Little Brother, by Cory Doctorow
Posted by DBRLTeen on Monday, February 2nd, 2009
“A rousing tale of techno-geek rebellion.” That’s what it says on the cover, and goodness knows Mrs. D. is no techno-geek, but she did enjoy this book. Teens who follow the news may be aware there are some who feel our country went too far in violating civil liberties after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and that’s the theme of this novel. Terrorists have struck in San Francisco this time, and the response by the Department of Homeland Security is draconian (Mrs. D has helpfully supplied a link to the definition of draconian; perhaps she is a bit of a techno-geek after all). A teen hacker named Marcus and his friends seem to be the only ones willing to challenge them. Now some people think hackers are the bad guys, always breaking into computer systems, stealing identities and credit card numbers and military secrets, but actually hackers are just people who enjoy solving problems involving technology. Click here to find a great description of hacking written by hackers.
An interesting sub-plot is how Marcus has to defy not only the authorities, who are trying to find and arrest him, but his own father, who believes the government’s response is appropriate. Teens often find themselves opposing their parents’ views. Mrs. D. remembers heated discussions with dear Papa about the League of Nations…
Cory Doctorow has written a well-researched novel – his descriptions of how to create xbox networks, encrypt communications, and disrupt security devices are accurate and Mrs. D. fears some of our teen readers may want to try some of his tricks – not at the library, please! Find out more about Cory Doctorow on his website at craphound.com.
So Mrs. D. recommends Little Brother, by Cory Doctorow, because although technology can be used to oppress us, it can also be used to set us free.
August 10th, 2009 at 9:53 am
[...] DBRLTeen has previously reviewed Cory Doctorow’s Little Brother – click here to read our review. [...]