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Little Brother by Cory Doctorow
Jan. 20th, 2009 10:32 amThe Blurb On The Back:
THE PUSHBACK STARTS HERE!
Marcus, aka "w1n5t0n", is only seventeen years old, but he figures he already knows how the system works - and how to work the system. Smart, fast, and wise to the ways of the networked world, he has no trouble outwitting his high school's intrusive but clumsy surveillance systems.
But his whole world changes when, having skipped school, he and his friends find themselves caught in the aftermath of a major terrorist attack on San Francisco. In the wrong place at the wrong time, Marcus and his crew are apprehended by the Department of Homeland Security and whisked away to a secret prison, where they're mercilessly interrogated for days.
When the DHS finally releases them, Marcus discovers that his city has become a police state, where every citizen is treated like a potential terrorist. He knows that no one will believe his story, which leaves him only one option: to take down the DHS himself.
Can one teenage hacker fight back against a government out of control? Maybe, but only if he's really careful ... and very, very smart.
( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )
The Verdict:
Because it’s a polemic this is a brash, uncompromising read that shouts the author’s views at you. For me, the shouting got a little too wearying and I longed for something a little more balanced. However the technology sections are interesting (particularly two post-script chapters by Bruce Schnier and Andrew Huang), the story is fast-paced and the fact that it’s clearly a book aimed at getting teens interested in political issues is to be applauded.
Marcus, aka "w1n5t0n", is only seventeen years old, but he figures he already knows how the system works - and how to work the system. Smart, fast, and wise to the ways of the networked world, he has no trouble outwitting his high school's intrusive but clumsy surveillance systems.
But his whole world changes when, having skipped school, he and his friends find themselves caught in the aftermath of a major terrorist attack on San Francisco. In the wrong place at the wrong time, Marcus and his crew are apprehended by the Department of Homeland Security and whisked away to a secret prison, where they're mercilessly interrogated for days.
When the DHS finally releases them, Marcus discovers that his city has become a police state, where every citizen is treated like a potential terrorist. He knows that no one will believe his story, which leaves him only one option: to take down the DHS himself.
Can one teenage hacker fight back against a government out of control? Maybe, but only if he's really careful ... and very, very smart.
( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )
The Verdict:
Because it’s a polemic this is a brash, uncompromising read that shouts the author’s views at you. For me, the shouting got a little too wearying and I longed for something a little more balanced. However the technology sections are interesting (particularly two post-script chapters by Bruce Schnier and Andrew Huang), the story is fast-paced and the fact that it’s clearly a book aimed at getting teens interested in political issues is to be applauded.
