Review- Little Brother- Cory Doctorow

Little Brother- Cory Doctorow

Publisher: Tor Teen
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 384 pages

Genre: Cyberpunk(ish)

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Marcus, a.k.a “w1n5t0n,” is only seventeen years old, but he figures he already knows how the system works–and how to work the system. Smart, fast, and wise to the ways of the networked world, he has no trouble outwitting his high school’s intrusive but clumsy surveillance systems. But his whole world changes when he and his friends find themselves caught in the aftermath of a major terrorist attack on San Francisco. In the wrong place at the wrong time, Marcus and his crew are apprehended by the Department of Homeland Security and whisked away to a secret prison where they’re mercilessly interrogated for days.
When the DHS finally releases them, Marcus discovers that his city has become a police state where every citizen is treated like a potential terrorist. He knows that no one will believe his story, which leaves him only one option: to take down the DHS himself.

The plot of Little Brother deals with some really heavy issues. Specifically, a large part of the book deals with the main character Marcus (and the reader by extension) trying to answer the question, when does the need for maintaining a nation’s security cross the line and infringe on the privacy of its citizens? The reader is often forced to consider, just how much of their freedom they are willing to give up in the name of security? And what is the cost? Although I must admit that even though I didn’t agree with all of the politics which are interweaved throughout the storyline, it didn’t bother me or turn me off because Doctorow didn’t shove it down the readers’ throat. Instead he does it in a way that is both entertaining and thought provoking. Something which I think would be ideal for use in a classroom to engage students in some serious debate.

                Although there are a lot of heavy themes in this book like I mentioned above, there are also a lot of light topics covered as well. For example, Marcus deals with ongoing problems at school, his parents, strained friendships, and even girls. All of these things really added to the plot as a whole for me. They made Marcus more believable to me. It made him seem like just a regular teen guy who throughout the course of the novel is caught up in some pretty extraordinary circumstances.

                Overall I think this is a great book for a teen guy. It really inspires some serious critical thinking from the reader and Marcus is a very strong male protagonist, even though it’s clear he doesn’t have everything all figured out. Plus, the fact that the use of video games and technology throughout the story will really grab a guy’s attention while reading. Definitely check this one out. It would be an awesome teaching tool in the classroom, and an even better addition to your bookshelf.