Little Brother (Doctorow novel)

Author Cory Doctorow
Country United States
Language English
Subject Terrorism, cryptography, computer hackers, Department of Homeland Security, Libertarianism, privacy, police state, Dystopian Young Adult Fiction
Genre Fiction / Cyberpunk
Published April 29, 2008 (Tor Teen)
Media type Book
Pages 380
ISBN 978-0-7653-1985-2
OCLC 176972381
LC Class PZ7.D66237 Lit 2008
Followed by Homeland

Little Brother[1] is a novel by Cory Doctorow, published by Tor Books. It was released on April 29, 2008.[2] The novel is about four teenagers in San Francisco who, in the aftermath of a terrorist attack on the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge and BART system, defend themselves against the Department of Homeland Security's attacks on the Bill of Rights. The novel is available for free on the author's website under a Creative Commons license (CC BY-NC-SA), keeping it accessible and remixable to all.[3]

The book debuted at No. 9 on The New York Times Best Seller list, children's chapter book section, in May 2008.[4] As of July 2, it had spent a total of six weeks on the list, rising to the No. 8 spot.[5] Little Brother won the 2009 White Pine Award,[6] the 2009 Prometheus Award.[7] and the 2009 John W. Campbell Memorial Award. It also was a finalist for the Hugo Award for Best Novel.[8] Little Brother received the Sunburst Award in the young adult category.[9]

The New York Times says, "'Little Brother' isn't shy about its intent to disseminate subversive ideas to a young audience." The novel comes with two afterword essays by cryptographer and computer security specialist Bruce Schneier, and hacker Andrew "bunnie" Huang, and has a bibliography of techno-countercultural writings, from Jack Kerouac's "On the Road" to Schneier’s "Applied Cryptography".[10]

Characters

Marcus on limited edition cover

Plot

Marcus Yallow is a 17-year-old hacker/techno whiz from San Francisco. One day at his high school named after Cesar Chavez, Marcus is accused of hacking into the school by vice principal Frederick Benson. Marcus and Benson do not get along and Marcus believes that Benson is perpetually trying to get rid of him. Marcus is let go due to a lack of evidence and he returns to class.

Later that day, Marcus and his best friend Darryl escape school to play a massive mixed reality role game that partially involves a scavenger hunt around town. They meet up with fellow group members and game players Vanessa and Jolu. While searching for a part for the game, a series of explosions go off in the city. This sets off sirens and alarms which sends everybody running for the shelters. The group initially tries to go to the shelter but then they decide to leave. While leaving, Darryl is stabbed in the crowd. They finally escape the crowd and flag down a vehicle because Darryl needs immediate medical attention. Three men get out of the vehicle and put bags over each group members' head and then shove them into the vehicle.

Marcus and his friends arrive at an unknown location and are put into a trailer where they are separated and are amongst many other people. They find out that they are being held by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to be interrogated for suspicions of being connected to the terrorist attack. After a series of interrogations that take place over a period of six days, Marcus, Jolu, and Vanessa are finally released. Darryl's whereabouts are unknown. The DHS tells Marcus that they will be monitoring his actions and moves because he is still a suspect. Marcus is "infuriated at how his civil rights [are] ignored."[11]

Marcus revolts by setting up technological attacks on the DHS in order "to [thwart] further efforts to restrict personal liberty".[12] Marcus also sets up a network primarily composed of teenage members using a game console so they can communicate freely while fighting "the surveillance state."[13] This causes a war between the rebelling youth and the Department of Homeland Security.

When a former prisoner who was held by the DHS tells Marcus that Darryl is still alive, Marcus tells a reporter and his family about his actions taken against the DHS. The report from the reporter is then published and the DHS takes Marcus into custody again. During a waterboarding interrogation, highway patrol troopers raid the DHS compound because of an order from the governor and arrest the DHS agents. Darryl is subsequently freed and Marcus returns to his life the way it was before the terrorist attacks.

Major themes

Little Brother has major themes that, according to some, are too serious for a young adult novel. In an interview, the Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy asked Doctorow about his "potentially heavy themes, including paranoia, loyalty, sex, torture, [and] fear"[14] and when his editing staff asked to censor the themes, he replied, "Oh, no."

