README.TXT

An extraordinarily brave and moving memoir from one of the world s most famous whistle blowers activists and trans women In 2013 Chelsea Manning was sentenced to thirty five years in military prison for the largest leak of classified documents in history The next day Chelsea declared her gender identity as a woman and began to transition In this radically candid memoir Chelsea recounts how her challenging youth led her to join the US Army She writes of the fierce pride she took in her work the risks of the military s queer underground and the wider culture of silence and unaccountability She describes fifty nine days locked in an iron cage after her fateful decision and the community of solidarity she later discovered in prison Above all we see the phenomenal courage and resilience it took to survive and become a global advocate for transparency A terrific read full of unexpected turns and details that counter many of the assumptions made about Manning GUARDIAN Brilliantly told THE TIMES Searing uplifting redemptive NEW YORK TIMES A full and expansive account of Manning s life one which is often harrowing but funny and poignant too DAZED