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Doctorow, Cory: LIttle Brother v1.0 2008-05-09

Here is Cory Doctorow's newest book: Little Brother. It is released via a Creative Commons license.

Quote:

Marcus, a.k.a “w1n5t0n,” is only seventeen years old, but he figures he already knows how the system works–and how to work the system. Smart, fast, and wise to the ways of the networked world, he has no trouble outwitting his high school’s intrusive but clumsy surveillance systems.

But his whole world changes when he and his friends find themselves caught in the aftermath of a major terrorist attack on San Francisco. In the wrong place at the wrong time, Marcus and his crew are apprehended by the Department of Homeland Security and whisked away to a secret prison where they’re mercilessly interrogated for days.

When the DHS finally releases them, Marcus discovers that his city has become a police state where every citizen is treated like a potential terrorist. He knows that no one will believe his story, which leaves him only one option: to take down the DHS himself.

Thanks for Little Brother

You are all very welcome!

Just a note that Doctorow has recommended for those who enjoyed the book and are so inclined to donate a copy of Little Brother to a school or library. Details in the book itself, and at http://craphound.com/littlebrother/donate/

I have no need for the paper based book, and so I sent a book through Amazon to a local school library.

Does this make me feel all warm and fuzzy... yeah, just a little. But I am a sucker for Karma!

Thanks again, Jon, for the eCopy!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Donnageddon (Post 181343)

The language of the book may reduce your Karma to some extent, and the book is written amateurishly. I'm sorry, it was pretty bad and didactic. To ask me if I could do better would be a fair enough response, but I suspect I could have developed this theme up to some standard of literary craft.

Well maybe I should try a second round with this book, it had been praised pretty highly, and after a few pages it is not totally surprising I felt let down. Maybe I'll try again sometime, sorry I sounded so harsh.. There is much to like about this book, a great theme, potential for strong characters, but it all seemed so predetermined and contrived, and the best books I have ever read have some subtle ambiguity which lets the reader draw their own conclusions, rather than the frying pan over the head. I'm thinking of Terrorist by Updike as an example of a character study which hits its mark more successfully.

Just stumbled upon Exclusive to Voyager Books

what do you know. My opinion holds though.

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The language of the book may reduce your Karma to some extent

I'm not too concerned about that. I believe it is a truly excellent YA novel.

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My opinion holds though.

As does anyone believe, who has one.

I work with a YA population, and these kids are not the same character set described by a long shot. Maybe each and every one of them is unenlightened.