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Listening to him in talks and conferences is one thing and this book is another. When he discloses the inner monologue that leads him to one decision or the other, it reveals him as someone who's more human and empathetic than his hard shell can lead us to believe.

The memoir has both the long life and career path that justified his actions, as well as fun-ish escapades and experiences from working inside the intelligence industry.

He ends it with a recap and call for more activism and action towards an internet that respects its user's rights.

I was interested in this book because I never read in sufficient depth the perspective of the Jews native to the Middle East about what happened in the second half of the 1900s. Why did all these countries suddenly lose their millennia-long Jewish presence when modern Israel was created?

The book did not answer these questions completely, but it did shed some light on some drivers of that change in the city of Baghdad. It is a memoir after all, and it focused a lot on the personal experience of the author.

I would highlight about this book that it never tried to propagandize, rather sticking to personal lived experience and historical facts, making it a relaxing, easy read.

You get exactly what is advertised by the title: a blazing fast recount of the history of Germany from around the Roman march to the north. I am by no means an expert on this topic, so any biases or errors were missed on my part. I recommend it if you want a generalist view on the history, or to get a feeling of the ethos of the modern state.

It jumps back and forth between 2 consecutive timelines with a protagonist for each. I felt that it became more captivating halfway through. Would recommend to anyone interested in immigrant perspectives, although this is not specifically the focus here.