Whistle-Blowers: Exposing Crime and Corruption

by Matt Doeden

Sex abuse. Government spying on civilians. Lying under oath. These aren't the makings for crime novels―they're real-life stories uncovered by whistle-blowers with knowledge of deep, dark secrets. In one headline-grabbing case, Edward Snowden, an information technology specialist, revealed unauthorized US government surveillance around the globe. In another, Kathryn Bolkovac, a United Nations International Police Force monitor, went public with the involvement of UN peacekeeping forces in sex trafficking in war-torn Bosnia. In the 1990s, Jeffrey Wigand, corporate vice president at cigarette manufacturer Brown & Williamson, went public with a report of the ways in which Big Tobacco was lying about the health risks of smoking. In earlier decades, a whistle-blower known only as Deep Throat helped Washington Post reporters track down a plot to bring down the Democratic Party during a presidential election season―a cover-up that went straight to the White House.

What drives whistle-blowers to go public with what they know? Is it ethical to breach confidentiality? What laws protect a whistle-blower? And what about the shattered lives that lie in the wake of exposing crime and corruption? Follow the complex stories behind intricate webs of deceit. Listen to whistle-blowers explain their motives. Then decide for yourself if it's worth it to blow the whistle on crime and corruption.

Genres: Nonfiction

96 pages, Library Binding

Published January 1, 2015

About the author

Matt Doeden was born in southern Minnesota and lived parts of his childhood in Golden Valley, Minnesota, and Madison, Minnesota. He studied journalism at Mankato State University, where he worked at the college newspaper for three years. In his senior year, he served as the paper's Sports Editor, which put him in charge of the entire sports section, the sports writers, and the photographers. He covered mostly college sports, but also the Minnesota Vikings, who held training camp at MSU.

His work allowed him to meet and interview people like Dennis Green, Cris Carter, Robert Smith, and more. Matt went on to work as a sports writer for the Mankato paper, and then he got a job as an editor with a small children's publisher called Capstone Press, and in 2003 he decided to start his own business as a freelance writer and editor.

Since then, Matt has written and edited hundreds of books. Lots of them are on high-interest topics like cars, sports, and airplanes. He also writes and edits on geography, science, and even math.

Reviews

[Benjamen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whistle-Blowers: Exposing Crime and Corruption by Matt Doeden, reveals great stories and inside knowledge into some of the great Whistle-Blowers of our time. This book was published by Lerner Publishing Group Inc. in Minneapolis, MN in the year of 2015. Although it is now 2019, and there have been many more important Whistler-Blowers not included in this book, the information is still up to date and very relevant. If you didn’t know, a Whistle-Blower is a person who informs on a person or organization engaged in an illicit activity. I enjoyed this book so I have given it a 4 out of 5 star rating.

Throughout this book there were seven different Whistle-Blowers that were discussed. Some of the largest Whistle-Blowers were included, like Mark Felt, who leaked information about the Watergate scandal, which ended up with the impeachment of Richard Nixon. But there were also smaller Whistle-Blowers that were not commonly known, like Justin Hopson, who aided in exposing multiple of the corrupt things our police departments were participating in. I gave this four out of five stars because it was one of the first non-fiction books that really engaged me and kept me interested. Instead of going on and on into useless facts, the author gave his opinion and supported it with facts. Other non-fiction I read just gives me facts but nothing to do with them. In other non-fiction pieces, sure, I’m learning, but I am not engaged so I end up forgetting all those facts I just read. Matt Doeden’s style of writing has me more interested in reading and learning new things.

All of the things that I have stated so far have been unquestionably positive, so you may be wondering “if it is that great, why is it not a five out of five star book”. The answer is, not everything about the book is perfect. For a book to be a five out of five in my opinion, it has to be absolutely perfect. There are some minor issues I found with it. Matt Doeden’s opinion is clearly stated throughout the entirety of the book, he believes that Whistle-Blowers are the heroes, and that they have helped our society a tenfold. That was one of the things I liked about his writing style, he said what he believed and he didn’t care who heard. But that was all he said. He never went into any of the Whistle-Blowers that were corrupt and leaking classified information for their own personal gain. I believe that you can't have a perfect non-fiction book without diving into both sides of the story. In this case, he failed to do that. If he had considered both sides, this would of been and easy five out of five. Due to that lousy mistake, he lost a star.

Overall, Matt Doeden’s Whistle-Blowers: Exposing Crime and Corruption, was a great read. It kept me interested. I didn’t end up snoring mid-page like I tend to do with most other non-fiction books. This book can teach you many valuable pieces of information, Especially in the world we live in, with Whistle-Blowers being so important to our everyday life. If you are looking to learn more about Whistle-Blowers, or you just wanted to cozy up by the fire with a good read, this is a stupendous option.

[Gemini · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book should be longer as there is a lot to tell in each of the different whistle-blowers' stories. I was truly fascinated to learn about this & the people who are considered whistle-blowers. It was good to be able to learn about these people & how there are even movies made after a few of them (which I will have to see). I mean good for them for risking their lives & careers in order to expose such atrocities that most people are unaware of because they only hear one side of the story which is usually what the media or gov't is letting you know which is simply unjust. The only thing that I have trouble with is the part regarding Penn State & that entire tragic story. There is way more to it than what is being told here, such as the entire quote from Joe Paterno should be stated not just a piece of it. To this day the events that have been unfolding for over a decade are still happening, so it's not really over. I will say good for him for writing this though, important for people to have more information than just the regular news.

[Alicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

The well-researched but succinct chapters that focus on famous cases of whistle-blowers makes for a topic that doesn't get a lot of play. For students who are not newspaper readers or news watchers, many will be unaware of these major cases from the past and present. The accessible chapters with easily understood language and explanations allow students to digest the information and form their own opinions on everything from ethics and the law to what the rights of whistle-blowers should be.

The contemporary cases make it useful in ethics and government classes, but also in business and sports management as the Penn State case is covered along with sex and human trafficking in Bosnia, Snowden and Assange, and even a few short paragraphs about other well-known names or cases.

Very accessible and worth adding to the collection.

[Becket · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short but informative and well-designed. Hand this one to budding activists and other suspicious-minded teens.

[Lyndsey · Rating 1 out of 5]

never finished this; didn't find all that interesting and wasn't crazy about style

[Shauna Yusko · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of cases covered. Good information. Slightly inflammatory language. Author has an obvious position.