little brother and donations
Unless you've been living outside the blogosphere this past month, you know that Cory Doctorow's new novel Little Brother was released in May, and is now on bookstore shelves. (Except for the bookstores in Singapore; I've been trying to write a review for The Straits Times for about a month, but they won't print it unless the book is available to buy. Last I checked, Kinokuniya hasn't ordered it yet, and Borders sold out of their initial stock.)
I was lucky enough to receive an Advance Reading Copy a while back from Tor, and I loved it. I haven't yet written a formal review, but here's what I posted for the Recommended Reads section of my website:
One of the most entertaining and important books of 2008, and a worthy successor to Orwell's 1984. Security, freedom, technology, and terror are tackled in this kick-ass YA novel that both teens and adults need to read. Told through the eyes of 17yo techno-geek Marcus (aka w1n5t0n, aka M1k3y), the novel plummets through a devastating near-future attack on San Francisco, and the fascistic policies of the DHS in its aftermath. Brilliant in the sociopolitical, technological, and narrative senses, and highly recommended for anyone who feels as if they're now living in a police state.
The school term just ended on Friday, and we're now in our month-long summer holidays. I didn't want to assign any homework or papers to my students over the break, because they frankly need to take it easy and forget about school for a while; I sometimes worry that they're under so much pressure that they'll just pop one day. However, I did strongly encourage them to read Little Brother over the summer, because I think they'd frankly really dig it. Geeky teenagers = perfect Doctorow demographic.
We don't have any physical copies of the novel in the school library, so I told them how they could download it for free in a number of different formats; one of my students even downloaded the book to his phone already. I hope they get something out of it, and if they want extra credit points for next term, I've asked them to write up a 500- to 1,000-word response to the book (although this isn't mandatory at all).
Like I said, we don't have a hardcopy yet at the school, but Doctorow has done something very cool for teachers and librarians who either don't have the access or the budget to buy the book. He has set up, with the assistance of musician Olga Nunes, a donation page for people who enjoyed the free e-book and want to express their thanks and generosity; rather than sending in a cash donation that bypasses Doctorow's publishers, people can support teachers and librarians who want to get the book into their students' hands by sending them a hardcopy edition of the novel.
The list of schools and libraries on the donation page who would like a copy is a fairly long one, and I have added my school to the list. So far, it looks as if most of the donated copies have gone to the US and Canada, but I would ask that if you're inclined to express your generosity, please think about the other countries of the world on the list as well. As I said above, it's hard enough to get this book in Singapore (or keep it on the shelves), and I know that my students would greatly appreciate having a physical copy to check out of the school library.