19. Little Brother by Cory Doctorow

Doctorow, Cory. (2008). Little Brother. New York: Tom Doherty Associates Book. ISBN: 1892391813, p. 382

Genre: Fiction
Interest Age: 14+
Curriculum: Literature

Reader’s Annotation

Marcus, aka “w1n5t0n” is a tech savvy high school kid who uses his technological skills to outwit his principle, teachers, and truant officers. But when he and his friends are suspected of being terrorists after being at the wrong place at the wrong time during a terrorist bombing, Marcus finds that he now must use his skills to outwit an oppressive government.

Plot Summary

Marcus is the tech savvy protagonist in this story of what could easily happen in the aftermath of a devastating terrorist attack. Marcus and his friends are out on the streets of San Francisco, ditching school to play their favorite game Harajuku Fun Madness, when terrorists bomb the Bay Bridge. Marcus and his friends are quickly picked up by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS); they are held without explanation and harshly interrogated. Eventually Marcus is released but returns to a San Francisco which has become a closely monitored police state, with the DHS monitoring everyone’s movements and activities. Worse yet, Marcus’s friend Darryl was never released and for all intents and purposes has been completely “disappeared” by the DHS.

Marcus must now use all of his skills to thwart the Orwellian police state that is slowly destroying all of the freedoms that Americans hold sacred. As the mischief Marcus started for personal reasons slowly builds into a full-fledged social movement, Marcus must struggle with becoming a leader of a powerful underground movement while avoiding being captured by the government who has labeled him a traitor and a terrorist.

Critical Review

Cory Doctorow creates a terrifying vision of the future where, due to the fear of terrorism, San Francisco gladly turns over its freedom and becomes an Orwellian police state in the name of “security”. Much of what Doctorow describes in Little Brother already exists: DHS, The Patriot Act, acts of rendition, torture in the name of security, censorship, and electronic surveillance all are present in today’s world. Doctorow simply pushes these to the next logical step by asking, “What if there was another successful, large scale terrorist attack on American soil?” How much freedom and privacy would the American people sacrifice in order to feel safe? What is most disturbing about Doctorow’s premise and story narrative is that it feels all too possible.

Along with harsh socio-political critique, Doctorow also blends themes of civil disobedience as well as youth, social and anti-war movements. These themes are sometimes addressed in a very on the nose style; it is not challenging to decipher Doctorow’s own views. However, Doctorow blends his commentary with enough action, and a bit of humor, so as to not let the book become preachy and didactic. In fact, despite the very serious underlying tone and message of the story, Little Brother is a fast and furious read, loaded with cat and mouse chases, narrow escapes, and enough techno-speak to make the reader feel like a genius or a complete dullard, depending on how much you understand about computers, programming, and technology. For example, Xboxes and cell phones play central roles in the fight against the growing authoritarian dictatorship.

Doctorow has created a piece of fiction that fits comfortably next to dystopian classics like 1984, Brave New World, and Fahrenheit 451.

Author Info

Cory Doctorow is a writer, blogger, and social activist based out of Ontario, Canada. Doctorow is the author of nonfiction, works dealing with technology like Essential Blogging: Selecting and Using Weblog Tools as well as numerous technology articles for periodicals such as Wired and The New York Times. He is also active as a digital rights activist and coordinator with the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

Doctorow received a Nebula Award nomination for best novel, 2005, for his debut novel Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom (2003). Little Brother also was won a Prometheus Awards novel prize and Sunburst Award in the young adult category. Doctorow also maintains his website, Craphound.com

"Cory Doctorow." Contemporary Authors Online. Detroit: Gale, 2009. Literature Resource Center. Web. 16 May 2010.

Book Talking Ideas

1. What happens to Marcus after he is picked up by the DHS? What are the circumstances of his release?
2. What are some of the ways Marcus tries to tamper with the DHS monitoring systems? How successful is he and what are the consequences of his actions?
3. What is the proper balance between freedom and security? Is there one?

Challenges

While there have been no high profile, formal challenges, the book does include some profanity, teenage drinking and sex (although neither are graphic or exploitative), and strong anti-government and anti-authority themes.

Why I choose this title

The book deals with numerous important topics that are very relevant to everyone today and has received much praise from critics and other writers.

18. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Collins, Suzanne. (2008). Hunger Games. New York: Scholastic Press. ISBN-13: 978-0-439-02348-1, p. 374

Genre: Action/Adventure
Interest Age: 13+
Curriculum: Literature

Reader’s Annotation

In a dystopian future, teens are forced to fight for their lives in the violent, televised arena of The Hunger Games.

