Little Brother by Cory Doctorow

Aki pushed this “young adult” book my way recently, and I liked it because:

  • The story is set in and around San Francisco. As far as I can tell, all the locations mentioned are accurate. This is true for both famous landmarks, and small local-only landmarks in my neighborhood.
  • The computer hacking portions of the story were detailed and realistic, without getting in the way of the story.
  • The topics of privacy, as well as competing state-vs-federal jurisdictions during major emergencies, were all covered in a very informative and readable manner. Not a surprise to find out that the author was Director of European Affairs, for the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

Oh, and yes, the story was good too! Thumbs up from me.

(ps: Thanks for the loan, Aki!)

3 thoughts on “Little Brother by Cory Doctorow

  1. All that is said is true. (I read it two years ago)

    Very good book. It takes what the government does, and accelerates the process rapidly. Also shows how some kids react to it.

    “Gitmo by the Bay”

  2. Cory also co-founded a Canadian startup that was running in the Mission during the dot.bomb. He was then an evangelist in SF for the EFF before moving to London. He lived in the Mission, which is probably why he set the book there.

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