Comments on The Almost Daily Exploits of Me: Little Brother

I'm so glad you like it, Miki. You're right, these...

2010-07-19T22:46:26.689+01:00

I'm so glad you like it, Miki. You're right, these books do need to be written. They're a wake up call. I only recently read 1984 myself, and definitely felt the same enjoyable unease from it.

On the strength of this post, I downloaded and rea...

2010-07-03T20:54:04.922+01:00

On the strength of this post, I downloaded and read 'Little Brother', and think that I'll join you in recommending it to everyone I know. A really powerful book, considering how relatively short it is, and one that's made me a bit more thoughtful about technology and security-related issues.

Most of all, I like it because I know that it has had exactly the same effect on me that reading '1984' had on my father - books like these need to be written, and (although it's sad that such dystopian topics are still relevant) I think there's something slightly magical about different generations realising the same things through literature written decades apart.

Thank you :)

Hi Erin, that's great! I'm SO glad you enjoyed it,...

2010-04-18T23:48:12.857+01:00

Hi Erin, that's great! I'm SO glad you enjoyed it, it really is thought-provoking isn't it. Yes, the 99% part made me stop and think too - maths isn't my strong point, but he explained it well.

I was still wrestling with some ideas for days after I finished it - the public / private key thing, for example - and I'll definitely read it again.

Please stop by again Erin, I've really enjoyed your comments!
A x x

Hi Anna, it's me again. I started Little Brother e...

2010-04-18T22:08:59.872+01:00

Hi Anna, it's me again. I started Little Brother earlier today and I've just finished it - like you I couldn't put it down. I LOVED it!!! So glad I happened upon your blog and your review of the book. Like you I want to tell everyone about this little gem. It is so thought-provoking. I loved the bit about 99% 'accuracy' of spotting likely terrorists, meaning that 10,000 innocent people would get wrongly profiled as such. The best kind of fiction makes you look at the real world in a whole new light. What are we doing to our freedoms in the name of anti-terrorist security measures? What are we doing to our ethics, our humanity? The argument that innocent people with nothing to hide shouldn't mind when privacy is invaded is blown apart.

Thanks Erin, I'd love to hear what you think of it...

2010-04-14T22:38:32.968+01:00

Thanks Erin, I'd love to hear what you think of it! x

Have just ordered a copy from Amazon on the streng...

2010-04-14T21:40:51.907+01:00

Have just ordered a copy from Amazon on the strength of your enthusiasm. (Oh, and I also loved the photos you'd posted under 'Found on Flickr 9' by the way)

Oh, we go way back. Actually we don't - I've met ...

2010-04-13T09:33:40.938+01:00

Oh, we go way back.

Actually we don't - I've met him precisely twice. Once was last year in Montreal where we both sat on a panel discussing writing for young people and I was able to tell him the speed camera anecdote. The first was the time of the anecdote, in 2003, when he gave a talk at one of the Oxford colleges and because we were both going the same way after, I offered him a lift ...

Wow, really? How d'you know him? I usually don't ...

2010-04-12T13:28:23.850+01:00

Wow, really? How d'you know him?

I usually don't even notice the cameras. I've never felt so uncomfortable about that. Considered taking photos of all the CCTV cameras I could find, and seeing how long it took to get arrested.

It's an amazing book and I'm delighted you've disc...

2010-04-12T12:25:38.389+01:00

It's an amazing book and I'm delighted you've discovered it too.

I once gave that Doctorow a lift to Oxford station, and en route I got zapped by a speed camera. The irony was not lost on me.

Fascinating. I'm always interested in books that...

2010-04-12T12:10:45.344+01:00

Fascinating.
I'm always interested in books that have real impact.
I'll have to read it too. (I've never read any of Cory's fiction either)

Got me hooked, I'll check it out for sure! Thanks ...

2010-04-11T10:08:47.500+01:00

Got me hooked, I'll check it out for sure! Thanks for the tip. :)