ISBN: 978-0765319852
$17.95 (e-book available for free)
10th grade and up (School Library Journal)
2009 White Pine Award, 2009 Prometheus Award, 2009 John W. Campbell Memorial Award, finalist for the Hugo Award for Best Novel.
Seventeen-year-old Marcus Yallow unexpectedly finds himself on the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s list of undesirables. This tech-savvy teen and his alternate-reality gamming crew are “detained” after being in the wrong place during a terrorist attack. Upon his release, Marcus is appalled by the blatant civil rights violations that are seemingly everywhere after the attack. As Marcus sets out to defend his rights as an American, he soon realizes Homeland Security does not show mercy to “traitors”.
I really liked this book. The tech jargon and sneaky tips made for a very interesting read. Doctrow does a very good job of making the reader question his or her opinions on things like the loss of rights in exchange for being “safe”. I loved 1984, but I cannot get a single student to read it because, “Ninteen Eighty-Four was, like, so long ago.” God forbid I tell them when it was actually written. Little Brother is an easier sell. I read this book because it was recommended to me by one of my former students who was an avid reader, and who also was very opinionated about books. He really liked this one, so I gave it a shot. I’m glad I did. I have recommended his book to many students, but mostly to tech-savvy boys.
4/5
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