in which a book builds a bridge

Earlier today, I spent about an hour composing a post, filled with links to groovy stories I’d found in the last couple of days while I found links to submit to Propeller. I added brilliantly trenchant commentary to each link, in what was destined to become a post for the ages.

You, dear reader, would have been so awed by the majesty of this post, you’d sign up for Propeller, and join me in the world of social news bookmarking. We’d form a network of like-minded people — a social news Voltron, if you will — and soon all of our stories would find their way to the front page, for great justice.

Satisfied with my work, I hit publish, and began clearing my shelf for the inevitable awards that would soon follow.

When I returned to my computer, the browser said, "Hey, Wil, just thought you’d like to know that the post you made has been saved. Enjoy your awards!"

I thanked it, opened up my blog to bask in the glow of my brilliance, and saw that the post wasn’t there.

TypePad ate it. Destroyed it. Sent it off into the land of wind and ghosts. I stared at the computer, agog, until my mouth dried out and my jaw grew sore. I couldn’t believe that it was just . . . gone. It was like it never existed.

After much furious . . . behavior . . . and fruitless searching for the post in question (which TypePad claims just doesn’t exist, like I didn’t spend an hour putting the goddamn thing together) I will now attempt to recreate the part of the post that was the most important to me:

Have you read Little Brother? I tore through it in about 4 days, and absolutely loved it. I gave it to Nolan when I finished, because I thought he’d enjoy it, and it would give us something cool that we could share.

I don’t know what it’s like for other parents of teenagers out there, but getting Nolan to pick up a book for more than three pages has been nearly impossible for the last eighteen months or so. He used to love reading, but  . . . well, there are new friends at school this year. ’nuff said.

I don’t have scientific data to back me up, but I’ve anecdotally witnessed a direct relationship between someone’s willingness to read and their level of education, success, expectations for themselves, and general, uh, interestingness they bring to the table. I guess that makes me one of those "elitists" we keep hearing about, but with that in mind, you may understand why it’s been pretty damn important to me that I instill a love of reading in my kids.

"I read this in about four days," I told him when I presented the book to him, "and I would have read it faster if I’d had more time. Once it gets going, it’s hard to put down."

"Okay," he said, "I’ll give it a try."

"I’d really like to have this thing to share with you, and I know that you’re haven’t been all that inter– What?"

"I’ll give it a try," he said.

"Wow. That was easier than I expected." I thought.

I didn’t ask, but I secretly hoped that maybe he wanted to have something like this to share with me as much as I wanted to have something to share with him. Stranger things have happened.

"Okay, cool." I said.

"But I’m probably not going to finish it as fast as you did," he said.

"I totally understand," I said. "No pressure, and I won’t take it personally if you don’t dig it."

I set it down on the desk next to him while he played Diablo and walked back into my office. The symbolism of this gesture was not intentional, but also was not lost on me.

A little while later, I walked back out into the living room, and found him sitting on the couch, reading. He appeared to be about 50 pages into it.

"What do you think?" I said.

He held up one finger in the universal "wait a minute" gesture, and continued to read.

"What?" he said.

"I asked you what you thought, so far."

"It’s pretty good," he said, noncommittally, before he went back to reading.

"Cool," I said. I couldn’t believe he was already that far into the book, and though his words were carefully chosen, his body language said that it was much more than just "pretty good." Rather than press the issue, I went to the kitchen and poured myself a glass of iced green tea.

Later that night, I noticed that he was sitting in the chair by our family iMac, but instead of playing games or talking to his friends on iChat, he had his head cocked to one side, Little Brother open in his lap. He’d made some serious progress in the book. I noticed that he had Firefox open to a Google search about [spoiler redacted].

I nudged Anne and pointed to Nolan.

"He’s been reading that pretty much non-stop since you gave it to him," she said quietly.

"That rules," I said.

Over the next two days, I’d see him sitting on the couch, sitting in my favorite reading chair in our den, sitting in the chair by the iMac. He was always in the same pose, head cocked to one side, Little Brother open in his lap. We talked a little bit about the characters and the events in the book, and he asked me lots and lots of questions about the technology and real-life issues Cory presents in the book.

Flashback: Long before Little Brother was published, I had dinner with Cory. He told me that he was working on this book for teens that was supposed to have lots of real-life lessons in it about privacy, security and civil liberties. At the time, he told me how he hoped kids would read it and head to Google after each chapter to learn more. Nolan was doing exactly that.

