Little Brother by Cory Doctorow

Review of Little Brother by Cory Doctorow

Sahnan Haber 

Have you ever been framed for something you didn’t do? In Little Brother, Highschool student,
Marcus, ends up in the wrong place at the wrong time, and is suspected of being involved in a recent terrorist attack on his hometown of San Francisco. Marcus and 3 of his friends are then shipped away to a prison by the Department of Homeland Security to be interrogated for the next few days. After returning home under a government watchlist, Marcus finds that San Francisco had turned into a dystopian, police state in which everyone is a potential terrorist. Marcus and his friends start an underground revolution through the internet to try and fight back for their freedom, all the while, trying not to get caught by the Department of Homeland Security.

Little brother was written in 2008, and set in the near future, which would be now. It’s interesting to see Cory Doctorow’s impression of what life would be like nowadays, however it does make me a little bit paranoid.


What I liked:

The characters in this book are all very well made, and are realistic. Unlike many books where the main group of friends stick together throughout the entirety of the story, Little Brother shows friends drifting apart, and other realities of life that many books fail to acknowledge. The storyline in the book is also very interesting, with many highs and lows. Whenever you think that things are starting to go in Marcus’ way, something suddenly changes, and he has to adapt to his new situation. Another really interesting thing about this book is that since some large parts of the plot are focused around protesting the government, it references historical protests, such as those against the war in Vietnam.


What I didn’t like:

Honestly, there wasn’t much that I didn’t like about this book. It kept me reading it, and there was constant action, preventing me from putting it down. However, the one complaint I would make about this book is that the author over-explains some of the scenes, leading to them being boring and confusing.


I really liked reading this book, and it was definitely one of the best that I’ve read this school year. I would give Cory Doctorow’s Little Brother a 5/5




Comments

  1. eldagFebruary 4, 2023 at 8:41 AM

    It sounds fun reading about a time set in the future but currently the present. Also, its a bit crazy to think about high school students starting a revolution in a dystopian society. That is definitely bound to create great chaos. Sounds great!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Chizara OnyemereFebruary 6, 2023 at 7:21 PM

    This sounds like an enjoyable read. I also liked how you touched on what you liked and didn't like about this book. Good review!

    ReplyDelete

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