Little Brother by Cory Doctorow is about Marcus, a teenager who lives in San Francisco. He and his friends are technology wizards - they can hack just about anything. One day when they are skipping school to play a game, the Bay Bridge is bombed by terrorists. Because Marcus and his friends are in the wrong place at the wrong time, they are all arrested by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), questioned, and tortured for days. Daryl, Marcus's closest friend was stabbed during the aftermath of the bombing, and they don't even see him again. Eventually, days after being detained, Marcus and two of his friends are released and sent home. Everyone believed they were dead, so it was a big surprise when they returned. Marcus was so upset about his experience, and about Daryl (believing he was dead) that he launched his own war agains the DHS. Just as the DHS was clamping down on security measures - tracking people's movements on the public transportation systems, stopping people who looked suspicious, tapping phones, and even invading Marcus's own room and electronics - Marcus sets up Xnet, a way for teens to commuicate without being traced. This leads to more and more ways to thwart the DHS, resulting in several "riots" and even to Marcus being arrested again.This was a great book. It is not my typical genre, but I heard about it at a reading conference and decided to give it a try. It was really interesting to see the types of things people have come up with to stay private. It makes me a little nervous about the types of information floating around about me! This book is definitely for a more mature audience - probably high schoolers.
