Little Brother (Little Brother, #1) in The Alternative Worlds

Jun 06, 2008 Sandi rated it it was amazing

Shelves: books-my-son-liked, top-10, 2008, young-adult, california-lit

There is a reason why totalitarian governments ban books. The reason is that books can change the world. "Uncle Tom's Cabin" and Frederick Douglass' autobiography opened people's eyes to the evils of slavery; Anne Frank's Diary taught us that genocide kills innocent young girls; "To Kill a Mockingbird" showed us that justice isn't always just and that people should be judged by their character rather than the color of their skin; "The Grapes of Wrath" opened our eyes to the plight of migrant far There is a reason why totalitarian governments ban books. The reason is that books can change the world. "Uncle Tom's Cabin" and Frederick Douglass' autobiography opened people's eyes to the evils of slavery; Anne Frank's Diary taught us that genocide kills innocent young girls; "To Kill a Mockingbird" showed us that justice isn't always just and that people should be judged by their character rather than the color of their skin; "The Grapes of Wrath" opened our eyes to the plight of migrant farm workers; "1984" warned us about the perils of a nanny state. Now, in 2008, a new book of power has emerged. "Little Brother" is "1984" for the 21st century, but with more impact.

I don't recall that the book ever states what the year is. It really doesn't matter. It takes place post 9/11. Terrorists blow up San Francisco's Bay Bridge and everyone's constitutional rights get trampled in the aftermath. This book is aimed at teens, but every American adult should read it too. Parents should read it with their teens and discuss it with them. (There are a few scenes of teenage drinking and sex, but the overwhelming message of this book is so strong that even this conservative mother is willing to overlook it.)

My daughter was 18 on 9/11. My son is only 4 years away from being the same age as the protagonist. I remember how idealistic I was a teen. I read this book with all that in my experience. I read it as a mother; I read it as an idealistic teen; and I read it as a true believer in our rights as American citizens. I read thI didn't is book with tears in my eyes and a lump in my throat. At 47, I thought I was past the age when a book would have the power to move me and change me as profoundly as "Little Brother." I've read thousands of books in my lifetime. I have very fond memories of so many of them. But, when it comes to real power, "Little Brother" is right up there next to "To Kill a Mockingbird." I'd give it 6 stars if I could. It is that good.

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I do have to add that I gave this to my son to read before I read it. He is almost 13. He loved this book. He wants to read more books like it. I'm going to have to tell him that it's just a unique book. And, he did ask me why I didn't tell him it had "adult situations." I had to tell him that I didn't know. I really recommend that you let your teens read it before you do. They'll be less embarrassed that way. You can use the "adult situations" as a tool to talk about those touchy subjects of sex, drugs and alcohol. ...more

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Dec 18, 2008 Jackie "the Librarian" rated it really liked it

Shelves: teen-books-adults-can-enjoy, youngadult, thriller

A worst-case scenario teen thriller of what could happen if our war on terror gave Homeland Security an excuse to wield absolute power and new surveillance technology over our lives to track our every move. Countering this is a teen who knows all about computer systems, security, and various role-playing games. It's an homage to 1984, Little Brother, as opposed to Big Brother, and it reminded me of Harry Harrison's The Stainless Steel Rat. It was all a bit preposterous and over the top, but that A worst-case scenario teen thriller of what could happen if our war on terror gave Homeland Security an excuse to wield absolute power and new surveillance technology over our lives to track our every move. Countering this is a teen who knows all about computer systems, security, and various role-playing games. It's an homage to 1984, Little Brother, as opposed to Big Brother, and it reminded me of Harry Harrison's The Stainless Steel Rat. It was all a bit preposterous and over the top, but that made it fun.

Marcus is out on the streets with his friends playing a kind of computer scavenger hunt game, when terrorists attack his city, San Francisco. In the confusion, one of his friends, Darryl, gets stabbed, and when Marcus tries to flag down help, he comes to the attention of Homeland Security, who arrest them all.

