Little Brother by Cory Doctorow
Author Biography:
Canadian-born Cory Doctorow has held policy positions with Creative Commons and the Electronic Frontier Foundation and been a Fulbright Fellow at the University of Southern California. He is a co-editor of the popular weblog BoingBoing (boingboing.net), which receives over three million visitors a month. His science fiction has won numerous awards, and his YA novel Little Brother spent seven weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. Information retrieved from Amazon.com.
Published by: Tor Teen
ISBN: 0765323117
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Reading Level: Grade 10 and Up
Reader’s Annotation:
17-year-old Marcus lives in an America where everyone is under tight surveillance by the government and teachers for the safety and good for all – or at least, that’s what is claimed. Marcus, also known online as “W1n5t0n” is a gifted hacker and is capable of evading most security measures, often to the frustration of many of his teachers. Yet one day Marcus and his friends are at the wrong place at the wrong time when a terrorist attack rocks San Francisco, and they are immediately taken by Homeland Security and tortured for any information they may have. Marcus is later released with the stern warning that he is being watched yet this only infuriates him, driving him to challenge the government, their surveillance of everyone, and what the effects of terrorism truly are.
Plot Summary:
Marcus is sick of all the constant surveillance at school. Whether it’s the school laptops that tattle on him when he’s looking at prohibited websites or the camera’s that analyze the way students walk to determine if they are out of class when they shouldn’t be, he finds it all extremely intrusive and unnecessary. As a result, Marcus does everything he can to subvert the school’s efforts – using software to confuse the school laptops or placing gravel in his shoes so the camera’s can’t tell who he is by the way he walks. Marcus is skilled in evading the school, much to the principal’s extreme aggravation. It is his very skill that gets him in trouble, however, when terrorists attack San Francisco which results in a wide swath of death and destruction.
Caught in the initial attack, Marcus and his friends run for safety but are waylaid by agents of Homeland Security who kidnap them and lock them away in a secret location. The government begins picking apart all of Marcus’s electronics, violating his privacy in every possible way while torturing him mentally. Marcus resists initially, but is no match for their interrogation tactics and eventually gives them the passwords to access his remaining electronics. Satisfied, Homeland Security releases him with the warning that they’ll know if he tries to do anything they wouldn't like.
Traumatized by the experience, Marcus feels powerless in the face of the government’s absolute authority and begins finding bugs in his electronics at home. Furthermore, the government has also tightened its control over San Francisco and initiates even more methods to keep an eye on all of its residents. Though he panics initially, Marcus eventually becomes angry and swears to do everything he can to expose Homeland Security’s interrogation practices. Using his old Xbox video game console, Marcus creates the Xnet, a computer network anyone with the proper software and an Xbox console can access to speak with each other without government interference. Through the Xnet Marcus develops a plan to subvert government control and prove that the heightened security measures only show the real terrorists have won.
Critical Evaluation:
Little Brother is possibly one of the most important young adult novels teens could read today. As our lives become increasingly digitized, we willingly give up more and more of our personal information for the sake of convenience and security. Beyond that, the government also seeks a greater share of our information, especially in light of the most recent terrorist attacks. Doctorow demonstrates in this book the dangers of allowing our fear to drive us to relinquish our civil liberties for the sake of safety, and how easy it can be for the government to brand us traitors and dissidents for refusing to follow its rules.
Beyond that, Little Brother is full of discussions about technology that many teens will recognize, though the book does begin to show its age with talk of older devices such as the original Xbox. The book is also a bit slow in the beginning, as it treats its reader as if he or she knows nothing about technology and explains terms and software at length. Regardless, teens interested in realistic fiction, dystopia, and technology will find this to be an interesting read as a teenager takes on the government not with muscle, but with his intelligence and a few choice electronics.
Curriculum Ties:
Challenge Issues:
Defensive Maneuvers:
Book Talk Ideas:
Giving up your information isn't that big of a deal, so long as it's nothing too major, right? But what if you had absolutely no rights over your information? What if the schools and the government tracked your every move, down to learning how you walk? Would you put up with it, or rebel?
Why This Book?
Privacy is likely to become a more discussed issue in the future as government officials flirt with the idea of controlling the internet, taxing it, or requiring citizens and businesses to give up more of their information for the sake of safety. Though it is unlikely the United States will devolve to Doctorow’s version, teens would do well to read this book and see that his version could become reality.
Canadian-born Cory Doctorow has held policy positions with Creative Commons and the Electronic Frontier Foundation and been a Fulbright Fellow at the University of Southern California. He is a co-editor of the popular weblog BoingBoing (boingboing.net), which receives over three million visitors a month. His science fiction has won numerous awards, and his YA novel Little Brother spent seven weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. Information retrieved from Amazon.com.
