Ok, sci-fi, dystopia novels are not my thing (usually); however, I have been known to enjoy Fahrenheit 451, 1984, and Brave New World. That being said, I had mixed feelings about Cory Doctorow's Little Brother. I think it is an important and entertaining book for young readers, but it was just a little too techie for my tastes. The tech explanations and screen-shot dialogue slowed down my reading and made my attention wander. I can see how my technology-focused students would eat it up though. On the plus side, Doctorow combines the critical discussion of civil liberties in our techno-centered (controlled) culture. He makes us wonder just how much the Department of Homeland Security really does track us through all of the modern conveniences attached to us (Internet, Facebook, cell phones, commuter fast-track cards, cameras in schools, tags, cookies, cookies, cookies....) The author raises questions about cultural and governmental control possibilities that we would rather not think about, but we also NEED to think about. Doctorow's work would be useful in combination with other dystopia novels like The Giver, The Silenced, and Fahrenheit 451.
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