Little Brother by Cory Doctorow

Little Brother by Cory Doctorow; futuristic

Rating: Five of five stars

Story: When Marcus and his friends skip class to play an Alternate Reality Game (ARG), they are caught near the scene of a terrorist attack on San Francisco and taken into custody by the Department of Homeland Security. Jailed, interrogated, scared half to death, Marcus is shaken and relieved to be released--and angered by the way he and his friends were treated. One friend is still missing. Using his mad hacker skills, Marcus fights back and becomes the Internet Robin Hood of future times, rallying teens against all odds by refusing to give in to unfair treatment and the loss of the freedom this country was built on.

Thoughts:
This book made me feel so smart and stupid all at once (stupid, because I know next to nothing about how digital technology works, and Doctorow made it seem accessible-and yet I still don't get it!); it was a brilliant roller-coaster ride of a high-tech thriller. Marcus is the ultimate martyr hero, one who does what he believes in against the odds without developing that annoying, self-sacrificing martyr attitude that often comes with the territory. He's a seventeen year old boy with a strong moral code and the guts to do what's right. The author builds the tech world for the reader without condescension and without over-doing it so much that the story bogs down in detail; Doctorow keeps the plot moving and entertaining. A fun romantic thread develops midway through the story and flows to a satisfying conclusion as well. Little Brother made me want to stand up and cheer, for Marcus and friends, for what our country was, is and hopefully will be again, and for being a helluva read.

Great hero? Check. Compelling plot? Check. Good romantic element? Check. Strong supporting cast? Check. Strong story voice? Check. Five for five!

--Lincy