Published by: Tor Teen
ISBN: 0765323117
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Reading Level: Grade 10 and Up
Reader’s Annotation:
17-year-old Marcus lives in an America where everyone is under tight surveillance by the government and teachers for the safety and good for all – or at least, that’s what is claimed. Marcus, also known online as “W1n5t0n” is a gifted hacker and is capable of evading most security measures, often to the frustration of many of his teachers. Yet one day Marcus and his friends are at the wrong place at the wrong time when a terrorist attack rocks San Francisco, and they are immediately taken by Homeland Security and tortured for any information they may have. Marcus is later released with the stern warning that he is being watched yet this only infuriates him, driving him to challenge the government, their surveillance of everyone, and what the effects of terrorism truly are.
Plot Summary:
Marcus is sick of all the constant surveillance at school. Whether it’s the school laptops that tattle on him when he’s looking at prohibited websites or the camera’s that analyze the way students walk to determine if they are out of class when they shouldn’t be, he finds it all extremely intrusive and unnecessary. As a result, Marcus does everything he can to subvert the school’s efforts – using software to confuse the school laptops or placing gravel in his shoes so the camera’s can’t tell who he is by the way he walks. Marcus is skilled in evading the school, much to the principal’s extreme aggravation. It is his very skill that gets him in trouble, however, when terrorists attack San Francisco which results in a wide swath of death and destruction.
Caught in the initial attack, Marcus and his friends run for safety but are waylaid by agents of Homeland Security who kidnap them and lock them away in a secret location. The government begins picking apart all of Marcus’s electronics, violating his privacy in every possible way while torturing him mentally. Marcus resists initially, but is no match for their interrogation tactics and eventually gives them the passwords to access his remaining electronics. Satisfied, Homeland Security releases him with the warning that they’ll know if he tries to do anything they wouldn't like.
Traumatized by the experience, Marcus feels powerless in the face of the government’s absolute authority and begins finding bugs in his electronics at home. Furthermore, the government has also tightened its control over San Francisco and initiates even more methods to keep an eye on all of its residents. Though he panics initially, Marcus eventually becomes angry and swears to do everything he can to expose Homeland Security’s interrogation practices. Using his old Xbox video game console, Marcus creates the Xnet, a computer network anyone with the proper software and an Xbox console can access to speak with each other without government interference. Through the Xnet Marcus develops a plan to subvert government control and prove that the heightened security measures only show the real terrorists have won.
Critical Evaluation:
Little Brother is possibly one of the most important young adult novels teens could read today. As our lives become increasingly digitized, we willingly give up more and more of our personal information for the sake of convenience and security. Beyond that, the government also seeks a greater share of our information, especially in light of the most recent terrorist attacks. Doctorow demonstrates in this book the dangers of allowing our fear to drive us to relinquish our civil liberties for the sake of safety, and how easy it can be for the government to brand us traitors and dissidents for refusing to follow its rules.
Beyond that, Little Brother is full of discussions about technology that many teens will recognize, though the book does begin to show its age with talk of older devices such as the original Xbox. The book is also a bit slow in the beginning, as it treats its reader as if he or she knows nothing about technology and explains terms and software at length. Regardless, teens interested in realistic fiction, dystopia, and technology will find this to be an interesting read as a teenager takes on the government not with muscle, but with his intelligence and a few choice electronics.
Curriculum Ties:
- Privacy
- Rule of Government
- Terrorism and Rebellion
Challenge Issues:
- Coarse language, sexual situations, anti-establishment
Defensive Maneuvers:
- Have the library's collection policy on hand and memorized. Even though you may have it committed to memory, being able to show specific provisions as proof with strengthen your position.
- Be familiar with the book. Having great knowledge of it will prove you understand the content and the way the challenged matters interact with each other.
- Cite any awards the book may have. Though the patron may disagree with the book, showing that it is well known and seen as having great literary merit will strengthen your defense.
- Have a few reviews ready from respected sources such as Amazon or VOYA. At the very least, you can prove you understand the material and reviews will corroborate that.
- Have a strong idea WHY that item is in the library. Explain its merits, who the intended audience is, and so on.
- State your library's commitment to providing intellectual freedom as written in the Library Bill of Rights.
- Stay calm. Getting defensive or hot under the collar will only weaken your position.
- And finally, be open to discussion and LISTEN. Even if you do not agree with the patron, their concerns are still legitimate and you should show that you are engaged with them. Listening to their concerns may be enough to take the edge off.
Book Talk Ideas:
Giving up your information isn't that big of a deal, so long as it's nothing too major, right? But what if you had absolutely no rights over your information? What if the schools and the government tracked your every move, down to learning how you walk? Would you put up with it, or rebel?
Why This Book?
Privacy is likely to become a more discussed issue in the future as government officials flirt with the idea of controlling the internet, taxing it, or requiring citizens and businesses to give up more of their information for the sake of safety. Though it is unlikely the United States will devolve to Doctorow’s version, teens would do well to read this book and see that his version could become reality.