Cory Doctorow’s fiction elegantly dissects the contemporary social systems and structures that we take for granted. Doctorow’s Little Brother takes place in the aftermath of the destruction of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. In the wrong place at the wrong time, Marcus, Darryl, Jolu, and Van are arrested and held without charge on suspicion of being involved in the attack.
Doctorow’s energetic and committed prose integrates speculative elements without pages of explanation. This creates a seamless “parallel San Francisco” in which the events discussed have occurred, and the technological inventions of the author exist. Marcus is highly tech-savvy, able to “go through firewalls like wet kleenex, spoof the gait-recognition software, and nuke the snitch chips they track us with.” Through Marcus, Doctorow introduces a wide range of real and imagined technology, placing his characters in an only slightly distorted version of the wired world inhabited by many teenagers. His depiction of high-tech contemporary youth culture and technology as one of the forces binding this group of friends is both persuasive and appealing.
Little Brother races along, immersing the reader in the youth culture of the near future, and drawing the reader into Marcus’ friendships. We follow Marcus’ principled and hi-tech resistance of what he sees as the improper application of government power, while the narrative builds towards a powerful conclusion. Forced to defend his decisions, Marcus develops axioms that guide his actions. In common with the best sci-fi, this speculative (yet very recognizable) reality has much to teach us about our own rights and obligations, as well as the expectations that we should have for our government. For a new and creative prompt to wrestle with these issues, take a look at Little Brother by Cory Doctorow, or listen to the audiobook!
For more great Young Adult Literature recommendations from Howard County Library staff, come along to B3 – Boys. Books. Breakfast, at Elkridge Branch on Saturday, December 5, at 9:00 am. Enjoy all you can eat pancakes and learn about some exceptional books that will make you hungry to read! Dads are welcome, too. Register online today!