|  | Author: Cory Doctorow
Publisher: Tor Teen
List Price: $17.95
Buy Used: $6.04
as of 11/24/2009 12:38 CST details
You Save: $11.91 (66%)
New (42) Used (49) Collectible (2) from $6.04
Seller: thrift_books
Rating:  142 reviews
Sales Rank: 10538
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Published)
Media: Hardcover
Reading Level: Young Adult
Pages: 384
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 8.3 x 5.4 x 1.5
ISBN: 0765319853
EAN: 9780765319852
ASIN: 0765319853
Publication Date: April 29, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Dust Cover Missing. Millions of satisfied customers and climbing. Thriftbooks is the name you can trust, guaranteed. Spend Less. Read More.
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 11-15 of 142
 Politics, Technology and Security July 26, 2009
Ilya Grigorik (Toronto, ON, Canada)
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
As many other reviewers, I finished the book in one sitting. It's an easy and captivating read, partly because it is so close to home, and partly because you could easily construct this story in the real life - think Orwell's "1984" combined with Orson Scott Card's "Ender's Game", but set today in the city of San Francisco.
The book is set within a context of a recent terrorist attack on SF and the consequent DHS (Department of Homeland Security) lockdown of the city. The lead character, Marcus or M1k3y stands up to the imposed regime and fights back with technology: jamming and reprogramming RFID readers, organizing flash mobs through TOR network, and so on.
However, while the story is sci-fi, the technology is not. In fact, everything that Cory Doctrow mentions in the book already exists in the wild. For that reason alone, this book can serve as a great eye-opener to many technical and non-technical individuals interested in the security of their identity and their privacy (both online and offline).
Pass it around your family, get one of your friends. Great read.
Very Entertaining and Thought Provoking July 23, 2009
K. Lewis
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
I had a hard time putting this book down. I found it suspenseful, funny and just a lot of fun.
I also found the points made to be quite thought provoking. The author definitely has a point of view but it's well integrated in this all-too-possible story.
A good book with an important message July 19, 2009
Alissa (NJ)
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
Little Brother is a near future science fiction novel that describes an Orewellian (hence the title) situation that arises after a terrorist attack on San Francisco and the teenagers that use technology to fight back against a government intent on stealing their freedom.
This is a country that was founded by a bunch of rebels who didn't like the idea of people taking away their freedom, and too often people forget that. We are way too complacent when it comes to the government meddling in our affairs. Young people should read this book, not just because it is a good book with some wonderfully real and non-cookie cutter characters, but because it also has an important message. Of course, maybe the kids are not the ones we need to worry about. Maybe it's the grown-ups who need to be reminded of what it means to be free, and why we shouldn't let anyone, but especially our government, start messing around with our freedom.
 Yawn July 10, 2009
Steve (Weymouth, MA USA)
3 out of 7 found this review helpful
Having a point to make is all good and well in an essay or a speech, but when you present it in the form of a novel you should include a somewhat believable and entertaining story line.
The concern over our lose of liberty is real, and the counter terrorist measures being taken are really much more effective at curtailing our freedoms than at controlling terrorists; but a boring book is still a boring book.
 What a ridiculous novel June 29, 2009
M. Morlok (Asheville, NC)
13 out of 21 found this review helpful
I was really looking forward to reading this book. I love young adult literature and this looked like a great novel from the reviews I read. However, I was completely disappointed.
First, Marcus was just an unlikable character. He was pompous and rude. It's obvious he was a smart guy but why did he feel the need to flaunt it CONSTANTLY. Also, from the cover and from the start of the book it looked like a story about three friends who suffered together and then worked together to do something positive because of their shared experience. However, as soon as Van and Julu disagreed with Marcus he dropped them completely. I mean just because they didn't agree with him he couldn't even talk to them? I kept hoping they would come back but Marcus became so involved in Ange and Xnet that his friendships with Van, Julu, and even Daryl were dropped for most of the book. That really bothered me. He only went to them when he needed them and had nobody else to turn too. That seems like a bit of a user to me.
Also, I've never read a book that was so black and white. There was not a bit of grey in the whole story. You either despised the government and plot against them (good) or sympathize with the government and do everything in your power to thwart freedom (bad). I definitely lean toward the left politically but I don't think our government and the people who support conservative candidates are evil and dumb. Before people start ranting I KNOW that our country has tortured people, made security check points in airports more extensive, etc... and I might not agree with these decisions, but I also feel that our country has done good things too. Most Americans are considered moderate politically and I just don't feel like this novel speaks to anyone other than extreme liberals that really enjoy ranting about how horrible our country is.
To finish, this storyline intrigued me. That is why I bought the book. I thought it was going to be something like V for Vendetta where each character has flaws and no side is perfect. Every character makes mistakes but in the end the decision for freedom is put into the hands of the people. Nothing in V was black or white and their were so many layers of why events were happening. It was so powerful. However, Little Brother was not that. It was a political rant from a guy that is blind from hate that he spews it throughout the whole book and makes the storyline suffer for it.
Showing reviews 11-15 of 142
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