UM Book Club - Little Brother by Cory Doctorow Part IV
November 6, 2008 by Greg
Pages 181 - 266 (Ch 17-end)
In the final reading section the book is quick paced. I found myself fervently consuming the remaining pages all in one sitting. I was so caught up in the story, my mind moved from the analyzation of the book to the plot and character interaction. This has definitely served as a testament of Doctorow’s writing. I’m looking forward to reading more of his work.
Marcus and Ange meet with the journalist Barbara to divulge all of the information on the prison and the following xNet. Immediately following the meeting, Marcus starts receiving emails from hacker turned DHS agent Masha. As a side note, everytime I read that name a certain website comes to mind.
Fearing his security, Marcus and Ange plan to go underground with Masha’s guidance. Things go awry and Marcus backs out of the agreement. Zed comes back and serves again as a guide to Marcus. Shortly after Marcus is whisked back to the prison, undergoes torture, and is rescued by Barbara and a team of local law enforcement fellows. Charges are mostly dropped, and Marcus lives happily ever after with Ange working on a non-profit derivative of the xNet work.
This book serves its intention well. It renewed my excitement about technology and opened my eyes a bit more to things going on in current news. Suddenly I’m paying more attention to global stories about Australia’s interim terrorist prison and local stories about the operation of government funded security cameras in my neighborhood.
So… I never got around to giving my final thoughts on Little Brother, but if I were to, it would be this: A must read! I loved this book and it’s tech focus. It made you think about what the world could become if we continue to let fear run our lives, it made you think about what all these technologies could turn into if we let those in control run rampant with them, and it made you think about who the leaders of tomorrow are going to be. If you haven’t already, then pick up a copy of Little Brother and give it a read, because if you’re like me, you won’t regret it.