There is a growing body of literature and research on the topic of whistleblowing and other anti-corruption strategies. Here are a few recommended books.

The Whistleblower's Handbook

How to be an Effective Resister

by Professor Brian Martin, University of Wollongong.

"The most common response to the problems facing whistleblowers is to suggest better whistleblower legislation. Yet it is remarkable how ineffectual such legislation is. Far more helpful to whistleblowers are practical skills at understanding organisational dynamics, collecting data, writing coherent accounts, building alliances and liaising with the media...."

This self-help book, now out of print, can be dowloaded here. Professor Martin's article Illusions of Whistleblower Protection explains the need for whistleblowers to learn self-help skills.

The Whistleblower's Survival Guide

Courage Without Martyrdom

by Tom Devine, GAP Legal Director.

A detailed road map for anyone considering 'doing the right thing' at work in order to expose wrongdoing and protect the public interest. Based on GAP's decades of experience in this field. Contents include: the decision to blow the whistle; what to expect (retaliation and cover-up strategies); where and how to blow the whistle; choosing and working with an attorney; understanding your legal protections (and their limits). Published in 1997.

Available from GAP, the leading USA whistleblower organization. This book is also available for download as a series of .pdf files

Download:   Part 1 |  Part 2  |  Part 3  | Part 4  

The Art of Anonymous Activism

Serving the Public While Surviving Public Service

A joint effort of US whistleblower organizations GAP, POGO and PEER, The Art of Anonymous Activism provides guidance to public employees to enable them to prevent the irreconcilable differences that can occur when one is faced with a choice between conscience and career; and to make responsible choices should those differences arise. The point is that it is possible to fight wrongdoing from within without sacrificing your career.

Available from GAP, the leading USA whistleblower organization.

Whistleblowing Around The World

Law, Culture and Practice

This is a book about governance and accountability in the twenty-first century. It looks at the role of whistleblowing and features four case studies from around the globe. Published in 2004.

Available from Public Concern at Work, the leading UK whistleblowing organization.

The Whistleblowers

Exposing Corruption in Government and Industry

The Whistleblowers provides fascinating accounts of some of the more prominent whistleblowing cases of the 1970s and 1980s by examining the circumstances that led to the subjects' decisions to blow the whistle, their motivation for doing so, the courses of action that they chose, and their thoughts on the outcomes. GAP's expertise informs the authors' treatment of the cases throughout the work. Published in 1989.

Available from GAP, the leading USA whistleblower organization,
and from Amazon.ca and Amazon.com

Whistleblowers

Broken Lives and Organizational Power

By C. Fred Alford, Professor of Government, University of Maryland

An academic strives to understand whistleblowing: whistleblowers and their motives, and the often vicious reprisals of their employers, based upon numerous interviews and attendance at support group meetings. Alford's observations are often disturbing because they contradict some deeply held positive beliefs, e.g. that truth will prevail in the end, that virtue will be rewarded, that doing the right thing will make a difference...

Available from Amazon.ca and Amazon.com
(Reviews and content can be browsed online.)

Corrupt to the Core

Memoirs of a Health Canada Whistleblower

Author Dr. Shiv Chopra is one of three Health Canada scientists whose testimony before a Senate Committee in 1998 triggered headlines around the world. The scientists testified that Health Canada managers had pressured them to release suspect veterinary drugs into the food chain without the evidence of safety required by the Food and Drugs Act.

See full review...

Published in 2008. Available from KOS Publishing Inc.  Disponible en français: Corrompus jusqu'à la moelle des Éditions le mieux-être

Extraordinary Circumstances

The Journey of a Corporate Whistleblower

By Cynthia Cooper, former VP of Internal Audit at WorldCom

Whistleblower Cynthia Cooper recounts the story of her career, culminating in a deadly game of cat-and-mouse as she and her audit team close in on the evidence of massive fraud which would lead to the downfall of WorldCom and its CEO, Bernie Ebbers. Cooper refrains from demonizing WorldCom's leaders, thus making it easier to understand their motives and thought processes, without excusing their actions.

Available from Amazon.ca and Amazon.com
(Reviews and content can be browsed online.)

Nest of Spies

The Startling Truth About Foreign Agents At Work Within Canada’s Borders

By: Fabrice de Pierrebourg and Michel Juneau-Katsuya

“Nest Of Spies” provides an intriguing window into the booming business of espionage, the goals and techniques of foreign agencies, and who is doing what to whom. In doing so it paints a disturbing picture of Canada’s failure to protect itself from predatory foreign powers, to the detriment of both our national interests and our citizens’ safety and well-being. This book is of special interest to whistleblowers because it validates former diplomat Brian McAdam’s warnings (dating back to 1993) that Canada has been infiltrated by Chinese agents and organized crime.

See full review...

Available from Amazon.ca 

Books On Other Topics

The Pharmaceutical Industry

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