Cory Doctorow's Little Brother is a modern dystopic tale that seems all too real at times. It takes place in modern day San Fransisco. It features a young hacker named Markus Yallow, who plays minor tech-pranks and engages in role playing. Not a threat to national security by any stretch of the imagination. Or, not until San Fransisco is bombed by an unknown terrorist. To say that Markus is in the wrong place at the wrong time is an understatement.When the Department of Homeland Security picks up Markus and his friends and jails them for acts of terrorism, Markus realizes that even American citizens are not necessarily safe when the government and the country are turning their backs on the Constitution and are willing to sacrifice certain rights for the "safety" of the country.
While Markus's story may seem a little far-fetched at times, his story serves as a reminder and a prediction all at once. We may take our rights provided to us as American citizens for granted, but if we do not respect those rights and stop comprising them in times of fear, we may not have them when they are needed. I found this story to be absolutely riveting and was completely engrossed in it.
If you're around town this Wednesday, Devaney Doak and Garrett Booksellers is having a book club discussion over this book at 6pm. I love this YA book club. I'm not sure if the author, Cory Doctorow will be skyping in for this book club meeting, but it's a possibility. If so, I'll post an update after the meeting and let you all know how that went.
