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The former Anonymous member talks about prison, politics, and art.
Barrett Brown, a well-known activist and former member of the hacker group Anonymous, presented his new book "My Glorious defeats: hacktivist, narcissist, Anonymous" to the world. The work challenges traditional ideas about the genre of autobiography and offers readers a fresh, provocative look at modern reality.
While memoir writers usually strive for the "truth" embodied in the form of unshakable memories and perfectly restored dialogues from childhood, Brown chooses a completely different path. He does not hesitate to paint himself as a self-aware narcissist and drug addict, without trying to hide his shortcomings and contradictions.
The narrative is imbued with undisguised self-love and the author's sharp satirical view of the surrounding reality. At the beginning of the book, Brown declares that he does not accept social norms. He allegedly came to the conclusion as a child:"The society in which I was born is chaotic and insane, and it is necessary to wage a continuous war with it."
The book covers the hacker's turbulent life, including his involvement in the high-profile operations of Anonymous. Brown details the work of this group, which he calls a "mechanism" for drawing attention to little-known social issues. Anonymous targeted the Church of Scientology, Koch Industries, child pornography sites, and Westboro Baptist Church."
Brown pays special attention to his role as a link between hackers and journalists. He describes in detail complex digital attacks, including the hacking of the Stratfor corporation, which was engaged in surveillance of activists on behalf of the government.
The hacker also openly talks about clashes with the FBI: searches at his mother's house, his attempts to get rid of drug addiction before possible arrest, and the ill-considered decision to threaten an FBI agent on the air, which led to his arrest.
Much of the book focuses on Brown's prison experience. The article describes the accusations of the Ministry of Justice, which, according to the author, categorically did not understand the essence of its activities on the Internet. Despite the difficulties, Brown continued to write. While incarcerated, he wrote a column titled "Barrett Brown's Review of Art, Literature, and Prison," for which he later won a National Journalism Award.
Brown's style has been compared to that of Thomas De Quincey. His ornate, almost musical phrases teeter on the edge between absurdity and profundity. The author does not spare either himself or the state, which he considers "a set of absurd horrors, so absurd that they no longer cause fear, but only bewilderment."
In the book, Brown also touches on complex political topics, such as the election of Donald Trump as president and his relationship with Julian Assange. He is disillusioned with some former associates and describes burning his National Journalism Award certificate to protest the closure of the Snowden Archive.
"My Glorious Defeats" is an unconventional look at the life of a modern activist. Brown refuses to turn a blind eye to the hidden mechanisms of the world order, even if it puts him in a precarious position from which there is no way out.
Despite sometimes excessive narcissism, the book is recognized as a sincere and truthful work. It offers a unique perspective on the challenges of the military-industrial complex in the post-9/11 era and raises questions about the role of activists like Brown in modern society.
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Barrett Brown, a well-known activist and former member of the hacker group Anonymous, presented his new book "My Glorious defeats: hacktivist, narcissist, Anonymous" to the world. The work challenges traditional ideas about the genre of autobiography and offers readers a fresh, provocative look at modern reality.
While memoir writers usually strive for the "truth" embodied in the form of unshakable memories and perfectly restored dialogues from childhood, Brown chooses a completely different path. He does not hesitate to paint himself as a self-aware narcissist and drug addict, without trying to hide his shortcomings and contradictions.
The narrative is imbued with undisguised self-love and the author's sharp satirical view of the surrounding reality. At the beginning of the book, Brown declares that he does not accept social norms. He allegedly came to the conclusion as a child:"The society in which I was born is chaotic and insane, and it is necessary to wage a continuous war with it."
The book covers the hacker's turbulent life, including his involvement in the high-profile operations of Anonymous. Brown details the work of this group, which he calls a "mechanism" for drawing attention to little-known social issues. Anonymous targeted the Church of Scientology, Koch Industries, child pornography sites, and Westboro Baptist Church."
Brown pays special attention to his role as a link between hackers and journalists. He describes in detail complex digital attacks, including the hacking of the Stratfor corporation, which was engaged in surveillance of activists on behalf of the government.
The hacker also openly talks about clashes with the FBI: searches at his mother's house, his attempts to get rid of drug addiction before possible arrest, and the ill-considered decision to threaten an FBI agent on the air, which led to his arrest.
Much of the book focuses on Brown's prison experience. The article describes the accusations of the Ministry of Justice, which, according to the author, categorically did not understand the essence of its activities on the Internet. Despite the difficulties, Brown continued to write. While incarcerated, he wrote a column titled "Barrett Brown's Review of Art, Literature, and Prison," for which he later won a National Journalism Award.
Brown's style has been compared to that of Thomas De Quincey. His ornate, almost musical phrases teeter on the edge between absurdity and profundity. The author does not spare either himself or the state, which he considers "a set of absurd horrors, so absurd that they no longer cause fear, but only bewilderment."
In the book, Brown also touches on complex political topics, such as the election of Donald Trump as president and his relationship with Julian Assange. He is disillusioned with some former associates and describes burning his National Journalism Award certificate to protest the closure of the Snowden Archive.
"My Glorious Defeats" is an unconventional look at the life of a modern activist. Brown refuses to turn a blind eye to the hidden mechanisms of the world order, even if it puts him in a precarious position from which there is no way out.
Despite sometimes excessive narcissism, the book is recognized as a sincere and truthful work. It offers a unique perspective on the challenges of the military-industrial complex in the post-9/11 era and raises questions about the role of activists like Brown in modern society.
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