Little Brother by Cory Doctorow
Very Entertaining And Thought Provoking
Marcus, a.k.a “w1n5t0n,” is only seventeen years old, but he figures he
already knows how the system works–and how to work the system. Smart,
fast, and wise to the ways of the networked world, he has no trouble
outwitting his high school’s intrusive but clumsy surveillance systems.
But his whole world changes when he and his friends find themselves
caught in the aftermath of a major terrorist attack on San Francisco. In the
wrong place at the wrong time, Marcus and his crew are apprehended by
the Department of Homeland Security and whisked away to a secret prison
where they’re mercilessly interrogated for days.
When the DHS finally releases them, Marcus discovers that his city has
become a police state where every citizen is treated like a potential
terrorist. He knows that no one will believe his story, which leaves him only
one option: to take down the DHS himself.
As many other reviewers, I finished the book in one sitting. Its 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 Orwells 1984
combined with Orson Scott Cards Enders 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.
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