Little Brother

This was a great book. First of all the fact that the main character is a guy is really good, i'm sick of all these books with girls as the main character. Second it's very realistic, it's scary but something like this can happen. Last but sure as hell not least this book was never boring. If you can read, you should read this book.

Little Brother is a fantastic story - compelling, terrifying (not in a horror way) and eye opening. I think it's a book that every teenager (and probably every adult too) should read. It makes you think twice about the things that you take for granted, and definitely makes you want to go back to carrying cash instead of cards. RFID blocking wallet? I think so!

I've heard Cory Doctorow's name mentioned over and over again, but I'd never read anything by him. What caught my eye with Little Brother was the blurb from Neil Gaiman on the book's cover:

"I'd recommend Little Brother over pretty much any book I've read this year."

Wow! High praise, right? How could I pass this book by? The answer is simple, I couldn't. And folks, here's some free advice, never pass up a recommendation by Neil Gaiman. The man is a genius, and he knows good books.

Little Brother is the story of Marcus, a high school hacker who ends up being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Marcus and his friends cut class and end up being near the center of a terrorist attack on San Francisco. The teens get picked up by Homeland Security and the story evolves from there. Doctorow deals with some strong themes and very important ideas in Little Brother. This book will make people think - think about what they are willing to give up for the sake of safety, and think about whether or not that safety is just an illusion. After reading Little Brother, I feel very strongly that it's a book that should be read and taught in High Schools. I think that the discussions that would arise from this book would be invaluable and hugely important for a generation of kids growing up in a world that is hugely different from the way it was ten years ago. The issues that Doctorow raises with Little Brother are ones that teenagers, and adults, really need to consider as the world we live in creeps closer and closer to the world of Orwell's 1984.

Doctorow's book, which would work as a modern day companion piece to 1984, is very well written. The plot and characters are strong and the pacing is fantastic. I really, highly, recommend this book. It's an important work of fiction.

It was going to be fun solving the next clue in Harajuku Fun Madness. Marcus, known online as w1n5t0n(Winston), met up with his friends in the San Francisco neighbourhood called the Tenderloin. They were zeroing in on the game location when a series of blasts shook the area. While pushing their way through the crowd at the subway station, Darryl, one of the friends, is stabbed. They go back to the surface to seek help. When Marcus finally manages to flag down a passing vehicle, that's when his troubles really begin.

The Department of Homeland Security mobilizes instantly after the explosions. This can't be a bad thing, as they were set up to protect American interests, and what could be more American than it's citizens. Marcus quickly learns that at least some of their employees can be very vindictive, even towards those very Americans.

Much of this story unfolds through the use of technology. Yes, there are laptops and cell phones, after all, it is the rare teenager that is caught without his or her accessories. It was the use of the hacked Xbox Universal and Paranoid Linux that really got 'things' moving. I totally enjoyed the discussions of cryptography and personal and public keys. I had previously heard of key signing parties in business (persons flying in from around the globe to sign) but not for private correspondence. Now if I could just find me a fashionable Faraday pouch I'd be set, or is that secure.

My favourite scene in the book had to be the vamp mob. I can imagine the frenzy of a rush hour crowd being caught up with a thousand or more teens dressed as vampires yelling "bite, bite, bite, bite, bite."

My overall take on this book: America all started out playing a cooperative game, the objective being a country where all could live safely, freely and be happy. After the attack on the the bridge, the DHS became an aggressor. Each time DHS's control slipped, they cheated at the game and changed the rules. The only way the citizens could achieve their objective was to play the game with a different approach. No longer could they play to win, but they had to play to thwart this new opponent so he couldn't win. The average citizen had to play the game such that they could make the cheaters rules work against them.

I listened to the unabridged audio version of this book. It was read by Kirby Heyborne. 11 hours 54 minutes. From Listening Library at Random House. After finishing listening, I ordered two hardbound copies, one for my bookshelf and one to lend. I then listened to the complete audio book for a second time.

Little Brother is party about the way society runs under the careful watch of a government. Little Brother is partly about the dark side and illegal imprisonment. Little Brother is partly about the clever use of technology. On seeing the title, one is immediately reminded of George Orwell's classic novel Nineteen Eighty Five where Big Brother is all powerful and watchful. Is Cory Doctorow suggesting that the forces of Little Brother are similar but to a lesser degree? Or is he simply writing the tale of a teenager who grows up as a techno-geek? Perhaps it's a bit of both.

Teens play an important role at times when society is corrupted. It is wrong for adults to say that teens are rebellious and that their thoughts and actions are reckless. Teens do in fact have credible opinions and are idealistic. Doctorow validates teens by making them heroes in this turbulent society where control is exercised and fear results. In fact rebellion can be good. Through first person narration, Doctorow develops the main character, Marcus Yallow, to be a highly influential leader. He has a sturdy belief that they should live in a freedom loving country, but his belief is stifled by the Department of Homeland Security. Consequently, he rebels in a very rousing and active way. In the end, he succeeds at gaining the attention and agreement of adults and put an end to the police state. Yes, teen rebellion can be a good thing.

Today, sophisticated technology exists that enhances daily life. In Little Brother, Doctorow suggests that even though technology benefits every aspect of living, it certainly has its flaws. The domineering government uses technology to control its citizens. Cameras are at every corner street and track the travel patterns of the citizens. Doctorow uses explicit detail to describe each and every piece of technology in the world of Little Brother. On the other hand, the technology allows Marcus to use XNet which assembles an army of teens to rebel against the imposing government. In other words, technology empowers the heroes.

A distinct sense of suspense is created when the government instills fear into its citizens. Doctorow once again relates it to society where there may be an illegal and inhumane prison just a mile off shore. The government would be very authoritative and no privacy would be considered. The police state which controls the citizens in Little Brother reminds me of present day prison camps such as Guantanamo Bay and those in war torn Afghanistan and Iraq. The way Little Brother is very similar to Nineteen Eighty Five strongly suggests the theme of censorship and Doctorow surely made it clear with all the evidences. No doubt, fear and imprisonment is the ultimate tool of a government to control its citizens.

This book is undoubtedly one of the most suspenseful and arousing novel I have read. It reminds us of many moral attributes that we are blinded from. It is a book worth spending the time to reflect deeply about.

Read it. Sleep with it. Dream about it. It's a great book.