The Hollywood Reporter remarked, "The book tackles many themes, including civil liberties and social activism".[15]

According to journalist April Spisak's article on "What Makes a Good Young Adult Dystopian Novel?" Spisak claims, "Cory Doctorow’s Little Brother probably represents the purest example on the list—modern technology meets classic dystopic elements—even while the book itself is part instructional guide, part love story, and part rant at the increasingly dictatorial powers that be that consider safety at any cost a reasonable exchange. Small personal victories for the protagonist and his friends are present, but the power of Big Brother is hardly tempered by their work, and the folks who tangled with the government are all permanently scarred by the encounter."[16]

The book has also been characterized as "[expressing] astonishment, fear, uncertainty, shame, and guilt"[17] and addressing "issues of political authority, social order, individual freedom and electronic security."[18]

Background

Little Brother takes place in the "near future rather than decades or centuries away."[19] Little Brother also makes use of "obvious parallels to Orwellian warnings and post 9/11 policies."[20]

Reception

Novel

Cindy Dobrez in her review for Booklist said that "Doctorow’s novel blurs the lines between current and potential technologies, and readers will delight in the details of how Marcus attempts to stage a techno-revolution. Obvious parallels to Orwellian warnings and post-9/11 policies, such as the Patriot Act, will provide opportunity for classroom discussion and raise questions about our enthusiasm for technology, who monitors our school library collections, and how we contribute to our own lack of privacy."[20] Kirkus Reviews described it as an "unapologetically didactic tribute to 1984", and called it a "Terrifying glimpse of the future—or the present."[21] Publishers Weekly said that it was "filled with sharp dialogue and detailed descriptions of how to counteract gait-recognition cameras, RFID's (radio frequency ID tags), wireless Internet tracers and other surveillance devices, this work makes its admittedly didactic point within a tautly crafted fictional framework."[22] Institute of Public Affairs says that "Doctorow, like many freedom-fighting writers before him likes his women smart and strong. Male or female, freedom-loving writers tend to like writing strong female characters, often protagonists."[23]

Attempted censorship

In 2014, a High School Principal in Pensacola, Florida, Michael Roberts, pulled Little Brother from his school's summer reading list because the book is "about questioning authority" and portrays questioning authority "as a positive thing." Roberts also described Cory Doctorow, a Canadian author living in England, as "an outsider to the George W. Bush administration."[24]

In response, Doctorow had his publisher send a free copy of the book directly to every 9th and 10th grade student at the school.[25]

Adaptations

Play

In early 2012, it was announced that the novel Little Brother written by Cory Doctorow will be made into a play directed by Josh Costello called Little Brother. The play was augmented with animated video projections, an original score by Chris Houston and original choreography by Daunielle Rasmussen.

Marin Independent said that Little Brother is "required watching!'[26]

Charlie Jane Anders of io9 praised the Little Brother play: "I was lucky enough to catch a preview performance of the Custom Made Theatre Co.'s new stage adaptation of Cory Doctorow's award-winning novel Little Brother the other day—and it was a total marvel. Somehow, writer/director Josh Costello managed to condense the novel down to a two-hour play, without losing any of the impact. If anything, the staged version hits a bit harder than the book, because of the intense, but not overstated, performances."[27]

According to TheatreStorm, "Costello has wisely tightened Doctorow’s book to three main characters. On a nearly empty stage, Costello utilizes video and sound effects superbly, creating multiple San Francisco locations, mass demonstrations, press conferences, online experiences and coaching his actors to create multiple characterizations as necessary. This is the best kind of political theatre. Thought provoking, suspenseful, emotionally real, uncomfortably close to the hard truth."[28]

Film

The novel has also been the subject of a possible movie. The production company AngryFilms has optioned Little Brother "with the aim of translating it to the big screen."[29]

In September 2015, Doctorow announced on his blog that Little Brother had been optioned by Paramount with Don Murphy as the producer.[30]

Dedications

Each chapter of the e-book edition of Little Brother is dedicated to a different bookstore: Bakka-Phoenix (a Toronto sci-fi/fantasy bookstore where Doctorow used to be employed), Amazon.com, Borderlands Books, Barnes & Noble, Secret Headquarters, Powell's City of Books, Books of Wonder, Borders, Compass Books/Books Inc., Anderson's Bookshops, the university bookstore at the University of Washington, Forbidden Planet, Books-A-Million, Mysterious Galaxy, Chapters/Indigo Books, Booksmith, Waterstone's, Sophia Books, MIT Press Bookshop, The Tattered Cover, Pages Books, and Hudson Booksellers.

Author

In reference to Little Brother, Cory Doctorow has stated that "the enemy is obscurity, not piracy." His book Little Brother is available on his website for free, which is provided in a variety of formats.[31][32]

Sequel

On June 20, 2012, Doctorow posted the cover art of the sequel to Little Brother, titled Homeland and had also posted that a manuscript was turned into Tor Books.[33] An excerpt was posted for viewing on the publisher's website on July 19, 2012, featuring the opening part of the story taking place at the Burning Man festival.[34] Homeland was released, in hardback, on February 5, 2013.

