A fascinating window into the inner life of a whistleblower and the psychological turmoil behind a sweeping societal shift.

Publishers Weekly

[A] poignant, prescient, and clarifying posthumous collection of unpublished musings. Three heart-seizing essays about Ellsberg's anguished childhood set the template for his ardent and risky life as a marine, national security analyst, whistleblower, and antinuclear, peace, and environmental activist… Here readers can immerse themselves in the depth and wisdom of his profound concerns about evil, conscience, compassion, and complicity… Knowledgeable and bracing perceptions and truths abound in this treasury of galvanizing insights, convictions, and conundrums.

Booklist

A resonant volume that affirms Ellsberg's rare moral conviction and his unwavering belief in truth as a force for change . . . Personal essays, handwritten notes, and ruminations reveal Ellsberg's moral clarity, intellectual rigor, and prescient warnings about the dangers of unchecked power and collective denial.

Kirkus Reviews

In this extraordinary book, Daniel Ellsberg reveals what others in the know dare not say: we are on the precipice of apocalyptic danger. Like no one else I have known, he candidly reflects on his own life and on the wider human predicament-and fearlessly calls out the 'reckless, evil gamble' that America and other nuclear powers take every day. We encounter here a fascinating story, but more to the point, an inspiring quest to live life with meaning and utter honesty.

Jerry Brown, Former California Governor and current executive chairman of the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists

You will never read a more profound book about obedience and conscience. Ellsberg writes with intimate candor about the deadening-and often deadly-results of undue trust in authority. This book draws you close, sharing the innermost thoughts and visionary wisdom of America's greatest whistleblower.

Norman Solomon, author of War Made Invisible: How America Hides the Human Toll of Its Military Machine

While Daniel Ellsberg is best known for a single, transformative act of civic courage-making public the Pentagon Papers-he also committed his life to anti-nuclear and anti-war activism. In this gripping collection, Ellsberg and the world he so deeply engaged come into sharp focus, highlighting the fascinating human dimension of his life and work.

Christian G. Appy, author of American Reckoning: The Vietnam War and Our National Identity and Director of the Ellsberg Initiative for Peace and Democracy