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Julian Assange - The Unauthorised Autobiography
In December 2010, Julian Assange signed a contract with Canongate Books to write a book - part memoir, part manifesto - for publication the following year. At the time, Julian said: 'I hope this book will become one of the unifying documents of our generation. In this highly personal work, I explain our global struggle to force a new relationship between the people and the
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Hardcover
,
339 pages
Published
September 1st 2011
by Canongate Books
(first published 2011)
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Community Reviews
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Aug 13, 2015
Antonomasia
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
biography-and-memoir
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ebooks-kindle
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technology
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decade-2010s
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anz
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politics
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2015-tsundoku-read
Reads like the first draft it is, one based on interview transcripts. And given Assange's disowning the project in 2011, and ghost writer Andrew O'Hagan's
LRB
public stress-venting exercise/hatchet job in 2014, it's far from clear whether these 14 chapters of 'unauthorised autobiography' - that would have been a joke title from almost anyone else - represent Assange as he intended prior to abandoning the memoir.
NB. Paragraph 7 is about the Swedish sex offence charges. I've also put these /// at ...more
NB. Paragraph 7 is about the Swedish sex offence charges. I've also put these /// at ...more
view all 5 comments
Every person in this world is capable enough to leave his mark on this world. What kind of mark to be left is to be decided by the person himself. Many people don't decide so they leave a mark which no one notices. Few decide, and leave a strong mark, which will be noticed by many. But there are few who are so clear on what to do with their life and follow their gut feeling and are so truthful, that the mark they leave is noticed by everyone. And it will change the very life of each and every on
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Aug 12, 2012
James
added it
A Thousand Plateaus
is required reading for Assange fans and enemies, as well as those who don't give a fig but carry a Master or Visa card or just have a particular bent for Continental theory.
According to Deleuze and Guattari Western thought is dominated by a structure of knowledge they call aboresence. This way of knowing is tree-like, vertical, and centralized. For instance, in biology, we have Linnean taxonomies. In chemistry, we have Porphyrian trees. In linguistics we have Chomskyan se ...more
According to Deleuze and Guattari Western thought is dominated by a structure of knowledge they call aboresence. This way of knowing is tree-like, vertical, and centralized. For instance, in biology, we have Linnean taxonomies. In chemistry, we have Porphyrian trees. In linguistics we have Chomskyan se ...more
Personally, this is one of the few books which will influence me for life. My sense of justice, freedom and human values perceptibly shifted as I went through this first person narrative. What makes it appealing in spite of some technical jargon and predictably self justifying statements of a person in distress is Julian Assange's intent of using his amazing ability with technology to attempt to make the truth known to humanity. The truth as it is and not the truth churned out by a conventional
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This book deserves to sell far more than the few copies it has reportedly sold. The publisher has probably done the book a disservice by calling it "The Unauthorised..." It does end pretty abruptly and has been conspicuously fleshed out with a few excerpts from WikiLeaks' leaks. Assange's story is vivid and deserves to be read if only to give his side to a story that many others have cashed in on, smearing him in the process.
Here are a few stand-out quotes:
Big Brother is home. He is installed in ...more
Here are a few stand-out quotes:
Big Brother is home. He is installed in ...more
anyone with even a passing interest in Julian Assange should read this book. For the record it is ghost written and basically a first draft of an autobiography that he pulled the plug on. personally I found it quite a good read. Yes it could be construed as propaganda on his behalf, but with entire governments and traditional media outlets portraying him as a traitor and sexual deviant, how else can he tell his side of the story?
We just got this into the store on Tuesday, and taking a look at it, I was pretty excited to read it, and to get a long inside account of Wikileaks. I wasn't aware, however, of all the controversy over its publication. The note from the publisher in the beginning of the book suggests it, but still seems misleading, having also read this:
http://wikileaks.org/Julian-Assange-S...
Still, it was a compelling read, and great to have the Wikileaks story all in one place, told (even if this telling is co ...more
http://wikileaks.org/Julian-Assange-S...
Still, it was a compelling read, and great to have the Wikileaks story all in one place, told (even if this telling is co ...more
A compulsory read for an understanding of this fascinating character. Is it ego or altruism that drives Assange? It is a fast, interesting read and certainly shines a bright light in the face of governments who do not like to be questioned - and shouldn't we all be questioning our governments?
This man is fascinating--he's the most super-intelligent car-wreck ever. And Andrew O'Hagen has done a great job.
