Little Brother…it’s yours if you want it

I’ve downloaded and have decided to read Little Brother by Cory Doctorow. I’ve heard about this book a couple of times, mostly online, and mostly because the author is giving away free copies of the book to anyone who wants to download it. Not only that, but he’s asking that anyone who feels like sending him a donation for his work instead buys a print copy of the book for interested teachers and librarians. Those two things in and of themselves are enough to get my attention.  Also, I know this book has something to do with privacy and “big brother” aka the government, so I’m wondering what ties this has to 1984.

We shall see…

Ebooks are verbs, not nouns. You copy them, it’s in their nature. And many of those copies have a destination, a person they’re intended for, a hand-wrought transfer from one person to another, embodying a personal recommendation between two people who trust each other enough to share bits. That’s the kind of thing that authors (should) dream of, the proverbial sealing of the deal. By making my books available for free pass-along, I make it easy for people who love them to help other people love them.–Cory Doctorow