to build this system and why he was moved to expose it.

Spanning the bucolic Beltway suburbs of his childhood and the clandestine CIA and NSA postings of his adulthood, Permanent Record is the extraordinary account of a bright young man who grew up online – a man who became a spy, a whistleblower, and, in exile, the Internet’s conscience. Written with wit, grace, passion, and an unflinching candor, Permanent Record is a crucial memoir of our digital age and destined to be a classic.

©Edward Snowden 2019 (P)2019 Macmillan Audio
Activists Politicians Social Sciences Espionage Surveillance Thought-Provoking Inspiring United States Hacking Computer Security

What listeners say about Permanent Record

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    755
  • 4 Stars
    108
  • 3 Stars
    17
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    4
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    676
  • 4 Stars
    78
  • 3 Stars
    19
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    2
Story
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    675
  • 4 Stars
    73
  • 3 Stars
    21
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    4

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A must for all

Snowden is a hero and we all owe him for the sacrifice he made in exposing the most significant threat to our privacy.

A thoroughly worthwhile listen read by an excellent reader and well written by Snowden. Himself.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great companion to Chelsea Manning’s readme.txt

I listened to Snowden’s story shortly after reading Chelsea Manning’s autobiographical readme.txt. The parallels are striking and the differences even more so. Despite Manning being subject to the military, rather than civil, judiciary, it is clear than Snowden’s actions would have resulted in a human rights catastrophe had the US ensnared or renditioned him. An enlightening read/listen.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great book

Brilliant book brilliant insight, he is what the world needed plus it was nice to be able to relate to blowing into a Nintendo cartridge to get it working back in the day, keep fighting the good fight mate

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Fantastic look into the life and events

Fantastic look into the life and events of Edward Snowdens' whistleblowing fiasco. After his early life the book really picks up and intrigues you as he talks about the events that led to his exile.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

fantastic book

loved the book, it had great personal insight into Edward Snowden and his true motive.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Real Hero!

Enjoyed this book incredibly. Highly recommended. The details and the realism of the book was compelling.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Enjoyable and disturbing

Hats off to Edward Snowden, a wake up call to all who think the the West is not involved in Big Brother surveillance of its citizens

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Thank you for your courage!

Great explanation of the world we live in. Thank you Mr Snowden for your courage

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great Book, Amazing Story

Ed is truly a hero. This is such a great book and I can not recommend it enough.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

awakening!!

This book will change your perception of things you overlook without hesitation in your daily life.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.