"This social critique is worth reading"... "Bernd Liske has presented a courageous, highly readable, autobiographically influenced book"... "With his book, Mr. Liske has already struck a chord with the times."... "Personally, the book calls upon me to seek new paths."
 
 German history knows many stories of failure. Whether history will one day add the current coronavirus pandemic to that list remains to be seen. When it is said that history repeats itself, there is a systemic reason for this: patterns of behavior recur. In this respect, it is always helpful to reflect on history.
 
 Without a doubt, the 2013 NSA affair is a story of failure. Edward Snowden's revelations dominated political discourse in Germany for months and covered the media daily. But the lack of experience in decisive action and the prevailing political culture led to the governing CDU/FDP coalition and the opposition parties engaging in mutual recriminations, ultimately turning the affair into a major entertainment spectacle that yielded little of substance regarding increased security. This was certainly also due to the impending federal election campaign.
 
 Based on a concept he originally developed within the BITKOM working group on network defense—a redesign of the networks— the author describes his personal experiences as a German citizen in his efforts to translate the revelations into substantial action to prevent the spying on German businesses and society as a whole by the US or other powers. He details how he approached the political elite in Germany and encountered a wall of silence. He essentially added his own scenes to the show, participating in them and observing the actual actions firsthand.
 
 But the author, who has been engaged with socio-political issues for many years, is concerned with more than that. Much like the current coronavirus pandemic, the NSA affair offered profound insights into the social fabric , from which actions at all levels of society arose. His experiences with the political elite led him to question the reasons for what he perceived as the agony in Germany's handling of increasing societal challenges. In addition to the NSA affair, he also examines the parties' election manifestos for the 2013 federal election , Barack Obama's famous speech at the Brandenburg Gate , speeches by the then-new Pope Francis , doping in Germany , and the Gustl Mollath case .
 
 The book, which covers the period between June 5th and June 19th, 2013, and was written within three weeks in August 2013, is an autobiographical and historical document that offers profound insights into the state of German society. The fact that Germany has continued to develop economically, but not in terms of its core values, its individual and societal capacity for problem-solving, and its sense of community—the ability to address challenges together as a nation—makes it a highly relevant and extremely valuable read.
 
 The extensive bibliography is very helpful, ranging from Kant and Hegel to the US Declaration of Independence and Vatican texts, and extending to current events, allowing the reader to pursue further reading beyond the book according to their own interests.