Private

July 1, 2012

Pvt. Bradley Manning became famous when he was arrested for sending hundreds of thousands of classified documents, mostly State Department cables, to Wikileaks, which distributed many of them to the news media. This generally sympathetic book depicts Manning as a desperately unhappy soldier, gay in an inhospitable environment, wholly unsuited for military life, and a popular, if fringe, member of the hacker community. Freelance journalist Nicks had access to Manning's extensive chat, email, and other recoverable electronic communications and paints a picture of Manning's journey from rural Oklahoma to military confinement. He also discusses the hacker ethos and community and delves somewhat into the convoluted tale of Julian Assange, Wikileaks founder. Nicks can't bring the book to a satisfactory end since Manning is in military custody to be tried for a variety of crimes. However, Nicks does a good job of providing context and depth to the images pushed by the media, the military, and other interested parties. VERDICT This is more blog-form journalism than a book of long-term value; Nicks capably starts but does not finish, unraveling a surprisingly complex national discussion about freedom of speech, government control, national security, and civil disobedience. [Although Manning was briefly imprisoned at Fort Leavenworth, there was no interaction between him and this reviewer.--Ed.]--Edwin B. Burgess, U.S. Army Combined Arms Research Lib., Fort Leavenworth, KS

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