Review of: Little Brother by Cory Doctorow

Doctorow, Cory. (2008). Little brother. New York: Tom Doherty Associates, LLC. 978-0765319852.

 Marcus Yallow is a high school student senior with an incredible talent for technology. When he and his friends are caught up in the aftermath of a terrorist attack in San Francisco, they are arrested by the Department of Homeland Security and taken in for questioning. Upon release, they discover a police state in place of their city and must use their ingenuity and computer skills to undermine a power hungry government. Written in succinct, yet elegant prose and spoken from the voice of Marcus himself, this story brings to the surface important issues of personal and intellectual freedom, privacy, and power while treating the reader to an important coming-of-age story.

Cory Doctorow’s fast-paced, apropos novel draws in its reader from the very first scene. Marcus Yallow is a 17-year-old computer nerd on a mission. Skipping school one day to attend a gaming session for the brand new Harajuku Fun Madness online game, Marcus and his friends get caught in up in the frenzy of a terrorist attack and are soon captured by suspicious Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officers and taken to a far away prison. Inside, the friends are separated tortured for information. Upon release, Marcus, Jolu (Jose Luis) and Van (Vanessa) return to their families only to discover their former home has been turned into a near-police state in which everything and everyone is under full-time surveillance. Marcus takes on the task of undermining the DHS, freeing his community from the constant invasion of privacy and proving himself innocent through his brilliant computer skills and innovation.

Little Brother is a timely tale that broaches sensitive and controversial topics like freedom, privacy and terrorism while tying in actual government agencies and policies like the DHS, Guantanamo Bay, and The PATRIOT Act. Doctorow has created a frighteningly possible world in which technology rules and the government is omniscient this book will remind readers of the Orwellian world of 1984 (hence the name “little” brother and the protagonist’s avatar, w1n5t0n). With gait-recognition software, untraceable Internet (Xnet) and instant messaging programs (IMParanoid), Doctorow creates an incredibly advanced technological world that only a fantastic science fiction novel could offer. The scene he sets for the reader is wildly imaginative yet at the same time entirely plausible; the perfect setting for a novel that aims to challenge one’s perceptions to the core. Not only does Doctorow take great pains to describe his technology, but his characters as well. Marcus and his friends are likeable, realistic teenagers from incredibly broad backgrounds. They are diverse in culture, race, socio-economic status, gender and intelligence. Doctorow has done a great job of creating a space in which each character is recognized for his or her brilliance in a particular area. This underdog story gives hope and much-needed agency to teenagers from all walks of life. Although much of the book revolves around the tech-savvy teens attempts to rescue their family and friends from the increasing clutches of the government, Doctorow does not fail to include the unbearable, emotional, intense excitement of adolescence.

With incredibly well written prose, intense issues and robust characters, Doctorow has created a novel that will open minds and spark discussions for years to come.

Little Brother was awarded the 2009 White Pine Award, the 2009 Prometheus Award and the 2009 John W. Campbell Award.

Here is a link to the book website, on which you can read interviews with the author, further information on the book and DOWNLOAD THE ENTIRE BOOK FOR FREE!