Plot Summary

In the future, North America has become the new nation of Panem. Panem, ruled by the Capitol, is divided into districts which once a year are forced to choose two tributes between the ages of 12 and 18 to participate in the Hunger Games, a brutal competition where these young tributes are forced to fight to the death. In the impoverished District 12, Katniss, a precocious 16-year-old, and Peeta, a quiet baker’s son, are chosen to be this year’s tributes. They must face off against not only the older, deadlier tributes from the more wealthy districts, but they must also eventually face on another, for only one can remain standing at the end of the Hunger Games.

The Hunger Games test the tributes strengthen, cunning, and will to survive. In order to survive Katniss must become something which she is not, a killer. Can her skills and talents keep her alive? Can she survive the Games and not lose her humanity?

Critical Review

Suzanne Collins crafts a fast paced, action pact story which interweaves moments of brutal violence with tender scenes of romance and sacrifice. Our heroine Katniss, is far from an angelic protagonist; she selflessly sacrifices herself to save her younger sister Primm from the Games but she also is not above being emotionally manipulative in order to survive; she is a skilled hunter whose heart belongs to friend Gale but she plays a dangerous emotional game with her fellow District 12 tribute Peeta, whose professed love of Katniss may or may not be just a strategy to survive the Games.

Collin’s greatest success is the creation of a rich, detailed world in which these characters exist. The history of Panem is only briefly described and alluded to but is detailed enough for the reader to feel that this world is already old and full of history. Collin’s descriptions of the impoverished District 12 to the opulent Capitol create the image of diverse, intricate society. The Games themselves are anything but simple. They have the feel of a futuristic gladiator match filled with pomp and opulence as well as brutal competition and violence. The reader sees everything through Katniss’s eyes which is mixed with feelings of fear and wonder.

Once the Games start, the reader is barely allowed to rest. Confrontations often occur without warning and are intense. Katniss must face not only individuals like herself, who are randomly selected, but also Careers, who are bred and trained to be champions of the Games. The violence is balanced out by Kat niss’s conflicting desire to survive yet not to be a tool of the Capitol and The Games.

The Hunger Games is the first in a trilogy and even though it works wonderfully as a self contained story, Collin’s definitely has created a world and a set of characters which are complex, engaging and leave the reader wanting more.

Author Info

Suzanne Collins is the author of several Sci-Fi and Fantasy YA novels as well as extensive writing work in children’s television. Suzanne Collins grew up “all over the world” as the daughter of a military man. She found early professional success as a writer for such television shows as the Emmy nominated show Clarissa Explains It All, The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo, and the critically acclaimed Rankin/Bass Christmas special, Santa, Baby!.

She is also the author of the widely popular, five-part fantasy/war series, the Underland Chronicles as well as the Hunger Games Trilogy, the final book, Mockingjay is set to be released in the summer of 2010. The inspiration for The Hunger Games came from the Myth of Theseus as well as the fascination with Reality TV.

"An interview with Suzanne Collins." Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy 52.8 (2009): 726+. Literature Resource Center. Web. 16 May 2010.

“Biography”. Retrieved May 16, 2010 from http://www.suzannecollinsbooks.com/bio.htm

Book Talking Ideas

1. What is the purpose of the Hunger Games? What are the various stages which the tributes participate in?
2. What is the Myth of Theseus? How is it similar to The Hunger Games?
3. How are The Hunger Games are similar to the gladiator matches of ancient Rome? To today’s Reality TV?

Challenges

There have been no high profile challenges as of yet. The book does have a fair amount of violence (although there is little explicit blood and gore) and the central plot is teens violently killing each other, which can be offense.

Why I choose this title

It is one of the most popular YA books in the last few years. The book is perfect for reluctant readers: it has an easy to follow plot but is fully of depth, social commentary, and complex characters.

7. Feed by M.T. Anderson

Anderson, M.T. (2002). Feed. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press. ISBN: 0-7636-1726-1. p. 236

Genre: Science Fiction
Interest Age: 16+
Curriculum: NA

Reader’s Annotation
Imagine a world where technology is hardwired into the brain of almost every living person on the planet and there is no turning it off.

Plot Summary

The “feed” is an advanced internet-like technology that is implanted into the brain of almost every living person on the planet. Through the Feed, kids like Titus, our narrator, chat with his friends, go shopping, do drugs (or “mal” as it is referred to), get directions, get the news, share memories, and live their lives. The Feed is owned and operated by major corporations which have taken over everything including education (School is a trademarked product) and people have merely become disposable consumers who can no longer read, write, or think for themselves. Titus lived in blissful ignorance until he met Violet while on Spring Break on the moon.

