The last ten chapters of Cory Doctorow’s novel, “Little Brother” continues Marcus Yallow’s fight against the DHS to restore civil rights and liberties to the city of San Francisco. Chapter 11 opens with Marcus and Jolu hosting a party with their closest friends, where they explain what the DHS did to them, and how they’re using the XNet to fight the DHS for their rights. Marcus’ group of a few rebellious teens soon becomes a full-fledged movement against the DHS. Marcus gets many followers and with the help of his new girlfriend, Ange, becomes a celebrated leader of a rebellion against the United States government. The movement becomes so large, and Marcus attempts to run away and go “underground”. However, unable to leave his followers and the cause behind, he returns. The DHS eventually finds Marcus and takes him captive to the “Gitmo-by-the-bay” prison. In the middle of being tortured, Marcus is saved by an investigative reporter who had broken the story and revealed the corruption of the DHS. In the end, Marcus finds his friend Darryl, and all charges against him of electronic terrorism are dropped.

Overall, I thought this novel was quite an interesting read. It was entertaining, and also made me think about fragile our civil rights are. A main theme throughout the book is that terrorism can easily defeat a country if our government over utilizes security. This novel also reveals how quickly and easily the government can be corrupted in power lands in the wrong hands. However, I thought this novel also demonstrated how powerful it is for a group of people to come together and fight for their rights. While Marcus is a fictional character, I think he represents a greater group of Americans who have risked their lives for their civil rights. Marcus had to sacrifice a lot for the good of his movement, and while it may not have been Doctorow’s goal, I think it gives a realistic view of what so many Americans have sacrificed to give us the rights we so freely exercise today. This novel paints a dire picture of the US government, but instead of looking negatively on the government, I tried to focus my reading on Marcus’ efforts and bravery. I thought it was inspiring that even after Marcus had been tortured by the US government, he still states that he loves his country.

The excerpt from “Homeland,” the sequel to “Little Brother” continues the effects of Marcus’ involvement with the movement against the DHS. The first three chapters open with Marcus and his girlfriend Ange at the Burning Man festival in Nevada. Masha, the character who was working for the DHS but tried to help Marcus escape in the first book, returns and gives Marcus computer files that reveal the government’s secrets. The plot thickens when Carrie Johnstone, a DHS officer who tortured Marcus, shows up at the Burning Man festival. There is a mysterious explosion, and Marcus is convinced Johnstone is behind it. Doctorow’s sequel is interesting and would be an interesting read when it comes out in Febuary 2013.