This feels like ages ago, given how much the world has changed in the last couple of years. Names and history make this an interesting reference, but it's easy to skim through, as many of the bigger questions are mentioned but not fully engaged with. It's a good use of the comic format, combining the blunt text with illustrations that give more idea of the feelings and motivations of those involved.

Received a digital ARC of this book via NetGalley.

This was a good introduction into the inception of the Anonymous group. I’ve been wondering about the Guy Fawkes masks. This definitely makes me want to do more research into the group and hacktivism.

I wasn't too sure what to expect of this book. I will say the history and intrigue that surrounds Anonymous drew me to this book and I still find it fascinating. With that being said I am not the biggest fan of graphic novels so I should have known better. Don't get me wrong the illustrations were detailed (super talented) and the story is intriguing its just not for me.

It felt like someone took the Wikipedia page for the Anonymous organization and just added pictures. Due to the niche nature of the book, I may still buy it for my library but it could have been better.

This is a very interesting insightful look into the world of hackers. It outlines the history of A for Anonymous well for those that are not aware of how they started and how they operate. .I enjoyed the graphic novel format and the flow was fast paced and fun to read .Well done to the author. I enjoyed finding out about the underground sub culture that affects so much of our daily life today.

5 stars for a well done format with excellent historical information on Anonymous and their many activities.

Thank you to the publisher and to Net Galley for the opportunity. My review opinion is my own..

A for Anonymous: How a Mysterious Hacker Collective Transformed the World is a new graphic novel by David Kushner. If you're not familiar with Anonymous, this book provides a really interesting discussion of what the hacker collective is and its origins. For obvious reasons, the book is really based primarily on publicly sourced materials and not in-depth knowledge from within the organization, which admittedly would be almost impossible.

If you're interested in hacking culture or just interested in what Anonymous is and their aims are, then I would strongly recommend reading this book. It's a quick read, so it doesn't take too much time to get a really interesting overview.

Furthermore, I appreciated the graphic novel approach to explaining Anonymous. There are other books that go into a lot more detail about Anonymous, but I think this one is great for those who just want a really fast introduction and like graphic novels.

I had a lot of fun reading this graphic novel. I will admit I wasn’t sure what to expect at first. As this story moved along, I was fascinated by all of it. This group may have seemed radical to some, but all they wanted to do was bring the truth out to the public. Along the way, they faced some dire consequences. If you are looking to learn about this group then you might want to check this graphic novel out.

This book had a great format and story telling experience. It's exactly the kind of book we look for to support students who struggle with reading or dislike it. This will be a great addition to classroom libraries.

I wasn't quite sure if this would be something I'd judge or be actually interested in, but it has a sort of charming quality to it. Graphic novels are something that it can be difficult to convey a ton of information, but this doesn't feel lacking by any stretch. It definitely feels closer to "article" than book, you could convey the same amount of information in a two page spread of a magazine if you so desired, but that doesn't take away from the quality.

The art doesn't detract from the message, which is what I quite enjoy. It's clean, and does the job nicely. I'm not sure how accurate it is to depicting the people who it's supposed to be, but in something like this I don't think that's the most important part of it all. It's about the essence of the thing, rather than the accuracy, and that's what the art is there to convey.

This is one that I don't know if I'd recommend it lightly, but I will be recommending it to people. It's one of those things that you're really only going to be interested if you like or know of the topic, and that's really unfortunate because it's a very good outline of how the movement began.

David Kushner explains hactivist group "A" in this graphic novel. The format lends itself to capturing the scope of what "A" is trying to do with their activism and the real-world changes they are trying to create outside of an online platform.
This book is perfect for anyone doing research on such groups or wonders if they can have an impact on reality. As someone who knew next to nothing about the various campaigns which took down corrupt leaders, shed light on injustice, and highlighted the need for oversight on some of the world's richest leaders, this book was a great primer and led me to research something a variable internet noob such as myself would never normally know.

Interesting book on the hacktivist "group" Anonymous. A bit overly methodical in parts, but if you're looking for an introduction to the group and simple graphic novel format, this book is an excellent start.

Follows interview arc with Commander X, one of the central figures in Anonymous, as well as the evolution of the group. Includes background and coverage of Anonymous's greatest hits - including its confrontations with the Church of Scientology; Sony; Stuebenville, Ohio; and Ferguson, MO.

Anonymous has always been interesting for the extremely decentralized nature of the "group". Anyone can be Anonymous, and Anonymous can be anywhere. But leaderless resistance is, by nature, uncontrollable. And it is interesting that the book addresses some of Anonymous's misses as well.

**I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**

A for Anonymous is written in a biography like way given the history of the group Anonymous from the beginning up to now. In a very enlightening graphic style the reader is taken on a journey through the headlines of the last decade as it relates to Anonymous. Even having lived through all of the portrayed events I learned parts of the story that the news had never divulged. A great read with amazing artwork to keep the reader engaged.

Thank you Netgalley as well as the publisher for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book delves into the world of the group Anonymous. So I was extremely interested, I wanted to learn more about this hacktivist group. This book was very informative, however, the format was a bit hard to follow so I am pretty sure I missed some important parts. This is definitely an interesting book though and kept me entertained throughout the short story. I definitely want to learn even more about them and how they work.

