Snowden by Ted Rall

Summary

Edward Snowden, someone who formerly worked for the government, leaked classified information to the public, in an attempt to bring an end to governments that are infringing on the rights of citizens. Snowden, which was written by Ted Rall, is a non-fiction graphic novel talking about Edward Snowden and government political corruption. This short read is quite interesting and goes into, what seems to be great depth, elaborating on the programs that governments use to surveillance individuals, as well as Snowden’s life, and the reactions to Snowden’s leaks. Although the novel seems to intricately explain the situation, it is important to note that the story is not enough to draw a proper opinion. It is imperative to check other sources and see if the information presented is correct and if there is any bias. I would also like to state that all the facts and ideas from this review come from the book, not me.

Review by Yusef Aboukhatwa

Shifting towards the pros and cons, I believe that the novel was decent. I support the choice to pair the information from the novel with illustrations. I also enjoy the structure of the novel, which went from an introduction to the moments before, during, and after Snowden’s leaks. In addition, I liked the writing-style of the book, which was passionate, while maintaining control. On the opposite end of the spectrum, I found that the graphic novel was a little redundant, content-wise. Additionally, I think that the illustrations lacked detail. Overall, there was nothing extremely noteworthy about the story, even though I had known absolutely nothing about the enticing topic. All things considered, I recommend this novel to those who are interested in politics and would give Snowden a 4.5/10, which by my standards, is a respectable rating.