What is the Question?

Little Brother
by Cory Doctorow

Marcus is a slightly above-average computer geek in high school with nothing much to worry about but grades and girls. When he and his friends find themselves detained by the Department of Homeland Security after a terrorist attack on San Francisco they find other things to worry about, other more important decisions to be made. They use their superior knowledge of how the Internet works to defend their freedoms and expose the cost paid when we willingly give up those freedoms to the government.

Found myself emotionally invested in the welfare of these kids, and I cannot remember the last time I was this thrilled and horrified at the same time while reading. “Little Brother” is a page-turner in the best sense.

"Little Brother" will also make for some good conversations about the Internet and Freedom with the young adult readers in your household. My only quibble is that I kept hoping for a less cartoon-like presence on the dark side of things. Marcus' dad was probably the closest we got to seeing why people make the choice to give up their liberties, but a more-reasonable DHS person or a non-thuggish conservative classmate would have been a good addition. The people who seem the most reasonable can be even more-terrifying than the obvious beasts.

Marcus’ friends do not necessarily go willingly, if at all, on the hard road he travels. Their own personal choices can add other ingredients to the conversation proposed above. Another note: though this is billed as a “Young Adult” novel, the younger person in your life might not be ready for some of the story. For example, Marcus is dealing with teenage boy hormones and interacts with girls in a manner you might not be comfortable with exposing to your own “Young Adult.” Read this for yourself first before passing it on.

I find myself most excited about this book because it is not asking us to "Question Authority" as many DHS supporters would assume. It is asking us to "Question". Period.

Author Cory Doctorow keeps the book in a free downloadable format on his website, though you can also purchase it through the normal channels like Amazon or your local bookseller. His website also offers links to sites where his book is discussed, as well as sites like cubeecraft (from where the Little Brother image above was borrowed) and Doctrow-affiliate boingboing carries a BBTV episode on guerilla t-shirt silkscreening based on the book.

Let me know if you find any answers...!