Little Brother

"I think we could have a very different and much better world if every student in every high school read this book. They wouldn't find it in their school libraries, of course. But it's a winner."

"This is one of my all-time favorite books. I re-read it at least once a year. It becomes more relevant by then minute. Cory Doctorow’s tale of young people using undervalued hommade tech to work against a new surveillance state never fails to excite my nerves. The technical aspects are all legit, the characters feel authentic in a way that feels heartbreaking (even when Marcus calls his girlfriend “horsey”) and intimate. Plot aside, Doctorow has always been one of my idols for his unwavering integrity and authenticity when it comes to practicing what he preaches in books like “Little Brother”. I also recommend people check out his nonfiction work, including his essays on social media and the era of “enshittification”"

"Definitely  overrated, it was extremely hard to read and dumped a lot of technology info on you that you didn’t want. I was expecting it to be more activism YA book but it definitely was not. I only read the book because of a book club I am a part of.  After reading this book, I started to question the senses of my book group members. Unless you would like to get married to technology, I would not suggest this read. The writing style is very heavy, but not in the  traditional, emotional way.  The dumping information on you, but then if you took that information away, it wouldn’t have a solid plotline way. "

"This book is just okay. What’s most unfortunate about it is that the video game Watch_dogs 2 presents the same basic concept of this book in a much better fashion. Corporate America buying and selling user data, spying on innocent civilians, etc. and its up to one hacker named Marcus to stop them. Watch_dogs 2 makes its main cast of characters more charismatic and enjoyable and the way they execute their revenge against the corporations is more engaging. While a video game and book should not be directly compared, Watch_dogs 2 and Little brother are too close in setting, characters, and story not to analyzed"

"just an amazingly well written book. 8/10 if you don’t like techy dystopia, 10/10 if you do. loved it!"

"5/10"

"This is quite possibly the scariest book I've ever read...and yet I wouldn't classify it as horror; it's more of speculative realism. That realism is what makes it so terrifying to me. It portrays an eerily plausible near future where the 17-year-old Marcus struggles against a crackdown on civil liberties following a second PATRIOT Act after a terrorist bombing in San Francisco. <br/><br/>I pleased to find that although the reader is led to sympathize with Marcus, Doctorow also presents the other side of the security argument in a Social Studies class debate where the teacher explains with carefully constructed logic why the suspension of civil rights is necessary.<br/><br/>The book contains many pop cultural references and several brief forays into non-fiction. (I learned a bit about cryptography.) Because the book is so immersed in the technology and culture of the present day, it will probably seem quite "dated" in a decade or two. Yet, because it does a wonderful job of capturing contemporary culture, it will probably be readable as a time-capsule of the early twentieth century for years to come. The book's theme of balancing individual freedom against group security will also endure.<br/><br/>The book will probably appeal more to boys than to girls, age 12 and up, especially those interested in technology or politics. I would recommend it to adults as well."