Violet is not like the rest of his friends. She had her Feed installed later in life. She talks funny, using words Titus can barely understand; she plans to mess with the data miners who are constantly trying to profile her as a consumer; she can read and write. But soon after meeting at a club on the moon, Titus and Violet are “hacked”. While Titus seems to recover quickly, it soon becomes apparent that Violet has suffered far more permanent damage which causes her Feed and her entire body to begin malfunctioning.

As Violet’s mind, body and life slowly begin to break down like a malfunctioning piece of hardware, Titus is forced to confront some of the ugly and disturbing truths about the Feed and the world in which he lives.

Critical Review

Anderson creates a sinister piece of dark science fiction which satirizes (in a non-too-subtle-fashion) consumerism, the dumbing of society, and human beings’ growing dependence on technology. In the world of Feed people are viewed as nothing more than consumers; through the Feed, people are advertised constantly. There is no privacy and corporations know everything about you in order to sell you the latest fashions and toys. Everyone, from Titus and his friends to the President of the United States, speak in a sort of dumbed down, slang/profanity laden, California Valley Girl vernacular. Translating and understanding most of the dialogue is a challenge for the reader. It takes several chapters before the reader is aware of exactly what is being said and what is happening in the story.

Anderson has some pretty clear concerns when it comes to technology. Being technologically proficient can give the false impression of intelligence. Titus and his friends can look up anything on the Feed and therefore do well in School, but they don’t actually “know” much. They have no ability to evaluate any of the information they receive and accept everything that is given to them through the Feed as fact. The same could be said of many young people and the internet today. Anderson also addresses the physical effects of technology on human beings. In Feed, people have begun developing lesions all over themselves. These lesions, obviously an effect of having the Feed connected to one’s body for their entire life, have become so common that celebrities have turned them into something fashionable and sexy. It’s easier for major corporations to make the ill side effects of their products appear desirable rather than actually fix the problem or stop making the product. The later is in fact impossible since the Feed has become so ingrained in the lives of the people that someone without the Feed, as Violet’s father discovers, is not accepted into “normal society”. They become sort of eccentric weirdos or, in the worse cases, outcasts and terrorist dissenters.

Feed is a challenging read on several levels. First, there are very few likable characters for the reader to root for. Our narrator Titus, is a narcissistic, spoiled brat who willfully keeps himself ignorant about the realities of the world because he is too busy buying things and hanging out with his friends. Even when Violet shoves the ugly truths in his face, he simply pushes her away. Also, the futuristic vernacular and slang which nearly all the characters use can be annoying and difficult to decipher. Characters refer to each other as “unit” (which translates, “dude”) and refer to things as “brag” (cool) or “meg” (very, really). Ultimately, this language helps immerse the reader in this future world and is used to make a point about the dumbing down of language (and society in general), but comprehending the dialogue is challenging in the beginning.

This is dark science fiction. Anderson does not give the reader any easy answers or story book endings. This is not the story of how one person over throws a corrupt system and changes the world. This is the story of how small and insignificant the individual becomes in an ultra consumerist society which is so obsessed with luxury and technology that people would sooner bury their heads in the sands and live in self delusion than struggle to make the world a better place. For those readers who enjoy science fiction which provides a distorted, fun house mirrored image of reality, Feed provides plenty of food for thought and discussion.

Author Info

M.T. Anderson was born November 4, 1968 in Cambridge, MA. His first young adult novel was Thirsty (1998) about a high school freshman who finds he’s becoming a vampire. He has also written the YA novels Burger Wuss (1999) about love and revenge and The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing Vol. I & II (2006 & 2008 respectively). Vol. I won the National Book Award for Young People as well as Printz Honor Book in 2007.

Concerning his own writing Anderson has said, "We are so used to the bizarre images, cabals, rituals, and rites that constitute our lives that they seem natural, even invisible, to us….I admire books that facilitate renewed awareness of the way we live, and this is what I'm attempting in my own work: renewed awareness both for myself and, I hope, for my readers. That's my goal, in any case."

"M. T. Anderson." Contemporary Authors Online. Detroit: Gale, 2008. Literature Resource Center. Web. 17 Apr. 2010.

Book Talking Ideas
1. In the world of Feed, how to big corporations view people? Are there any similarities between the marketing/advertising in Feed and the marketing/advertising today?
2. In Feed, technology is essential. What are some examples from the book that exemplify this? Today, has technology become indispensable?
3. Is technology, particularly the internet, making people smarter or dumber? Why?

Challenges

The inclusion of Feed in a Middle School Library in Vancouver, WA has been challenged. The book contains a lot of profanity and has some sexual situations. The subject matter and reading level is probably beyond most Middle School students, but the themes are very appropriate for High School readers.

Why I choose this title

I was really intrigued by the premise. I found the book on a “Challenged YA Book” list on Amazon and was curious to see why it was challenged.