Rating: 
Summary: Highly recommended by Charles Washington
Review: A co-worker recommeded that I read this book, and, honestly, I did not have very high expectations. Much to my surprise, I found the book nearly impossible to put down. It is an intriguing tale of a boy who spends his days learning the ins and outs of "hacking". He is also forced to cope with the hardships of inner city life and with the fact that his mother is dying of AIDS. The book is hard to follow at times, especially for those who are not well-versed in computer terminology, but it still a worthwile read.
Rating:
Summary: Highly recommended by Charles Washington
Review: A co-worker recommeded that I read this book, and, honestly, I did not have very high expectations. Much to my surprise, I found the book nearly impossible to put down. It is an intriguing tale of a boy who spends his days learning the ins and outs of "hacking". He is also forced to cope with the hardships of inner city life and with the fact that his mother is dying of AIDS. The book is hard to follow at times, especially for those who are not well-versed in computer terminology, but it still a worthwile read.
Rating: 
Summary: Ejovi is the real deal
Review: A few weeks ago, I was sitting in a cafe at large bookstore in lower Manhattan sipping latte and looking over a stack of FreeBSD and Linux books when I heard a voice say "Are you into BSD?" I looked up at the young man and replied yes. I have been working with computers since 1982 and I wasn't sure how much
this person knew, but we started talking about FreeBSD and OpenBSD and the security problems with the new Linux distributions. I have lots of gray hair and I was blown away by how much this guy knew about BSD and computer security. It was late in the evening and they announced the store was closing for the night. As we walked out, we shook hands, and he said his name was Ejovi and he had just published a book called "Hacker Cracker." I thought to myself, "Sure... but he does know a lot. Maybe he did write a book." After I got home I searched for the book on Amazon, and sure enough, Ejovi had put out a book. Of course, I ordered it immediately and as soon as it arrived I read it non-stop. The book is an interesting adventure about how a kid from a bad area of New York City manages to stay out of trouble and learn some valuable computer skills. In fact, most of his computer education is learned by experience. He talks about using "sniffers" to get passwords and how he broke into several large networks, but he doesn't give specifics about how he did it. As another reviewer mentioned, many names are blacked out, which may let the reader doubt that these events might not have happened. If I had not met Ejovi, I might not have believed him, but I did spend time talking to him and he does know a lot about Unix and security. I found the book interesting, but I am not sure if I would recommend it to someone with only a casual knowledge of computers. He does mention a lot of computer terms and Unix commands (like "init 5") and although there is a glossary at the back of the book, I think the typical computer user might have trouble figuring it out. Still, it's a great book for anyone who works in computer networking and security.
Rating:
Summary: Among The Best Of It's Genre...
Review: After reading "Masters Of Deception" several times before leaving it at Logan Airport, I had a strong feeling that it was to be the best "hacking" story I would ever read. Flash to a few years later... I recieve an autographed copy of "Hacker Cracker" for Christmas. I was intrigued at first (being that much of my adolescence was spent on a computer) but also a bit skeptical. To my knowledge, Ejovi wasn't a famous hacker - in fact - I had no clue who he was. But I began reading almost immediately after unwrapping it. The first 100 pages (including the prologue which is featured on the back of the book), I was even more skeptical about the life Ejovi claimed to have lived. Fights, never knowing his father, his mother in and out of prisons and her drug use which led to her contracting HIV. But after that, my doubt began to diminish. Accurate portrayals of psych ward life, his first brush with hacking which was on AOL (a scene I knew better than anyone) seemed on point with descriptions of Phishing as well as the original "Warez" private rooms. Ejovi progresses in his knowledge of UNIX systems such as FreeBSD and Solaris, and begins to break into systems which unintentionally lands him jobs and sparks a career in computer security. He meets all sorts of people in this field along the way, and eventually becomes a part of the supposedly elite group w00w00 (whos members include Napster (MP3 file sharing program fame) and attrition.org's Jericho (his site being famous for archiving defaced webpages). His martial arts career as well as his acting career are noted in his book, but not to a real great extent, but rather a diversion from all the hack talk. He even has a chapter of commentary on the events of 9/11. All and all, I would recommend this book to people interested in technology. That is almost (but not in all cases) a pre-requisite for being able to enjoy this book to the fullest. Otherwise you will find yourself dying of boredom reading through a large chunk of this book. It's easy to read, but well-written and may open your eyes to a different world... whether it is BedStuy or the world that hackers live in. Or both.
Rating:
Summary: Among The Best Of It's Genre...
Review: After reading "Masters Of Deception" several times before leaving it at Logan Airport, I had a strong feeling that it was to be the best "hacking" story I would ever read. Flash to a few years later... I recieve an autographed copy of "Hacker Cracker" for Christmas. I was intrigued at first (being that much of my adolescence was spent on a computer) but also a bit skeptical. To my knowledge, Ejovi wasn't a famous hacker - in fact - I had no clue who he was. But I began reading almost immediately after unwrapping it. The first 100 pages (including the prologue which is featured on the back of the book), I was even more skeptical about the life Ejovi claimed to have lived. Fights, never knowing his father, his mother in and out of prisons and her drug use which led to her contracting HIV. But after that, my doubt began to diminish. Accurate portrayals of psych ward life, his first brush with hacking which was on AOL (a scene I knew better than anyone) seemed on point with descriptions of Phishing as well as the original "Warez" private rooms. Ejovi progresses in his knowledge of UNIX systems such as FreeBSD and Solaris, and begins to break into systems which unintentionally lands him jobs and sparks a career in computer security. He meets all sorts of people in this field along the way, and eventually becomes a part of the supposedly elite group w00w00 (whos members include Napster (MP3 file sharing program fame) and attrition.org's Jericho (his site being famous for archiving defaced webpages). His martial arts career as well as his acting career are noted in his book, but not to a real great extent, but rather a diversion from all the hack talk. He even has a chapter of commentary on the events of 9/11. All and all, I would recommend this book to people interested in technology. That is almost (but not in all cases) a pre-requisite for being able to enjoy this book to the fullest. Otherwise you will find yourself dying of boredom reading through a large chunk of this book. It's easy to read, but well-written and may open your eyes to a different world... whether it is BedStuy or the world that hackers live in. Or both.
