Review of Little Brother by Cory Doctorow
“Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.”
This quote is familiar to many of us but for those who don’t recognize it, particularly my comrades outside of the US, these are the infamous words of the Declaration of Independence, where our founding fathers unilaterally declared the unalienable right to eschew an oppressive, totalitarian State. Little Brother gave me high hopes from it’s onset with it’s clever references to 1984 by George Orwell (Rating: 1110) in the title and the main character’s beginning web handle “w1n5t0n”, mirroring Orwell’s Winston.
Doctorow presents a world in which a terrorist attack - double in scale to 9/11 transforms the city of San Francisco into a terrifying police state ran by the Department of Homeland Security. The narrator and main character, Marcus Yallow, is a smarmy 17 year old hacker with extensive knowledge of the city, security systems, technology, and coding. While at times bordering on showboating, Doctorow manages to weave educational tech, history, and counterculture lessons throughout a fictional narrative. The author not only displays a wide array of knowledge on countless seemingly unrelated and obscure topics, but sprinkles these throughout an imaginative plot with compelling characters in an innocuous way so as not to come across preachy or pedantic.
The rhetoric and narration did have the tendency to become juvenile and petulant in a way that readers may interpret a variety of ways. Fluctuating from annoying to charming, the protagonist’s smarmy attitude and inner dialogue is omnipresent throughout the novel. This isn’t unusual among books classified under YA fiction but phrases such as “boner that could cut through glass” and “black tr*nny hooker” undermine the likability of Marcus Yallow and therefore, make it difficult at times for the reader to sympathize with him and his sophomoric assessments of his surroundings. Worth noting, however, is that one could argue this lends credence to Doctorow’s writing capabilities as he captures the diction of a 17 year old, “alternative” white male with good intentions but a shaky grasp on the more subtle, societal power structures.
Which leads into another criticism I have of most fiction dealing with youthful rebellion against totalitarianism (See: Hunger Games, V for Vendetta, etc), the lack of even touching the economy as one of the biggest motivators for authoritarianism and the abuse of “law and order”. Doctorow gives nods to Kerouac, punk and yippie countercultures, and many social civil rights issues in such an informed, yet simple palatable way for young readers, that one would not be remiss in assuming Doctorow is conscious of how economic inequality would take a role in his fictional totalitarian society and yet deliberately omits the struggle of the more economically disadvantaged in these scenarios and give no acknowledgement to class. Not that preaching class issues is always necessary, it just gives off an impression of being incomplete given the subject manner. I will acknowledge that Jolu, a Mexican-American friend of the main character does give him a talking to midway through the novel about how his whiteness will help him get off easier should they be caught and the protagonist, begrudgingly at first, concedes that he has a fair point.
My biggest criticism would probably rest in that the last several chapters seemed almost rushed, as if a deadline was approaching and Doctorow was forced to publish or let the story die. That after Marcus Yallow was detained by the DHS and waterboarded in order to obtain information could be believed. That he would be rescued by a coalition of the Governor of California, Mayor of San Francisco, State Troopers and one veteran big shot investigative journalist is nearly impossible to believe, given the CURRENT state of American politics, let alone one with a hypothetical Patriot Act 2.0. In addition, given the rousing “Don’t Trust Anyone Over 25!” rallying cry and acts of direct action and civil disobedience by the motley crew of Xnet revolutionaries, it was disappointing as a reader to see a conclusion where press attention and cooperation with adult former critics allows him to be “saved” rather than following through with the precedent established of the youth liberating themselves through technology. I’ve checked out the sequel and can only hope that Doctorow recognizes the inconsistencies and wrote “Homeland” in order to reprise the story.
All in all though, a thrilling and informative novel that I avidly finished within a day. Commendations are in order especially for the references that Doctorow includes that inspire personal research on the part of the reader. From the Pirate Party to the Electronic Frontier Foundation to Python, Doctorow provides springboards for every reader who finds themselves swept into the spirit of the message to get involved in their own way. If one doesn’t have 6+ wikipedia tabs open after reading, I’d be personally offended by their apathy. If you’re a fan of YA fiction, I’d highly recommend this work.
areudirty
annaxmalina
snowghoul
blakekathryn
gummygunk
