Little Brother

* Bibliographic information
Doctorow, C. Little Brother. Tom Doherty Associates, 2008. ISBN: 9780765319852.

- Booklist Editors' Choice - Books for Youth - Older Readers Category: 2008
- YALSA Best Books for Young Adults: 2009
- Ontario Library White Pine Award, 2008
- 2008 Prometheus Award
- Indienet Award for bestselling young adult novel in America's top 1000 independent
bookstores in 2008


* Plot Summary
Marcus does not do things typical high school students do. He does Alternate Reality Games or ARGs, he hacks security systems for his school and helps others teens cheat the system the way he does. The Department of Homeland Security also finds his activities interesting. After a large scale terrorist attack in San Francisco, Marcus and his friends are found in the wrong place at the wrong time with interesting hardware and technology on them. The DHS takes them in and imprisons them for being suspicious. They are treated badly and scared into never talking about their incarceration. After being let out, Marcus feels betrayed by his government and fears for his friend who was not let out. Marcus sets a series of events in motion when he vows to take down the DHS and find his friend Darryl.


* Critical Evaluation
This book is a very interesting read. There are so many technologies out there that people are unaware of and many of them are used to watch us. The book takes place in a world that is more surveyed than ours but it is easy to see us going down the same path. The writing keeps the reader interested; we want to know what will happen next making it hard to put the book down. The book also covers a lot of jargon unfamiliar to those not working in a computer which can be hard to follow at times. The author does try to explain most if it; even if the explanations sometimes confuse the reader more. This is a great book for anyone who wonders about today’s technology and the devices that are being use to breach our privacy.


* Reader’s Annotation
In a world where the government is watching everything we do, who watches them? Marcus and other Xnetters have taken the job and vow to take America back.


* Information about the author
Doctorow was born in Canada but now lives in London and has one daughter. In addition to writing books he is also a blogger and technology activist. He is co-editor of a popular weblog called Boing Boing. He works with many organizations including; the Electronic Frontier Foundation, UK Open Rights Group, Participatory Culture Foundation, the MetaBrainz Foundation, Technorati, Inc, the Organization for Transformative Works, Areae, the Annenberg Center for the Study of Online Communities, and Onion Networks, Inc. He also “co-founded the open source peer-to-peer software company OpenCola, sold to OpenText, Inc in 2003”. For all this information and a lot more, check out the author’s website at http://craphound.com/.


* Genre
Teen Fiction; Adventure, Science Fiction


* Curriculum Ties, if any
English:
According to the English–Language Arts Content Standards for California Public Schools, found at http://curriculum.suhsd.k12.ca.us/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=51&Itemid=66, this book would tie into the Literary Response and Analysis part of the curriculum, the student must “Analyze interactions between main and subordinate characters in a literary text (e.g., internal and external conflicts, motivations, relationships, influences) and explain the way those interactions affect the plot” (p.57). The interactions in the beginning of the book between Marcus and Darryl, then Marcus and “Severe Haircut” lady are the basis for the rest of the book. The interactions between Marcus and Darryl show how strong their friendship is, and why Marcus needed to find Darryl. The treatment Marcus received from the “Severe Haircut” lady of the Department of Homeland Security, led Marcus to start Xnet and drove him to take strong action against the DHS in an attempt stop them from doing to so many people what they did to him.

Social Studies:
This book would be of use in studying realtionships between youth and adults, as well as civilians and the government.

Government:
This book would also aid in teaching about government and its role in society. The book also talks about the Constitution and Patriot Act.


* Booktalking Ideas
1) Faced with a similar situation would you have done what Van did and walked away from Marcus and his plans?
2) Marcus did a lot of things to mess with the government’s surveillance, do you agree with what he did?
3) Discuss Marcus’ decision to come back after being given a way to run away. Why do you think he came back?
4) Talk about the day Darryl was found by Marcus, why do you think he kept saying “sorry” and “I’m sorry”?


* Reading Level/Interest Age
Grade 8 and Up / 15 and Up


* Challenge Issues and Defense
Challenge Issues: Crime, Terrorism, Challenging Authority.

Defense Ideas:
1) Ask the patron about the book and issue in question and find out how much they know about the book.
2) Help the patron become more familiar with the book and its content.
3) Show the patron positive reviews for this book, such as ones found on amazon.com; School Library Journal and Booklist, http://www.amazon.com/Little-Brother-Cory-Doctorow/dp/0765319853/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1259630892&sr=1-1.
4) If available, introduce the patron to people who have read it in the library or tell the patron what you thought of the book if you have read it.
5) Show the patron the collection development policy for that particular library. For example, the one for the San Diego County library, http://dbpcosdcsgt.co.san-diego.ca.us/screens/Intranet/policy/sdcl-policy_O.41_material-selection.pdf
6) If they still want to file a grievance about the book begin the necessary paperwork by giving them the forms they need to fill out. In the San Diego County system, the grievance will then go to The Challenged Materials Team. If the committee cannot resolve the issue, it then goes to the County Library Director for a final decision. http://dbpcosdcsgt.co.san-diego.ca.us/screens/Intranet/policy/sdcl-policy_O.34_intellectual_freedom.pdf


* Why did you include this book in your titles you selected?
This book approaches the issues of authority and freedom in a way that many teen books do not. Discussing the technology of today and tomorrow in a way where young people will relate, is genius. I had to include this book in my title selection because it is very important for everyone, teens included, to be informed about what the government is doing and to speak out if you feel they are not doing things in your favor. Just as Marcus says, our government is there to help us and if it is not doing that we need it to do, we need to change it. This is a great book for young adults; if I were a teacher or parent I would want my young adults reading it.