Author J Washburn: MERRY CHRISTMAS! I got you something... FREE rebel ebooks of LITTLE BROTHER and HOMELAND

I watched a documentary about Edward Snowden called CITIZENFOUR. It includes tons of raw footage of Snowden in his hotel room after his escape from the U.S. but before he made his intentions known. The pacing is actually a little slow, and yet it’s pretty exciting to see a real-life fugitive in that vulnerable moment—just before the point of no return.

As I watched that movie, I caught a glimpse of a novel on Snowden’s nightstand called HOMELAND. I Googled it and found out that it’s the sequel to a young-adult novel called LITTLE BROTHER. The title is a reference to Orwell’s 1984, and the book is about a kid who fights an overreaching, surveillance-state government. It’s the exact sort of thing you’d expect Snowden to be reading.

Now, in lieu of review…

It only has a tiny bit of sci-fi in it (but I was impressed that the author basically predicted Pokemon GO). The book hails tech and geeks. A few things even reminded me of READY PLAYER ONE, but this book is much rougher on the edges and more realistic too. (That means it has a little swearing and some scenes I think a few of you will prefer to skip.) Mostly it’s about terrorism, hacking, and fighting a police state. There’s definitely some propaganda in its tone, but there’s plenty of good stuff too.

Who is he? Well...

The guy who wrote LITTLE BROTHER is named Cory Doctorow. And he’s a man who believes in open-sourcing things. Which means he gives away his books for free. (He also sells them, by the way, and they’re available for purchase on Amazon and Audible.) Which means I can legally pass them along to you as a Christmas gift (/discovery)! Pretty cool, huh? I know they may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but a few of you will love them.

So here you go.