From the Bookshelf of Sci-fi and Heroic Fantasy…

Little Brother (Little Brother, #1)

Cory Doctorow

Start date: June 21, 2014

Finish date: July 20, 2014

Discussion: Book Discussions

Discussion leader: Ben Rowe

Why we're reading this: June 2014 Group Contemporary Novel Discussion
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Aug 14, 2008 Michael rated it it was amazing

Shelves: science-fiction, read-in-2008

In an attempt to win over a new generation of sci-fi readers, Cory Doctorow's "Little Brother" is marketed as a young adult book. However, adult readers shouldn't worry that Doctorow's book will leave them behind or have them feeling juvenile for reading it.

"Little Brother" is a mature, contemporary novel that looks at the issue of security in a near-future that doesn't seem too far from today. When San Francisco is attacked by terrorists, seventeen-year-old hacker Marcus and his friends are out In an attempt to win over a new generation of sci-fi readers, Cory Doctorow's "Little Brother" is marketed as a young adult book. However, adult readers shouldn't worry that Doctorow's book will leave them behind or have them feeling juvenile for reading it.

"Little Brother" is a mature, contemporary novel that looks at the issue of security in a near-future that doesn't seem too far from today. When San Francisco is attacked by terrorists, seventeen-year-old hacker Marcus and his friends are out playing the latest mission of the most popular game of the day. Because of their proximity to the attack and their background as hackers, Marcus and his friends are detained and questioned by the Department of Homeland Security. Stripped of his rights, Marcus is eventually set free, but finds that new restrictions placed on the Internet and the world under the banner of making his country more safe are having the opposite effect. Marcus sets out to restore his true freedom and take out the oppressive regime of the Homeland Security Officers.

"Little Brother" doesn't shy away from the big questions. While this novel is set in a non-defined near future, Doctorow is clearly commenting on the ways and means used today to keep our country and world "safe" from the next attack. At one point does it go from keeping us safe to denying us our freedoms and is that tradeoff worth it in the long run? Doctorow's story of Marcus and his fight against the larger Big Brother is fascinating and terrifying all at the same time. As you read the story, you may realize just how much of our basic, assumed freedoms have been abridged all in the name of security and safety.

Doctorow also takes this opportunity to provide readers an education of security systems and computer programming. In what easily could have been some of the driest portions of the novel, Doctorow is able to give the reader some insight and knowledge, which may leave you curious to pursue more information on the inventors and security methods.

Doctorow is something of an Internet celebrity, having revolutionized the marketing of his novels through taking advantage of on-line distribution. He's grown as a writer since his debut in "Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom" and with "Little Brother," while he's writing for a young adult audience, he's found a new level of mature and assured writing that makes "Little Brother" one of the more remarkable and haunting books I've read this year. ...more

71 likes · Like · see review

Jul 28, 2014 Jim rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 1audio, historical, 2fiction, 3series, 3classics, war

Yes, I put a book that was published 8 years ago on my 'Classics' & 'Historical' shelves. It's NOT on my 'Science Fiction' shelf. I read a fair amount of history & SF. This book is very important historically & will be acknowledged as a classic. I've been fiddling with computers since before the Internet was public & have been administering networks for 20 years now. There's nothing in this book that takes the science into the realm of SF.

One of my basic duties is dealing with security against b ...more

36 likes · Like · see review

Jul 27, 2017 Bee rated it really liked it

Shelves: recommended-to-me, audiobook, near-future-scifi, young-adult

Damn that was satisfying.

I read this after listening to Cory Doctorow on the Sword and Laser podcast. Fascinating guy. I liked his world view, and this book proved I was right. It's a book about the importance of privacy in a age of ever increasing surveillance. It is a very realistic look, albeit written in a way accessible to young adults etc. at where our is heading at a fast trot. At how terrorism is being used to quickly and quietly slip a noose around our digital throats and what could be ...more

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Oct 07, 2008 Jeffrey rated it really liked it

Shelves: science-fiction, read-in-2008, cyberpunk

Doctorow's latest novel is chock full of ideas. Presented as a juvenile, it was in adult section of my library. Basically, the premise is that the United States is again attacked by terrorists and the USA reacts (or overreacts as the author claims) by giving homeland security vast new powers to watch over the citizenry and spy on us and indocrinate its school children as to why its necessary to give up liberties for the greater good. One student however rebels from this vision of the social good ...more

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Oct 14, 2008 Tom rated it liked it

Shelves: hard-copy

The core of this story is completely believable: a (relative) innocent, Marcus Yallow, is nabbed by federal authorities for being (suspiciously) near a terrorist attack. Like any teen, he cops an attitude, fails to cooperate and, as a result, becomes a "high priority" subject to the Department of Homeland Security. Torture, loss of dignity and loss of human/legal rights is the result.

The story loses a bit of steam when Doctorow gets overly preachy. There were passages where Doctorow ranted at le ...more

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Aug 13, 2013 David rated it really liked it

This book is a rallying cry for Southern California youth and raises important questions that should be discussed in a classroom setting. Unfortunately this principal just gave the youth every reason to believe that they are being manipulated by the adults just as they are depicted in the novel, not to mention getting the whole point of the novel wrong. It's about standing up for your constitutional rights in an age where privacy no longer exists. Cheers to Doctorow and his publisher for basical ...more

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Dec 23, 2024 Scot rated it really liked it

Shelves: young-adult, scifi

I enjoyed this book, it is a YA dive into authoritarian government as a response to terrorism and keeping people "safe." The story centers around a protagonist that accidentally gets swooped up by the Department of Homeland Security after a terrorist bombing in San Francisco and after an extremely tortuous experience with DHS, decides to push back against their fascist tactics. It feels like a pretty heroic story, gets to the great side of hacking a la the white hats and is led by teenagers with ...more

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Nov 06, 2009 Patrick rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy, sci-fi, urban-fantasy

This is my first Doctorow book, and I have to say I'm impressed. A great book full of allegorical tales to reflect where paranoia will eventually lead. Absolutely a great book. ...more

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