Ever since the movie “V for Vendetta” came out, I have been slightly obsessed with the entire idea of “V’ and the freedom fight regime. Something about a group that fights for justice, vigilantes for the truth, and wearing the masks that always mean they are fighting for the underdog, has interested me.

I loved reading a more detailed scope of these anarchists, and the reasons their group has targeted the rich, and fought for the poor. The politics are enthralling, and the illustrations are amazing. This will be one I get in print to put on my shelf.

Thank you netgalley for providing me with a copy for my humble and honest review.

This was a pretty fun read. It details the the origins of Anonymous and their major actions throughout the last several years. Yes, this information can be looked it up on the internet, but this format is a far more interesting way to read about it. The artwork is also extremely enjoyable, it is simple and very clean lined but it really makes an impact and helps deliver the major points of the story. If you like graphic novels/comics and are interested in the origins of the group Anonymous, I definitely recommend this book. 3.5 Stars

From the Cult of the Dead Cow’s hacktivist attacks against The Church of Scientology to Ricardo Dominguez’ Floodnet to 4chan and more, A for Anonymous chronicles the early days of Anonymous and follows its actions, internal disagreements, and legal involvement to the present day. While the interview-style delivery detracts from the main efforts of the book and the placement/use of text and speech bubbles are sometimes problematic, the book as a whole works to convey the idea and purpose of Anonymous and its role in many important international events.

Content advisory: strong profanity.

This graphic novel is very choppy, not sure if it was the digital file, or if that is intentional.
While not overly informative, this is a a fast and enjoyable (enough) read.

The illustrations are the best part, the Guy Fawkes masks on people at the grocery store, or in coffee shops was a great representation that 'Anonymous' is everywhere.

Authors: David Kushner, Koren Shadmi (illustrator)
Year: 2020
ISBN: 978-1-56858-877-3 (e-book)
Publisher: Hatchette Book Group
Goodreads Rating: 5/5
Content Warnings: Rape, Pedophilia, racism (Mentioned)
Purchased or Received Copy: Received copy from Netgalley
Photo: Warren Wong

A For Anonymous follows the actions of Anonymous, a group of “hacktivists”. David Kushner, the author and a character in the story, interviews a hacker known only as “Commander X”. Kushner tells X’s story while following the history of Anonymous. From an abandoned slaughterhouse in Lubbock, Texas to the streets of Ferguson, Missouri to Libya, Morocco, or Egypt, X describes the actions of Anonymous, or anon.

Kushner sets up what seems like a biography of a member of anon, but rather X is something of a mouthpiece so that we get a more authentic perspective. I like it, and there’s just enough information about X to let us sympathize with him without distracting from anon itself. The shifting back and forth between the group and the individual works well, so it isn’t jarring.

While I enjoyed Kushner’s writing, my strongest praise is for Koren Shadmi’s illustrations. It’s difficult to make concrete something as abstract as the internet, but I enjoyed how A For Anonymous handled the subject. Online anonymous discussions become an almost matrix-like space. The Guy Fawkes mask associated with Anonymous remains on, denoting both main characters and background extras who identify with the group. Shadmi personifies concepts like 4chan, an anonymous imageboard as a swamp creature, an image that I think describes it perfectly.

One thing that I don’t know if I can comment on is how they describe internet history to the uninitiated, as I had the knowledge going in. I knew about Habbo Hotel and 4chan before I started reading the book, so I don’t know how this book would appeal to somebody that doesn’t spend the majority of their day in some way connected to the internet, but I’m curious to see. Still, it seems to be coming from an effort to establish a baseline of context for everyone.

As somebody that’s interested in modern activism and how people use technology for political change, groups like Anonymous fascinate me and I was excited for this book going in. I’m happy to say that it lived up to my expectations.

This was much more interesting than I expected. It details the the origins of Anonymous and their major actions throughout the last several years. Yes, I could have looked it up on the internet, but this was more interesting.

"A for Anonymous" is a graphic novel that depicts author David Kushner's interview with an unidentified member of the notorious hacking collective. Kushner has covered the group for years, and his reporting on it has appeared in publications including Rolling Stone and the New Yorker. The interview provides an overview of the group's history from its 4chan origins to its hacking of Ferguson, Missouri's computers following the police shooting of Michael Brown.

While it doesn't shy away from describing Anonymous' more controversial activities and outright errors--including its misidentification of Brown's killer-- the book does seem to celebrate the populist nature of the group, which the interviewee insists includes people from all walks of life. And it's hard not to cheer when Anonymous takes revenge on the perpetrators of the Steubenville rape case, especially when the criminal justice system ultimately gave them a slap on the wrist for a heinous crime.

The artwork here was generally effective throughout, but because hacking is a solitary and not very physical activity, the action can seem to wane. I also found the illustrations of Tom Cruise made him look unsettlingly like a deranged Donny Osmond who'd been on the wrong end of a bar fight.

Some reviewers have been left dissatisfied by the fact that much of the information found here can be found in other sources, and Kushner's interview doesn't really shed much additional light on the group. This may be no exposé, but for a reader who doesn't have much familiarity with the group, the book provides an easily-digested summary of its history, and as a high school librarian, I can see it having a distinct appeal to that audience and will likely purchase it.