Little Brother tackles terrorism, hacking, security, and government surveillance. Set in a not-quite dystopian San Francisco around 2008, Marcus's fears drive most of the plot and mirror those around him. The Department of Homeland security keeps getting on TV and telling people to be scared. The newspapers and radio are full of stories about terrorists recruiting American youth and the only way to stop them is through stopping everybody from doing basically anything.
Narrator Marcus Yallow's afraid that if he becomes linked to his online handle M1k3y, he'll get sent back to prison (or worse). Others are afraid their loved ones are dead. The world is a scary place.
Questions About Fear
- How does fear affect Marcus, Van, Jolu, and Darryl in Little Brother? What decisions do they make because of their fears?
- What is the DHS afraid of?
- Are there other ways that the government agencies could look for terrorists without making everyone afraid? What? Why or why not?
Chew on This
Marcus struggles with fear throughout the novel, but in conquering his fears he finally achieves freedom.
In Little Brother San Francisco residents have more to fear from their own government than from any terrorist organization.