Marcus doesn't want to unlock his phone for them, or answer questions without an attorney, but Homeland Security isn't playing by the rules, and soon he gives them what they want, and is released with a warning not to tell anyone, or else. But they don't release Darryl, and Marcus decides to fight back.

The whole city is put under stricter and stricter surveillance, and anyone "acting suspiciously" is being brought in for questioning. Marcus uses technology and his web of friends using hacked Xboxes to form a network outside internet surveillance, to scramble the data, but he knows they will track him down eventually. He also gets a girlfriend, roams around town with infinite time and resources while somehow still attending school, and best of all gets about 500 kids to play a LARP (Live Action Role-Playing game) dressed up as vampires at 7 in the morning in front of city hall! Bite bite bite bite bite!!! Hahahahahahaha!!!!!

It becomes a race to the finish as to whether Marcus will be able to get enough information out there to bring down Homeland Security, before he gets caught as the mastermind behind all the scrambling.

Additional material at the end of the book encourages readers to learn more about security, our government, and technology, and I think that's not a bad idea.
National Book Award finalist, teen division. ...more

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Dec 22, 2008 Kara Babcock rated it it was amazing

Shelves: nebula-nominee, 2009-best10, favourites, hugo-nominee, owned, didactic-fiction, 2009-read, science-fiction, canadian-author

I read this book in a single night, which is a pretty good testament to how much I enjoyed it. I won't be the first person to compare Little Brother to 1984 (Doctorow himself does it, alluding to it in the story by giving his protagonist the handle w1n5t0n and through the title of the book itself), but it's a very apt comparison. Little Brother is 1984 updated to take into account September 11th, the Internet, and the Department of Homeland Security. I'm not saying this book supplants 1984; you ...more

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Jul 08, 2009 Wealhtheow rated it liked it

Shelves: sci-fi, ya

Marcus and his three best friends skip high school to play an ARG, and find themselves in the middle of a terrorist attack on San Francisco. Marcus's best friend Darryl is injured, but when they try to get medical help for him, they are instead arrested as terrorists. Several tense days later, after being denied due process and tormented by the nameless people in charge, Marcus, Jolu and Van are released. But Darryl is not--and so begins Marcus's quest for answers and vengeance.
As modern day re ...more

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Apr 23, 2009 Nicky rated it it was ok

Shelves: speculative-fiction, dystopia, cyberpunk

I've been meaning to read Little Brother for a long time, so when it came up for the SF/F course on Coursera, it seemed like it was finally time. Maybe it got built up a bit too much over time, because I found it fairly disappointing. There's something very immature about it -- in some ways, that's part of its charm, because it's enthusiastic and straightforward and the characters/plot are earnest.

But. While I enjoy Cory Doctorow's non-fiction writing (he writes very clearly about copyright, pir ...more

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Nov 24, 2008 H. R. rated it really liked it

Shelves: fiction, thriller, silicon-valley, science-fiction, read-2009, young-adult, journalism, science-and-technology, technology, authors_cory_doctorow

Doctorow has done the world a service by morphing civil disobedience, technological change, and civil liberties into a youth-oriented novel. ALL TEENAGERS SHOULD READ THIS BOOK. It's a primer into survival and choices with ongoing new technology.

Will the book take with millennials? I searched youtube after reading, and was disappointed in the lack of 'non-author' hits, i.e. there wasn't a spontaneous set of postings around this book. Larry McMurty recently made the news with an 'end of the read ...more

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Nov 21, 2011 Melissa Ruhl rated it it was amazing

Shelves: sci-fi-and-speculative-fiction, childhood-and-age, science-and-technology

