I read the book Little Brother by: Cory Doctorow. I was amazed at how Marcus, a 17-year-old kid, could crash the entire Department of Homeland Security (DHS.) He is only four years older than I am. He must have a lot to carry on his shoulders, but he is only a child. His friend Van does not approve of this because he is only a kid and this a job for someone else. However, when he gets caught by the DHS he is tortured as if he was a grown man.



The reminds me of the Alex Rider series. When the M16 calls upon Alex for a mission he is a man. When Alex ask asks to make his own decisions, or for a weapon, he is a child.



Even though Marcus was set back by his age, he managed to overthrow the DHS. Despite Alex’s age, he still manages to complete every mission, obtain a weapon, and eventually leave the M16.



Winston, in the book 1984, is a grown man. The problems Winston faces are much like the ones Marcus faces except that he has no problems with his age. In the end of 1984, Big Brother manages to overcome Winston, and remains in charge of everyone. But, Marcus who is much younger than Winston, succeeds at overthrowing the DHS.



It definitely says something that Alex and Marcus who are teenagers are stronger than Winston. What this says is that Teens RULE!!!

Holy cats, y'all. I enjoyed this book far more than I had any right to. Especially because I'm over 25. ( )

Holy cats, y'all. I enjoyed this book far more than I had any right to. Especially because I'm over 25. ( )

Holy cats, y'all. I enjoyed this book far more than I had any right to. Especially because I'm over 25. ( )

In some ways, this is not the kind of book I usually read--phrases like "techno-geek" on the cover don't tend to appeal to me. But I picked this one up because both my brother and sister really liked it, and I'm glad I did. Doctorow raises a lot of difficult questions about the trade-offs between security and privacy, and tells a gripping story too.

Marcus is a high-school student in the not-too-distant future, at a time when surveillance is increasing and school-issued notebooks record every keystroke a student makes. Being concerned with privacy and good with computers, Marcus has hacked his notebook to get around the surveillance features and takes other measures like putting gravel in his shoes to outsmart the gait-recognition devices in the school hallways. He's not really a bad guy, though, more concerned with getting out of school to play games with his friends than with using his abilities for any greater, malicious purpose.

Unfortunately, after a terrorist attack in San Francisco, the authorities don't see Marcus' behaviour in such an innocent light. He's grabbed off the street almost arbitrarily by the Department of Homeland Security and accused of being a terrorist. When he isn't immediately willing to give up all his privacy and insists, for example, on seeing a lawyer, the situation only worsens. He's subjected to mild forms of torture until he yields completely, and is eventually released with instructions to tell no one about what happened and a warning that his every move will be watched from then on.

Rather than giving in, though, Marcus decides to fight back against the Department of Homeland Security. As more and more citizens' rights are taken away in the name of safety, Marcus develops an underground network devoted to preserving privacy and freedom. Nothing here is completely black-and-white, though, and many of Marcus' friends and family members oppose his actions. The result is a thought-provoking examination of how far you should go in standing up for your beliefs.

As a side note, the author of this book strongly opposes DRM and has released all his books in free, unprotected electronic formats at the same time as the print releases. This makes him a good guy in my books. ( )