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A review by crowsandprose
Little Brother by Cory Doctorow
4.0
Cory Doctrow, is above all things, a journalist and activist. Sadly, the passion for this subject is the book's biggest failings -- we sacrifice character and plot a bit for huge dumps of information that slow and clog. Having met the man, spoken with him -- I hear Marcus speak with his voice and that's the major failing of the book. I hear Cory in every page. His journalistic background injures him here, because the author is supposed to vanish into the page, to not be a character themselves.
I'm going to forgive that, though. I'm going to forgive that Marcus doesn't sound quite like any teenager I know or knew, I'm going to ignore that sometimes we got bogged down in technical details or historical details instead of moving plot or developing character a little further, because this is the book that every post-9/11 kid should be reading. This is the book that reminds of what we were before, what we are now, and what tools both we and the enemy have to sway us in the direction of both freedom and tyranny.
I'm going to buy a copy for my niece and nephew. (I might even give him my signed, paper copy!) I want them to know how important this is. How important Marcus's fight is, because it's the fight they're inheriting from adults that failed to protect their liberties. I want them to remember they're young, but they're capable of creating great change. I want them to be able to hope again. I want them to get mad at the idea of Marcus being shipped off shore to Syria or wherever else torture is being outsourced. I want them to feel the same passionate rage I did when Severe Haircut Woman escapes real punishment. I want them to be able to draw parallels between real world events and the fiction used to teach them about it.
I want them to think, and for all the flaws this book has -- this will make them think. So I highly recommend it for anyone with young relatives, anyone who wants to remember just how much power a single citizen can have, and just how bad it got and how could it could be again.
So: Little Brother, 4 out of 5 - a must read not for it's skill or artistry, but because it's a damned important book for our times.
I'm going to forgive that, though. I'm going to forgive that Marcus doesn't sound quite like any teenager I know or knew, I'm going to ignore that sometimes we got bogged down in technical details or historical details instead of moving plot or developing character a little further, because this is the book that every post-9/11 kid should be reading. This is the book that reminds of what we were before, what we are now, and what tools both we and the enemy have to sway us in the direction of both freedom and tyranny.
I'm going to buy a copy for my niece and nephew. (I might even give him my signed, paper copy!) I want them to know how important this is. How important Marcus's fight is, because it's the fight they're inheriting from adults that failed to protect their liberties. I want them to remember they're young, but they're capable of creating great change. I want them to be able to hope again. I want them to get mad at the idea of Marcus being shipped off shore to Syria or wherever else torture is being outsourced. I want them to feel the same passionate rage I did when Severe Haircut Woman escapes real punishment. I want them to be able to draw parallels between real world events and the fiction used to teach them about it.
I want them to think, and for all the flaws this book has -- this will make them think. So I highly recommend it for anyone with young relatives, anyone who wants to remember just how much power a single citizen can have, and just how bad it got and how could it could be again.
So: Little Brother, 4 out of 5 - a must read not for it's skill or artistry, but because it's a damned important book for our times.