Little Brother by Cory Doctorow

Little Brother
Cory Doctorow
ISBN 978-0-7653-1985-2
382 pages
Tor, 2008

Genre: Issue Novel, Politics

Readers Annotation
After a terrorist attack on San Francisco, the Department of Homeland Security institutes new measures that threaten citizens' civil liberties. With a motto of "Never Trust Anyone Under 25," teenager Marcus and his hacker friends fight back.

Plot Summary
17-year-old Marcus and his friends are skipping school when terrorists bomb the San Francisco Bay Bridge. In the confusion after the attack, Marcus and his friends are taken in by the Department of Homeland Security, where they are secretly imprisoned and questioned for days. Upon their release, the DHS warns them never to tell what happened, and Marcus doesn't even tell his parents.

Marcus is concerned by what he sees as infringements by the DHS of basic civil liberties. The adults in his life, however, seem to accept that the loss of liberty is a small price to pay for additional security. Marcus decides to fight back. Known only by his handle "m1k3y," he creates Xnet, an underground computer network using hacked XBox consoles that he persuades his friends and acquaintances to use. The network grows, and the Xnetters find ways to foil DHS's security attempts.

Marcus is incredibly secretive about his new identity, not wanting to be picked up by DHS again. However, as Xnet's influence grows, the DHS takes note and tries to find the mysterious m1k3y.

Critical Evaluation
Little Brother was pulsating with excitement; it seemed as caffeine-fueled as Marcus and his friends (and that's a good thing). Doctorow is really clever at setting it in a sort of Anytime, with details that make it both seem futuristic and contemporary. The book makes a compelling case for the power of youth; with their slogan, "Don't Trust Anyone Over 25," teens and young adults are shown as the primary force fighting to preserve American freedoms. Older folks view the teens as naive and idealistic, whereas the teens wonder why everyone else is so complacent and accepts so blindly the new limits on their freedom.

These are clearly very pertinent issues, and the book seemed to be in part a direct reaction to some actions of the Bush administration. (The president described in the book seemed to have an awful lot of Bushy characteristics.) The book mentions that Congress has approved "the Patriot Act 2," and at the end of the book, Marcus is waterboarded.

The book is quite successful at making its political points and explaining the technology behind Xnet and their many hacks. The book makes all this sound very cool and exciting, and indeed there are several essays and a bibliography at the back of the book that encourage readers how to get involved--and explain just how to do so.  It's tightly plotted, and I wanted to keep reading "just a few pages more" to see what would happen. Characterizations are not particularly deep; the romance between Marcus and his new girlfriend Ange is a big part of the second half of the novel, but I didn't feel particularly invested in their relationship. I also felt like Marcus was too hard on his parents; while they dismiss his concerns, I felt like he also dismissed theirs and didn't try to understand why his father in particular was so anxious to believe that DHS was acting in the country's best interest.

Overall, though, it's a hugely entertaining and thought-provoking work.

About the Author
Cory Doctorow is an editor for the hugely influential blog Boing Boing, which started out as an underground zine in the late '80s. He has also written extensively for Wired magazine. In addition to his non-fiction journalism, he has released several science fiction novels. He has been a huge proponent of digital media rights and indeed has released online versions of his novels for free under the Creative Commons license. In the acknowledgements of Little Brother, he credits young adult authors Scott Westerfeld and Justine Larbalestier for encouraging him to write for a young adult audience.

Curriculum Ties
The book could be used to discuss issues of civil liberties, the proper role of the government, revolution, civil discourse, technology, security, and youth culture.

Booktalking Ideas
1. Explain how being secretly held by the DHS turns Marcus into something of a revolutionary.
2. Talk about how the XNetters get around some of the measures DHS has instituted.
3. Explore the ideas of youth culture in the book: "Don't Trust Anyone Over 25."

Reading Interest/Level
I think this book would be most appropriate for high schoolers and adults. Some of the themes may be a little too sophisticated for younger readers.

Challenge Issues
There are many descriptions of violence in the book: people are trampled to death in a mob, Marcus is waterboarded and mentally tortured by the DHS, and his friend Darryl is stabbed.  There is also some sexual content in the book; Marcus loses his virginity to his girlfriend Ange. There are some swear words used in the book, along with depictions of teenage drinking.

If the book were to be challenged, the librarian should ideally read the book; if not able to, s/he should familiarize herself with the book by reading reviews, as well as descriptions of the potentially controversial material on a site like Common Sense Media. The librarian should also be able to explain the library's selection policy and how the book fits those criteria. As proof of its worth, s/he could point to the book's numerous starred reviews in professional review journals, as well as its awards, such as being named a Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2008.

Selection Criteria
I first became aware of this book because it was assigned as part of this course, but its multiple positive reviews make it a worthy selection indeed.