Little Brother, a dystopian young adult novel written by Cory Doctorow, was published by Tor Teen books in 2008. The book debuted at number nine on The New York Times Bestseller list and was a finalist for the Hugo Award for Best Novel in 2009. Little Brother also won the 2009 White Pine Award, Prometheus Award, and John W. Campbell Memorial Award. The story takes place in the near future and chronicles the efforts of Marcus Yallow, a 17-year-old high school senior, to overthrow the Department of Homeland Security after they turn San Francisco into a police state following a terrorist bombing. Using technology and an army of teenage gamers, Marcus learns about the cost of freedom amidst a citizenry that has been led to value safety over their basic rights. In addition to examining the importance of free speech and the right to privacy, Little Brother is a coming-of-age narrative, in which Marcus discovers the meaning of leadership and love.

This guide references the 2008 edition of Little Brother published by Tor Teen books.

Content Warning: This guide is based on a book that is geared for older teens and adults. This guide references scenes from the book that contain terrorism and violence, including the waterboarding torture of a teenager.

Plot Summary

The protagonist, Marcus, is a 17-year-old senior at Cesar Chavez High in San Francisco. He is a genius at getting around the technological surveillance systems in his school; however, he and his band of friends, Darryl Glover, Vanessa “Van” Pak, and Jose-Luis “Jolu” Torrez, are in the wrong place at the wrong time when they ditch school to play an alternative reality game on the very day that terrorists bomb the city. Swept up by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and taken to Treasure Island, a secret offshore military prison, they are brutally interrogated for days. Five days after the bombing, they are released, but Marcus is horrified to find that San Francisco has been turned into a surveillance state and that Darryl, who was separated from them in prison, is still missing. Marcus vows revenge, but the DHS will come after him if he tells anyone about their tactics. The three teens agree to keep quiet about their experiences and tell their parents that they were quarantined across the bay instead.

At home, Marcus discovers that the DHS has bugged his laptop. He engineers a system on his Xbox where he can anonymously work against the DHS, giving himself a new screen name, M1k3y. The next day, he hands out free copies of his Xnet program at school, asking only that the recipients burn and hand out copies as well. In two weeks, Xnet is the predominant gaming and social platform for teens in the Bay Area.

Meanwhile, the DHS tightens its control over San Francisco with heavier surveillance, leading to protests by the residents. The San Francisco Police detain Marcus because his rapid transit Fast Pass has marked him as someone with a nonstandard traffic usage pattern. Marcus’s mom asks the police to leave, but his father, Drew Yallow, believes that the new surveillance tactics help keep them safe. To counteract the increased surveillance, Marcus, Jolu, and the Xnetters begin a technological guerilla campaign against DHS security measures. The campaign causes upheaval for hospitals, travel industries, and even schools, and the press blames DHS for mismanaging their security systems.

When Marcus discovers that Xnet has been infiltrated by DHS spies, he increases his online security by creating a web of trust among a small cadre of reliable Xnet friends. By this time, Van can no longer watch Marcus put himself at risk and distances herself from the Xnet campaign. Jolu helps Marcus set up the key-signing party but also will no longer take part because he is constantly terrified of being caught. At the party, Marcus meets Ange Carvelli, an enthusiastic, committed, and beautiful young woman who returns his interest. They attend an anti-DHS protest concert together, organized by Xnetters, but the police and DHS deploy tear gas when the participants refuse to disperse. Marcus and Ange, who were kissing outside the park, escape without harm. The press characterizes the concert as an orgy of drunken teens who were out-of-control and attacked the police.

When Marcus returns to school the next day, he discovers that his favorite teacher, Ms. Galvez, has been terminated for teaching about the Freedom of Speech movement and replaced by Mrs. Andersen, who believes that the Bill of Rights should be suspended during times of terrorism. Marcus disagrees with his new teacher and is suspended. He discovers that Angie knows he is M1k3y, which terrifies him until she reassures him that nobody else knows. They decide to publicize the true nature of the concert, but the press misrepresents their blog as being a front for Al Qaeda to radicalize youth through Xnet. Marcus’s father subsequently orders Marcus to stay off Xnet, as it is a haven for terrorists. When Marcus posts a video of the DHS assaulting an illustrious US general, it goes viral, and the press requests a news conference with M1k3y. Ange sets up the interview in an Xnet game room where Marcus can preserve his anonymity.

The spotlight on Xnet leads to more arrests of Xnetters, and Marcus advises his followers to back down, in part to prevent his own arrest. Ange is infuriated, and they fight. While Marcus is leaving school, a youth without a home named Zeb passes a note to him that tells him that Darryl is still alive and imprisoned on Treasure Island. Marcus, overcome by his memories of Darryl and his own imprisonment, finally tells his mother what really happened after the bombing. She and his father take him to tell his story to an investigative reporter, Barbara Stratford, where Marcus secretly reveals to Barbara that he is M1k3y, the leader and creator of Xnet.

On his way to a second interview with Barbara, Marcus sees Ange, who says she understands why he needs the Xnetters to stand down. They both meet with Barbara, who tells them that she is publishing the story, and that Marcus must be prepared for the consequences. Marcus and Ange return to Ange’s house where they have sex for the first time. Afterwards, Marcus receives an email from Masha, a teen who was arrested by the DHS on the day of the bombing and subsequently recruited by them. She tells Marcus that he is in immediate danger of arrest and that she wants to defect, taking him and Ange with her, if he can arrange an Xnet diversion. As a show of good faith, she sends a video that reveals the White House Chief of Staff, “Ruthless” Kurt Rooney, suggesting to DHS officials that there will be another terrorist bombing that will help get the President reelected. Rooney orders the officials to close up the Xnetter campaign because the children are no longer radical enough to help the President’s agenda. Marcus decides to flee with Ange and Masha.

Marcus posts a public invitation on Xnet the night before, inviting Xnetters to congregate at eight o’clock the following morning at the Civic Center, dressed as vampires. When thousands of vampires mix with the morning commuters the next day, they receive secret instructions to behave like they were gassed as soon as the DHS orders them to disperse. However, their act causes a panic among the adult commuters, and the VampMob turns into a small riot once the gas begins to drop. Marcus and Masha make it out, but the DHS captures Ange. Masha takes Marcus to the escape truck, where Marcus has second thoughts about abandoning Ange, his parents, and Darryl. He escapes from Masha to rejoin the fight, stealing her phone with evidence that Darryl was alive and with Marcus the day of the bombing.

Marcus plans on getting the video of Rooney and Darryl’s photo to Barbara, but Barbara has just published her exposé on the front page of the local paper. He enlists the help of a pair of Xnetters, Zeb and Van, to get the video and photo to Barbara, but the DHS arrests Marcus the same night and brings him back to Treasure Island. After refusing to give up his Xnet email password during interrogation, he is waterboarded. California State Troopers burst into the room during the torture and arrest his tormenters, followed by Barbara who tells Marcus that the governor is expelling the DHS from the state. Together they find and release Ange and Darryl, and the next day Marcus reunites with his parents after making bail. He visits Darryl in the hospital, but his friend is heavily sedated and doesn’t wake up.

In the Epilogue, Marcus relates that although the lead DHS official was exonerated for her part in his torture, he and thousands of others have pressed suit against the federal government for infringing on their constitutional rights. All major charges against him were dropped, and he and Angie now work with a prestigious nonprofit that aims to get more people to vote in the upcoming election.