Little brother, by Cory Doctorow

Cory Doctorow, co-editor of Boing Boing and author of several adult novels has produced a stunning entry into the world of young adult literature. Marcus, known as w1n5t0n online is a smart 17 year old who has no trouble hacking his school’s security system so he and his friends can meet up and play their favourite games. But things get messy when San Francisco suffers a major terrorist attack while Marcus and friends are skipping school.

They are held and questioned by the Department of Homeland Security for a number of days before being released back into a city that has virtually become a police state. People’s movements are closely monitored and anything out of the ordinary raises a red flag in the DHS security system. Shocked at what he has been through and what his city has become, Marcus decides to fight back using the knowledge and skills at his disposal.

He forges a new online identity, finds ways to communicate in a secure online environment, confuses electronic tracking systems and generally messes with the DHS security system. This obviously makes him a target for the DHS which only drives him harder and further which of course makes them work even harder to catch him.

Little brother is one of the best books I have read this year. It is fast paced and fun ride that I found very hard to put down. It might get you fired up about politics and liberty, it might get you fired up about technology, it might get you fired up about wanting to change the world, it might just get you fired up about reading really good stories. Read it.

You can of course get hold of Little brother from your local library or your favourite book store, but you can also download it as a free ebook in any of a wide range of formats. You can also read more about why Doctorow is making it available this way.