When I was researching this book, I found some professional reviewers complaining about the heavy political content. I kept this in mind as I read wondering why "political content" or themes would be a bad thing for a novel. Recently, I watched a video of Neal Stephenson (http://bit.ly/tzoh8L) in which he noted that art ceased to be so when it became political. Whether or not this is true, Doctorow does a fantastic job in Little Brother telling a real story in a heavily politicized environment. When I was researching this book, I found some professional reviewers complaining about the heavy political content. I kept this in mind as I read wondering why "political content" or themes would be a bad thing for a novel. Recently, I watched a video of Neal Stephenson (http://bit.ly/tzoh8L) in which he noted that art ceased to be so when it became political. Whether or not this is true, Doctorow does a fantastic job in Little Brother telling a real story in a heavily politicized environment. Stories do not cease to be stories once they enter the political (is anything ever not political?), and Doctorow shows the complexities of the world very well.

The technological discussions were by far the novel's greatest strength. Sometimes, especially in the first section of the book, Doctorow explained different technological issues at the cost of the plot, but I suppose this was necessary to educate some readers. The Xnet was brilliant, as was his look at school surveillance trends. Nothing in Little Brother was too far off from reality and those things that are already in existence, he incorporated believably and interestingly into his narrative.

Doctorow's social analysis was incredibly interesting. I was engaged and convinced by his portrayals of youth, of homelessness, and of school dynamics. All of my favorite parts of the book--with the exception of the vampmob--came at the complex intersections of different types of people. The character development was mostly excellent, but an editing slip up when Ange was referred to as Van was, I believe, telling. I did find myself wanting more emotion from Marcus regarding the apparent death of his best friend, but most of the time emotions and dialogue balanced with action to keep the story's themes interesting and engaging. I think the best character was the city of San Francisco. Doctorow's SF is alive and dynamic and I felt as though he took me there.

At the end of the book, after the story has concluded, we are treated to two afterwords and a bibliographic essay, all of which are fascinating, well written, and very applicable. I very much like the idea of containing a bibliographic essay in a work of fiction since, as anyone who has attempted creative writing knows intimately, fiction requires as much research as many nonfiction projects.

Overall, it was an enjoyable, profound read, and I look forward to reading more from Cory Doctorow. ...more

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Sep 09, 2008 Sarah rated it it was amazing

Shelves: sf, young-adult, 2008

If I knew any 15 year olds, they would all be getting this book for Christmas or Hannukah this year. I'll settle for recommending it to everybody, even if we're too old to trust. Anybody who can slip Jane Jacobs and the history of radical movements into a young adult sci-fi book is OK by me. Subversive fun. ...more

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Jun 16, 2008 bsc rated it it was ok

Shelves: fiction, read-2008, science-fiction, dystopian, young-adult

Wow, I did not envision myself giving this book two stars. I've heard so much good stuff, and I'm usually pretty in tune with the masses.

The book starts off well enough. The world appears interesting and then the bombs go off and chaos ensues. Then, it immediately goes downhill and never recovers. This is where it gets very heavy-handed...sort of like late-Heinlein, but without the skill to make it interesting. Doctorow gets very preachy, and his writing starts to feel like a blogger who had a c ...more

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Nov 06, 2010 Julie S. rated it really liked it

Shelves: read-in-2010, sci-fi-dystopian-fantasy

Marcus started a techno-rebellion after the government cracks down supposedly to prevent terrorism. Such an interesting story and it seemed quite relevant.

One thing that I enjoyed was his username. W1n5t1n. Winston, a tribute to Orwell's 1984. It was a fitting tribute considering that the San Francisco government was watching them just like Big Brother did.

I wish that we had seen more of Darryl. I was so curious to see what happened with him since he seemed like more a Winston-type character tha ...more

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Dec 03, 2019 Maree rated it liked it

This was like propaganda about why hackers are standing up for our freedom by not allowing a police state in the name of security. Lots of speeches about freedom and personal privacy -- arguments against the "If you're not doing anything wrong, why does it matter if they're tracking you?" concept. Very relevant for today's times, and a good perspective to understand. ...more

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