After reading Cory Doctorow's Little Brother I SO want to be a computer geek. This was a great book and it's so awesome that Doctorow made it available for downloading. It really is in character with the whole book. I think Little Brother is great read for teens and librarians, as we are defenders of intellectual freedom.
There seems to be the assumption that teens do little but hang out and waste time. I don't think this is true at all. This is a time when they really start to explore a wide variety different things and figure out what they really like and what they're into. It's a time to discover their self-identities. The techie stuff that the kids in Little Brother can do is amazing. They spend a lot of time playing games but it's not just a meaningless game. Through these games they do a lot of social interaction, they have to work in a team and cooperate with and listen to each other, they have to solve a lot of puzzles and problems. It's actually a very productive use of time.
Another important part of this book is its political message. I think adolescence is a time when people start to become interested in and passionate about politics and societal issues. It is also a time of rebellion and going against authority figures.
I think this is a good book for teens because of these things. It never talks down to teens. Teens are highly empowered in this book.
Noah Scalin's Skulls project is such a creative endeavor. He takes everyday objects and reimagines them into these skulls. I think teens are very much into creative self-expression and this book would be of interest to them. It gives a feeling that anyone could do this type of project if they want to. They might be inspired by the books to embark on their own art project.
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What is happening to us. You're becoming a computer geek, and me a shull freak. Who knew?
ReplyDeleteSo I did not finish Little Brother, but I was blown away by No Chiorboy. (see my blog)
See ya next week.
LOVED Little Brother. And I glad you liked it too. I think you're dead on with everything you say about teens being taken for granted when it comes to their use of technology (see the MacArthur article we read last week too and will discuss the following week). The sad thing is, I think teens know that adults look down on their use of technology, and that's sad. Because things like Little Brother show them the possibilities of what you can do with it--not for real, but it shows success with it, you know?
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