Little Brother

Little Brother by Cory Doctorow
Once I picked up this book, I had it finished within a few days. Doctorow pulls together technology, surveillance, terrorism, and the connection between security and freedom in this fast paced, action packed story. This contemporary novel features 17 year old Marcus, a.k.a. "w1n5ton," who figures he knows how the system works and how to work the system. He has no problem working around his high school's surveillance systems and computer filters. When terrorists attack San Francisco, Marcus and his friends find themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time and are arrested by the Department of Homeland Security. They are taken to a secret prison where they are interrogated for days. When finally released, Marcus finds that the city has become a police state where every citizen is treated like a potential terrorist.

This is definitely one of my favorite books for 2008.