References

  1. ↑ Doctorow, Cory. Little Brother. New York: Tor Teen, 2008
  2. ↑ http://craphound.com/?p=2049 Release date.
  3. 1 2 Doctorow, Cory. "Little Brother > Download Free". Retrieved 2008-08-11.
  4. ↑ Children’s Books – New York Times, May 5, 2008.
  5. ↑ Children’s Books – New York Times, July 6, 2008.
  6. ↑ "White Pine Award list of winners". Retrieved 2009-07-08.
  7. ↑ "Prometheus Award Press Releases". Retrieved 2009-07-08.
  8. ↑ "AnticipationSF Hugo Finalist list". Retrieved 2009-07-08.
  9. ↑ "Awards and Announcements". Resource Links. Retrieved 16 May 2013.
  10. ↑ Grossman, Austin (September 14, 2008). "Nerd Activists". The New York Times.
  11. ↑ Palmer, Jean. "Doctorow, Cory, Little Brother". Kliatt. Retrieved 16 May 2013.
  12. ↑ Hunt, Jonathan (July–August 2008). "Cory Doctorow: Little Brother". The Horn Book Magazine. 4. 84: 441. Retrieved 16 May 2013.
  13. ↑ "Doctorow, Cory: LITTLE BROTHER". Kirkus Reviews. 1 April 2008. Retrieved 16 May 2013.
  14. ↑ Bernick, Bernick, Steele, Philip, Galen, Rhonda (February 2010). "Little Brother (Book Review)". Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy. 53 (5): 433. Retrieved 9 March 2011.
  15. ↑ Kit, Borys (23 March 2010). "Making George Orwell proud: Angryfilms options Doctorow's tale of social activism 'Little Brother'". Hollywood Reporter. Student Edition. pp. 5–6. Retrieved 9 March 2011.
  16. ↑ What Makes a Good YA Dystopian Novel? - The Horn Book
  17. ↑ Chang, Edie (15 February 2009). "Little Brother". Booklist. 12. 105: 100. Retrieved 16 May 2013.
  18. ↑ Degen, John (September–October 2008). "Little lessons: Cory Doctorow's 1984 homage is too cool for school". This Magazine. 2. 42: 43. Retrieved 5 May 2013.
  19. ↑ Chipman, Ian (15 May 2009). "Core Collection: dystopian fiction for youth". Booklist. 18. 105: 50. Retrieved 16 May 2013.
  20. 1 2 Dobrez, Cindy (1 April 2008). "Little Brother". Booklist. 15. 104: 48. Retrieved 16 May 2013.
  21. ↑ "Little Brother". Kirkus Reviews. 76 (7): 355. April 1, 2008. ISSN 0042-6598.
  22. ↑ "Little Brother". Publishers Weekly. 255 (15): 55. April 14, 2008. ISSN 0000-0019.
  23. ↑ Space ships and sound money | Institute of Public Affairs Australia
  24. ↑ Secola, Jamie. "Principal: 'Little Brother' questions authority". The Pensacola News Journal. Pensacola News Journal. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
  25. ↑ Doctorow, Cory. "Why I'm sending 200 copies of Little Brother to a high-school in Pensacola, FL". boingboing/Cory Doctorow. boingboing. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
  26. ↑ Marin Independent says Little Brother is “required watching!”, The Custom Made Theatre Co.
  27. ↑ Cory Doctorow's Little Brother becomes a must-see stage play
  28. ↑ Custommade premiers exciting political drama, ‘Little Brother’ | TheatreStorm
  29. ↑ Kit, Borys. "Angryfilms options 'Little Brother' novel". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 27 June 2015.
  30. ↑ "Little Brother optioned by Paramount". Cory Doctorow's craphound.com. Retrieved 2016-03-21.
  31. ↑ Bethune, Brian (5 May 2008). "Scourge of the corporate pirates: the artist's enemy is obscurity, not piracy, says novelist and Web activist Cory Doctorow". Maclean's. 17. 121: 57. Retrieved 16 May 2013.
  32. ↑ http://craphound.com/littlebrother/download/
  33. ↑ Little Brother >> Blog Archive » Cover for Homeland, the sequel to Little Brother
  34. ↑ Homeland (Excerpt) by Cory Doctorow | Tor.com
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