Yesterday was the third day since I gave Nolan the book. After school, he bounded into the house and flew into my office. I looked up from my work and saw him holding Little Brother in outstretched arms.

"I love this book!" He said. "I seriously can’t put it down!"

"That’s awesome," I said, "but it’s not interfering with your schoolwork, is it?"

"No," he said, "I’m reading between classes, and only in class when I’ve finished my work and made sure the teacher was cool with it."

I loved it that he took it to school with him. He’s been spending more time than I’d like with non-reading, non-motivated kids who are, I fear, really in danger of holding Nolan back from realizing his potential. It’s a small step (and maybe it’s only temporary) but I was nevertheless thrilled that he was reading at school, unafraid of what his current peer group would think. I was hopeful that escape velocity would soon follow.

"That’s great, Nolan," I said. "I’m so happy to hear that you’re enjoying it."

We talked a little bit more about some of the events that had unfolded in the book that day, and he pointed out that he had about 100 pages to go.

"I want to finish it right now!" He said, before pulling the book close into his chest and hugging it. He lowered his voice and dramatically added, "But . . . I must wait. I must . . . savor it."

I laughed with him. "Don’t you love it when you’re into a book that’s so good, you don’t want it to be over?"

"YES!" He said, before he raced back out of my office.

"I haven’t seen him this excited about anything in months," I thought. "This is better than I ever could have hoped for." I made a mental note to send Cory a thank you card.

After dinner last night, I found him in the living room, sitting in the chair in front of the iMac. The room was dim, mostly lit by the glow of the computer’s monitor. It silhouetted Nolan’s now-familiar stance, head cocked to one side, book open in his lap. It was, for me, a "remember this" moment.

He must have sensed me standing there, because he turned around and said, "Eighty pages to go, but I’m really stopping now. I’m going to finish this tomorrow."

I remembered all the times I’ve gotten close to the end of a book and put off finishing it. I remembered the way it felt to sit in the pull between wanting to know what happens and not wanting it to be over. I could see that Nolan was enjoying that feeling himself. I chose not to point it out.

"I’m so glad you’re into this," I said. "I’m really glad we’ve been able to share this book."

"Me too," he said.

Earlier today, while I was writing the first version of this post, Nolan sent me a text message that said, "OMG it’s over!!! So great, so great!!"

I sent back "Ha! I was just writing in my blog about how much you liked it. Yay!"

He replied, "Yeah, pretty amazing."

My heart swelled. I wonder what he’ll read next?

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82 thoughts on “in which a book builds a bridge”

  1. I read this post and now I want to go out and get the book. I hope they have it at the library.
    I saw on Amazon all the great praise it has received from some other great authors. I think my husband might like this one, and of course I’ll read it too. Thanks for the post Wil.

  2. I totally concur about the importance of reading, and loving to read. I’m quite busy and rarely have time to read during the day, but every single night before bed, I read. My kids (aged 7 and 4) have caught on and read often, too. My 7 year old daughter reads whenever the opportunity presents itself, though not always at bedtime. My 4 year old son, though, who has been reading for about a year, not only reads whatever he can, but he now has a bedtime ritual that involves reading several of his books. Makes me beam with pride.

  3. A few years back I realized my reading had dropped off and decided that had to be rectified. I started reading more and began keeping a list – 2006:10+, 2007:35, and for 2008:26 and counting (goal is at least 45 for the year). Scalzi’s been singing the praises of “Little Brother” on his blog, so that title is on my “to acquire and read” list.
    The husband and I have made a point of giving the nieces and nephews books every year. We work hard to make sure we find cool, interesting books for them. Reading is fundamental, as they say.

  5. Serendipity!!!! I finished Little Brother this morning, then turned to Google Reader just now and saw your post about it.
    I’m itching to talk to people about it. Share the book. Get more people hooked on it and concerned about privacy and the erosion of our rights in this country.
    –[Lance]

  6. That’s wonderful!
    And this:
    when you’re into a book that’s so good, you don’t want it to be over
    Is truly the joy of reading. Like when you I to reread a book AGAIN before I took it back to the library because I’m so sad it was over.
    *makes note to go get Little Brother*

  7. I found this post so neat I had to share it with my mom.
    The best way a parent can get their children to read is to read themselves. I pretty much never saw my parents without a book, and now I’m pretty much never without a book myself.
    Thanks, Mom. Thank you, Daddy.

