Hacker, Hoaxer, Whistleblower, Spy

The Many Faces of Anonymous

By: Gabriella Coleman

Narrated by: Tavia Gilbert

Here is the ultimate book on the worldwide movement of hackers, pranksters, and activists that operates under the non-name Anonymous, by the writer the Huffington Post says "knows all of [Anonymous's] deepest, darkest secrets."

Half a dozen years ago, anthropologist Gabriella Coleman set out to study the rise of this global phenomenon just as some of its members were turning to political protest and dangerous disruption. She ended up becoming so closely connected to Anonymous that the tricky story of her inside-outside status as Anon confidante, interpreter, and erstwhile mouthpiece forms one of the themes of this witty and entirely engrossing book. The narrative brims with details unearthed from within a notoriously mysterious subculture, whose semi-legendary tricksters - such as Topiary, tflow, Anachaos, and Sabu - emerge as complex, diverse, politically and culturally sophisticated people. Propelled by years of chats and encounters with a multitude of hackers, Hacker, Hoaxer, Whistleblower, Spy is filled with insights into the meaning of digital activism and little-understood facets of culture in the Internet age.

©2014 Gabriella Coleman (P)2017 Tantor

Critic reviews

"A consistently fascinating ethnography...An intensive, potent profile of contemporary digital activism at its most unsettling - and most effective." ( Kirkus)

Informative and interesting

This book examines Anonymous through an anthropological lens. Fascinating and in-depth. Energetic narrator is easy to listen to.

NPR meets 50 Shades "of Anonymous"

The narration spoiled it. The only thing missing were crunchy footsteps and acoustic guitar fillers.

Pound? Hashtag? Hiring the wrong narrator?

The book is good. The narrator's voice is pleasant. This is NOT a good book for this narrator, though. Has she ever been on the internet? I'm having a hard time finishing this because she's completely clueless!

Some old and new info on Anonymous

I got through half the book before I got new information on this subject. A lot of it has already been depicted in the movie (mentioned also in this book) "We are Legion". It was nice to have that reference to look back on when listening to the details of what transpired in the early days of Anonymous. I highly suggest that the prospective listener samples the audio performance before committing to this audiobook. The narrator has received a lot of bad reviews on her previous performances. I didn't mind her too much, but was ready for the novel to be over with. The author is sympathetic to the cause to a certain extent, so if you do not want to hear this group being accolated then steer away. This book though new on audible, is an older book. Otherwise it was very interesting. I'm glad I spent the credit but could see how others may not be too thrilled.

A worthwhile listen.

It is a good overview of Anonymous and hacker culture. It draws some interesting conclusions about the the topic, but at times gets bogged down in details of particular events and conversations that make the story drag.