Discover more about Edward Snowden’s memoir Permanent Record

Macmillan is proud to publish Permanent Record, in which Edward Snowden tells his story for the first time, available now.

Edward Snowden’s memoir, Permanent Record, has been published globally by Macmillan Publishers and is available now. The book tells the story of his time working as a CIA agent and NSA contractor, and the disillusionment he felt with the American intelligence establishment that led him to give up his future to share the truth about the US government’s pursuit of a mass surveillance system. 

In 2013, Edward Snowden, a former CIA agent and NSA contractor, shocked the world when he broke with the American intelligence establishment and revealed that the U.S. government was secretly pursuing the means to collect every phone call, text message, and email ever sent. The result would be an unprecedented system of mass surveillance with the ability to pry into the private lives of every person on earth. In Permanent Record, he tells his story for the very first time, bringing the reader along as he helps to create this system of mass surveillance, and then experiences the crisis of conscience that led him to try to bring it down. 

 

In this video, Edward speaks exclusively to The Guardian about his life in exile, his relationship with his partner and Donald Trump. 



‘Edward Snowden decided at the age of 29 to give up his entire future for the good of his country,’ said John Sargent, CEO of Macmillan Publishers USA. ‘He displayed enormous courage in doing so, and like him or not, his is an incredible American story. There is no doubt that the world is a better and more private place for his actions. Macmillan is enormously proud to publish Permanent Record.’



In the UK, Australia, India, and South Africa the memoir is published by Pan Macmillan; in the United States by Metropolitan Books, an imprint of Henry Holt; and in Germany by S. Fischer Verlag. The book was edited by Metropolitan Books under the leadership of Sara Bershtel, senior vice-president and publisher.




Permanent Record

by Edward Snowden

Book cover for Permanent Record

Edward Snowden, spy, whistleblower and the Internet’s conscience, reveals the story of his life for the first time, from his suburban childhood to clandestine CIA and NSA postings and his decision to try to bring the US government’s system of mass surveillance down. Permanent Record is a crucial memoir for our digital age.