Book 2009 #3: Little Brother by Cory Doctorow
Filed Under: Novel, Recommended Media
I can’t help but think this book would have had a bigger impact on me if I had read it before Obama was elected. It’s a great overblown rant against all the horrible things DHS has done in the name of protecting us. It’s a decently written book with moderately interesting geek characters fighting the good fight and using wireless to do it (sounding suspiciously familiar?). So Cory’s hotbutton issues show more than a lot of other writers–I don’t really mind because I share most of those interests myself. I wanted to like this book more than I did, and I liked it quite a bit, but the resolution is what eventually made me put it in the “not sure” pile. I’m going behind a cut to talk about more in case you don’t want the ending spoiled.
The ending made me angry because i couldn’t buy the knights-in-shining-armor ending. Cory leads you right down the path of reality all the way up to and including torturing his protagonist with water boarding. And right before he breaks… hes’ rescued, deus ex machina-style by the California State Troopers?? Seriously? I felt a little disgusted by this, but maybe my cynicism wanted the more likely reality portrayed. As I tore through the book (it’s quite a page turner), I kept wondering, how is he going to beat this? How is he going to get out? And I was mostly satisfied with the idea of him escaping the city, and was surprised when he did a 180 on that. I thought maybe I was in for the downbeat ending I was expecting.
Ultimately, no. Cory’s a bigger optimist than I am. What I can decide is if that ending was the responsible thing to write for kids who would read this book and be inspired by it. Fight your government like that and most likely the CHiPs aren’t going to ride to your rescue.
Never trust anyone over 25. And that includes Cory Doctorow.
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