Where to even begin unravelling, what is (when all of the giddy media propaganda is paint-strippered away), in reality, a simple tale of infamy and incongruity. Julian Assange has become, perhaps by his own actions, perhaps not, a somewhat disassociated caricature of himself. The question here however is just what the truth is in age of government and media sponsored lies, fabrications, falsifications, hypocritical justifications and condemnations? Can anyone place any credence on a book that ar
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I know there are people out there who complain about this book, claim that it's not entirely based on truth. And yeah, it was written by a host writer, there's no denying that.
However, that doesn't mean that the book is bad. The book is actually a compelling read. It's well written and it sheds light on a story which for some would be truly inspiring. It focuses on the story of WikiLeaks, and the backlash that Assange received, not on his family life. Perhaps the family life would have been of b ...more
However, that doesn't mean that the book is bad. The book is actually a compelling read. It's well written and it sheds light on a story which for some would be truly inspiring. It focuses on the story of WikiLeaks, and the backlash that Assange received, not on his family life. Perhaps the family life would have been of b ...more
This is not a book I would normally read- I tend to stay clear of autobiographies as they often end up being either dull, narcissistic or poorly written, or all of the above. This started out like that but got better towards then end, when we get to the parts about Wikileaks starting up & links with The Guardian and other global media groups. Since he presents himself & his band of 'vigilantes' as altruistic truth-finders we are left asking if we can trust them & him to really find t
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For the sheer courage and singlemindedness, this author deserves five stars. The quality and style of writing is impeccable at the same time inimitable. The extreme levels one needs to go to in order to achieve one's goal of exposing the truth is simply breathtaking. Go for it.
After reading some of the comments I can understand, absolutely, why
a) The world is in the state that it is (i.e. corrupt governmental information is made public and no one bats an eyelid because Kim Kardashian's new bikini spill is more important), and
b) There's so much hate speech on YouTube.
No matter what you may think of Julian Assange, his personality, his motives, the ghostwriter's style, or whatever little detail takes more precedence, for you, than citizen empowerment, the fact of the m ...more
a) The world is in the state that it is (i.e. corrupt governmental information is made public and no one bats an eyelid because Kim Kardashian's new bikini spill is more important), and
b) There's so much hate speech on YouTube.
No matter what you may think of Julian Assange, his personality, his motives, the ghostwriter's style, or whatever little detail takes more precedence, for you, than citizen empowerment, the fact of the m ...more
A great book to get insight on the history and vision behind wikileaks and Assanges' life.
I recommend to read this book to get a better understanding what information technology, internet and privacy will mean to politics, peace, wars and the freedom of speech in the 21st century.
Assange is clearly is on the right side of history and deserves respect.
I recommend to read this book to get a better understanding what information technology, internet and privacy will mean to politics, peace, wars and the freedom of speech in the 21st century.
Assange is clearly is on the right side of history and deserves respect.
Interesting book, although the writing style of the author is rather boring. It's actually only worth reading from chapter 8 onwards (the birth of Wikileaks).
Julian Assange is one the most interesting people of this decade. He has been described as a maverick,a man constantly in pursuit of justice, a journalist fighting for liberty and against government censorship and oppression, a rapist and also a terrorist. To read about his own journey in his own words is a delight. The autobiography is detailed, descriptive of the environment he grew in and focused on his work for liberty. There few phrases on every page which simply stand out and are exception
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A hero of modern Times. We just don't realize it yet.
Não tenho a certeza se o Universo está consciente da nossa existência, mas a maior parte das vezes a sensação que tenho é que nos pôs de castigo contra a parede enquanto deixou a sopa ao lume. E isto deve ter acontecido mesmo no início, logo depois de se ter tornado claro que só vínhamos cá perturbar um equilíbrio natural por si só difícil de manter.
Assim, quando o sentido de justiça universal do Universo é arbitrário, cabe-nos a nós definir os alicerces daquilo que pode ou não ser considerado ...more
Assim, quando o sentido de justiça universal do Universo é arbitrário, cabe-nos a nós definir os alicerces daquilo que pode ou não ser considerado ...more
This is a good read, showing us how this extraordinary man and body of works, is the sum of the upbringing and interests and choices made throughout his life and before it began.
