Power is everywhere you look. Fight the power. I've got the power. The Powerpuff Girls.
And power's a huge deal in Little Brother. Getting power isn't the same as keeping power, but this book makes us think about who really gets to have power and why. In the United States, which part of the government is the most powerful? How does that change? What powers do citizens have? Are people with superpowers protected? (Wait, wait, that's in X-Men. Our bad.)
If you take nothing else away from Little Brother, take away the idea that, for a free society, monitoring those in power is crucial. And that privacy is a real sign of power. Heavy? Yeah. But thanks to the book, now you have some techniques and tools to understand why.
Questions About Power
- Who has the most power at the start of Little Brother? Who has the most power by the end?
- Name some ways people in San Francisco suffer under the post Bay Bridge bombing rules. What or who is abusing power in this situation?
- Does a youth movement have the power to change the world?
- Why's the Xnet so powerful? Is it true that with great power comes great responsibility?
Chew on This
A riot is just a protest that's against the current powers that be.
The most powerful people have the most privacy.