Rating: 
Summary: Read it at the Bookstore.
Review: Although I did not buy the book, I did read it at the bookstore, skipping most the parts of personal experiences (the streets, fighting, grandma, mom, etc.). I am a little confused why the author separated the "computer" aspects from the personal aspects so discretely. If this is a journey from the mean Streets to Cyberspace, then perhaps the relationship between the two could have been more connected and interwoven throughout the book rather than jumps and skips to and from different areas of his life with little connected meaning. Other than that, the stories of hacking were interesting and captivating, but not worthy of purchase (at least in hardback).
Rating:
Summary: The Hacker Cracker... or The Cracker Hacker?
Review: As a distinguished member of the Guild, I too was once a misguided youth who was lured into the vanities of bodybuilding and jiujitsu, but I discovered my true passions in computer hackery when I coded my first denial service of tool (named after Greek mythology). I have watched young Ejovi as he used his computer trickery to emerge from the heart of the ghetto to become a member of one of the finest and largest teams of security professionals in the world (known as 'the w00w00s'). this JOEWEE is one of the greatest whitehat hacking experts I have ever seen, and with the exception of myself, he is probably the only person in the world who can construct a tcp pseudoheader without reference materials!
i would like to remain anonymous for this review, but if you are really part of the underground, you'll know who i am. yours truly,
anonymous
[once glance and you're in my ...]
Rating:
Summary: Inspiring!
Review: As the full title suggests, Ejovi Nuwere's Hacker Cracker: A Journey from the Mean Streets of Brooklyn to the Frontiers of Cyberspace is a coming of age story of a boy as he physically, emotionally and intellectually matures. He witnesses his mother slowly succumb to AIDS related complications, battles with the inner city street gangs, deals with family drama, and yields to unrelenting peer pressure. At one point in his young life, he attempts suicide and spends time in a mental ward. He shares his childhood life stories and admits how his first introduction to hacking was that on the side of wrongdoing (soliciting credit card numbers from unsuspecting online users). Through a twist of fate, he applies his skills toward good and goes legit in the field of computer security. This story is an autobiography, however because the author is so young, the book spends a great deal of time discussing his days as an outcast in high school and his adventures in the different hacking groups and online communities. Although his computing exploits may be interesting to the "techies" of the world, I fear that lay people will struggle to retain interest during those sections of the book. More importantly, I think this novel is a testament to a man who could have easily fallen victim to his circumstances. He was/is largely self-taught and chose to use his intellect and street smarts to capitalize on his programming skills. This book is an inspirational read for young people as it demonstrates that alternatives and opportunities exist everywhere---one just has to be open and willing to consider the possibilities. Reviewed by Phyllis
APOOO BookClub, The Nubian Circle Book Club
Rating:
Summary: Inspiring!
Review: As the full title suggests, Ejovi Nuwere's Hacker Cracker: A Journey from the Mean Streets of Brooklyn to the Frontiers of Cyberspace is a coming of age story of a boy as he physically, emotionally and intellectually matures. He witnesses his mother slowly succumb to AIDS related complications, battles with the inner city street gangs, deals with family drama, and yields to unrelenting peer pressure. At one point in his young life, he attempts suicide and spends time in a mental ward. He shares his childhood life stories and admits how his first introduction to hacking was that on the side of wrongdoing (soliciting credit card numbers from unsuspecting online users). Through a twist of fate, he applies his skills toward good and goes legit in the field of computer security. This story is an autobiography, however because the author is so young, the book spends a great deal of time discussing his days as an outcast in high school and his adventures in the different hacking groups and online communities. Although his computing exploits may be interesting to the "techies" of the world, I fear that lay people will struggle to retain interest during those sections of the book. More importantly, I think this novel is a testament to a man who could have easily fallen victim to his circumstances. He was/is largely self-taught and chose to use his intellect and street smarts to capitalize on his programming skills. This book is an inspirational read for young people as it demonstrates that alternatives and opportunities exist everywhere---one just has to be open and willing to consider the possibilities. Reviewed by Phyllis
APOOO BookClub, The Nubian Circle Book Club
Rating:
Summary: Lots of fun, a good read
Review: Ejovi Nuwere is about 20 years old, and he has done a lot of hacking, kick boxing, and just surviving in that time, all well recounted in a very readable and exciting tale. You can get a real feel for what this extraordinary young man is like by reading his book. The hacking techniques were not clearly explained, however, only in a very basic descriptive way. Most annoying was that the name of the "victim" of one of his most serious explorations into someone else's system has been edited out. It takes all the punch and adreneline out of that chapter when you have no idea who or what he is talking about, since every mention of the system's owner, or even the industry, is a black splotch. I only gave it four stars instead of five because I thought it ended rather abruptly. We are brought up to date on where he is now, but I would have liked a less precipitous ending, perhaps some quick analysis about the current state of computer security, and what his hopes or fears are for the future. He is clearly an expert and some commentary about his industry would have provided some important insights. I look forward to following Ejovi's career successes and his contribution to the computer security industry.
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