The publishers state at the outset that the author spoke with a ghost author and made tapes for many hours, before deciding as the book was being prepared, with hefty pre-sales and with his advance cheque paid over by him to his lawyers, that he'd rather not publish an autobiography. That would seem rather late in the d ...more
The publishers state at the outset that the author spoke with a ghost author and made tapes for many hours, before deciding as the book was being prepared, with hefty pre-sales and with his advance cheque paid over by him to his lawyers, that he'd rather not publish an autobiography. That would seem rather late in the d ...more
I find the topic of Julian & Wiki Leaks very interesting yet I also don't know exactly how I feel about the information becoming public. To a degree I do believe our Government needs to keep done issues quiet and not known for the basic person or the World to learn about. That said, I do believe that most of our Government is corrupt or Senators etc each have their own agendas and what is it that we can rely on and what can't we believe.
I wish this book had given a bit more insight into Jul ...more
I wish this book had given a bit more insight into Jul ...more
This is the "unathorized" autobiography of Julian. It's not that hard to see what's not written by him and what was, but it's mostly him, although edited badly (he would've definitely do a better job).
There's some good information on his early years, which definitely shaped him into what he is today. There's also a lot of information on the ideas of wikileaks, on the basic ideas and reasons for starting the organization. Most of the leaks themselves have been covered enough everywhere, so this i ...more
There's some good information on his early years, which definitely shaped him into what he is today. There's also a lot of information on the ideas of wikileaks, on the basic ideas and reasons for starting the organization. Most of the leaks themselves have been covered enough everywhere, so this i ...more
Julian Assange is a new kind of journalist, one whose aim is to liberate information - to give us the raw tools to understand the world we live in. The book is intended as a manifesto, but it is a too sloppy for that. It starts with a rather crude outline of his childhood - drawn in broad strokes and offering little to enlighten you about what was to come later.
But once Assange gets into his stride, discussing the technology that inspired him, the ideals that drove him, and the way that Wikilea ...more
But once Assange gets into his stride, discussing the technology that inspired him, the ideals that drove him, and the way that Wikilea ...more
How did one person bring down entire governments to their knees? How does that person think? What motivates them to have such unshakeable conviction for their beliefs, that they take up incredible risks?
This book explains Mr.Assange's life and his philosophy of thought.
Absolutely fascinating.
This book explains Mr.Assange's life and his philosophy of thought.
Absolutely fascinating.
Haven't finished this one yet. After I've done that, I really need the HHGG to release some angry feelings which I get while reading this autobiography. Still it's a fascinating story!
31/1/2012: Finished. I'm a bit disappointed of the writer's style: boring and as if Assange's being a narcist (which I don't think so). I do understand why Assange didn't authorised this biography. But: it is still interesting to read how Assange started with hacking to gather the information which he'd placed on W ...more
31/1/2012: Finished. I'm a bit disappointed of the writer's style: boring and as if Assange's being a narcist (which I don't think so). I do understand why Assange didn't authorised this biography. But: it is still interesting to read how Assange started with hacking to gather the information which he'd placed on W ...more
Feb 10, 2015
Avtar Singh
added it
How we can save privacy of the people and expose hypocrisy of the state. Great experiences.
Gives insights into what made Julian & Wiki.An insightful read
At times fun and exciting (especially the last couple of chapters) but most of the time overly ambitious and bordering on narcissistic. Having read the whole book, I feel like I have not gained too much more knowledge about Julian Assange himself. Many of the important things were vague while trifling topics were extensive. The fact that Assange himself backed away from the book somehow shines through and it feel somewhat rushed and incomplete. A decent read at best, and sleep-inducing at worst.
Quitando todo el adorno que uno pone al hablar de si mismo, lo valioso que encuentro es que sabiendo cómo fue su formación entiendes su personalidad. Claro, todo lo que vemos a la distancia.
La parte que más me interesó fue la referente a la organización de Wikileaks y cómo se dio la relación con los medios que publicaron los cables filtrados.
Como no lo terminó, pues le faltan detalles y me hubiera gustado que ampliara más lo relacionado a Bradley Manning.
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Julian Paul Assange is an Australian publisher, journalist, software developer and Internet activist. He is the founder, spokesperson, and editor in chief of WikiLeaks, a whistleblower website and conduit for worldwide news leaks, with the stated purpose of creating open governments. Assange has worked as a computer programmer and was a hacker during his youth. He has lived in several countries, a
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More about Julian Assange...
“Where they couldn't pick holes in our arguments they would drive horses and carriages through my character.”
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“Reality is an aspect of property. It must be seized. And investigative journalism is the noble art of seizing reality back from the powerful.”
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