Wow. For a book about a lot of computer technicalities, this one has heart, humour and even the littlest bit of sex (safe, of course). The topic is completely appropriate for today- there is a terrorist attack on San Francisco and the government uses it as an excuse to move in and remove civil rights. Everyone gets followed, everywhere, through the little electronic tags we are in actuality already carrying around. Menacing "Homeland Security" people move in; people start vanishing. But what is really going on? Who is behind the government aggression? How can anyone stop it?
A seventeen year old computer whiz kid who has memorized the Declaration of Independence has some ideas that he puts into action...
Excellent. I'm not a fan of fiction where all the techniques are explained (exhausting) but Cory Doctorow makes it interesting and easy to understand. Everyone in the US should read this book now, while you still can. ( )

4 / 5 ⭐️‘s

"Little Brother" by Cory Doctorow

“Internet Explorer, Microsoft’s crashware turd that no one under the age of forty used voluntarily.”

I picked this read because it was another recommended read in my reading planner by The American Library Association.

The story follows Marcus, a tech-savvy teenager who finds himself caught up in a post-9/11 world where civil liberties are being eroded in the name of national security. After a terrorist attack on San Francisco, Marcus and his friends are detained and interrogated by government agents, who suspect them of being involved. Marcus is determined to prove their innocence and fights back against the oppressive government surveillance system using his computer skills and knowledge of cryptography.

One of the things I liked most about it was how it explored the tension between security and freedom in a digital age. Doctorow does an excellent job of making complex technical concepts accessible to a lay audience, and the book is filled with tips and tricks for maintaining online privacy and security.

The story is more than just a cautionary tale about government overreach and online privacy. It's also a story about friendship, courage, and standing up for what you believe in, even when it's hard. Marcus is a relatable and likable protagonist, and I found myself rooting for him and his friends until the end.

I have added the next book in this series to my TBR list. ( )

This is an absolutely fantastic book. Yes, it's YA (whatever that is), but it doesn't talk down to its audience. Yes, it's sort of science fiction, but more like 10 minutes into the future than 10 centuries. What it mostly is about is fear and civil rights and personal responsibility. But for all of that, it's a very strong, personal story with plenty of action, adventure, and suspense.

The Little Brother of the title is Marcus Yallow, a high-school senior in San Francisco who's more into all of his techno-life and gaming and friends than worrying about girls or his ultimate future. He's already masterminding how to get around the surveillance techniques set up at his school and the city in the wake of 9/11, which are more than we've actually seen so far but are really just one step further than that. Then another terrorist attack strikes his city and he's caught up in the heavy-handed search for the perpetrators and winds up on the wrong side of the law. Now he must use all of his tech skills and learn some new ones to remain free while fighting back against what he sees as tyrannical oppression.

There are a few spots where the author, in the voice of first-person narrator Marcus, decides to explain the technology and it went on a bit longer than I found necessary. For others, these passages will be either a welcome clarification or completely skippable. Other than that, I can't recommend this book too highly as a timely commentary on a subject that affects everyone. ( )

Cory Doctorow, with his unconventional way of offering novels and his insight into technology, spun a great conspiracy in this book. Brilliant imagery, a well done story and no matter how many 'loopholes' or faults you find in the actual storyline, a possibility that can happen anywhere in the world in this new state of political correctness and growing concern over cyber terrorism... ( )

Kind of amateurish writing (though I guess it's being written by a teenager), and unrealistic characters and plot.

"I danced until I was so tired I couldn't dance another step. Ange danced alongside of me. Technically, we were rubbing our sweaty bodies against each other for several hours, but believe it or not, I totally wasn't being a horn-dog about it."

"Every night since the party, I'd gone to bed thinking of two things: the sight of the crowd charging the police lines and the feeling of the side of her breast under her shirt as we leaned against the pillar. She was amazing. I'd never been with a girl as...aggressive as her before. It had always been me putting the moves on and them pushing me away. I got the feeling that Ange was as much of a horn-dog as I was. It was a tantalizing notion."

"Ange nuzzled me a little and I kissed her and we necked. Something about the danger and the pact to go together -- it made me forget the awkwardness of having sex, made me freaking horny as hell."

Lots of cryptonerd free software worship stuff, which is annoying. Every Linux fanatic's silly fantasy.

I felt a bit choked up and/or defiant at parts, like the rescue scene, so that's good, at least. ( )