  8. ZB cracked me up on the first page with his sarcasm.
    Cory is the hot ticket now. He is a key contributor to boingboing.net That site is by far my top five daily checks on the net. Cory is out in full force there daily.

  10. Thanks for the book recommendation, Wil. I downloaded it from the website and tore through it in one day….couldn’t put it down. I printed it out and handed it to my 15 year old son to read to see if he would be just as engrossed as I was. Scary and thought provoking with a holy shite factor…thanks again for pointing me in this book’s direction. I am going to purchase a copy and put it in a faraday bag to protect it….then build a faraday cage around my house….although tin-foil would probably be cheaper…

  11. This definitely goes on the ‘must read’ list.
    I was totally the kid (and adult) who would get consumed by books. Unfortunately, I didn’t have Nolan’s discipline and frequently got in trouble in elementary and middle school for reading during class. (My parents and I did once have to meet with the principal because my 4th grade teacher didn’t think that Crichton’s The Lost World was appropriate). 90% of the all-nighters I’ve pulled have just been finishing a book only to look up and see that it was 6am. The one thing I’ve promised myself over and over to instill in mt future-kids is a love of reading.

  12. as a YA (teen) librarian, and one who thoroughly enjoyed Doctorow’s book, your story makes me swell with happiness. i thought it was a very smart and relevant story for teens (and adults) today.

  13. I’ve been lurking for a while and was moved to comment on this post. I teach sixth grade Language Arts and peddle books for a living. I also run the YA programming at a sf con in Atlanta.
    This post brought tears to my eyes. Rock on! There is so much goodness in YA SF and F right now. I hope Cory’s book brings more folks to the YA table.
    Thanks for this. You might pass on anything by Scott Westerfeld to Nolan next.
    And yes, LiveJournal regularly consumes my posts. I started just typing in a word processing doc and pasting a while back. I feel ya.

  14. After I read this post, I looked up that book and realized that it’s the same one Neil Gaiman had such high praise for. I downloaded it at around 11-11:30PM. I finished it just before 6:30AM, only stopping for a short D&D session, during which I burned a copy for my sister. And you know what I love as much as that book? That I can thank you, Wil, for getting me to read it. You rock.

  16. In this “book” there is a terrorist attack in San Francisco and the government turns into a police state. Now, it doesn’t take a liberal arts degree to realize that they’re making a comparison to the attacks on 9/11. Ironically, unless Barrack Obama gets into office, America has no need to fear a police state. That doesn’t stop leftist author Cory Doctorow from exploiting a horrible attack on American soil in which thousands died.
    Tell me Moar!
    After the terrorist attacks, the protagonist and his family are taken in custody by, get this, the Department of Homeland Security, for questioning. To make matters worse, the book legitimizes computer hackers as the `hero’ of this book hacks into the American Government system to enact revenge on the `system.’ Yes, the leftist author of this book encourages treasonous activity via cyber terrorism.
    So I heard you liek Mudkipz…
    Leftist author, Doctorow, also has no right to capitalize off of computer hackers either. He’s no hacker, and if he is, not only is he a criminal, but he has broken a sacred trust within the hacker community. He may have done just that as much of the books mentions real hacker tools. By doing this he is educating children on how to break the law, encouraging them to break the law when doing so is justified in their own minds, and using fear tactics to persuade children to become leftists like him.
    Do a barrelroll!
    Much of the dialogue in this book is coarse, vulgar, and contains profanity. Seriously who puts profanity in a children’s book? That’s sick. However, while it is true that this is a children’s book, it will most likely be read by only adult leftists, even if they have a little trouble with the `big words.’
    Long review is long
    So, just how many topics does leftist author Doctorow exploit in one novel just to make a buck? Terrorism, the 9/11 attacks, computer hackers, The Dead Kennedys, America, himself, and his readers. This book clearly promotes cyber terrorism against the government by children and all those who support it are guilty by association.
    Can I reserve Battletoads for the wii?

  17. Thanks for the great post! I greatly enjoyed it.
    I can relate to the post getting lost. What I normally do to prevent is write all of my posts in a text file using a text editor (I’m using gvim, but there are plenty of other very good FOSS and non-FOSS ones), and then copy and paste it to the blog’s edit box before posting. This way, I also keep a backup of everything I’ve ever written.
    Software is unreliable and web-based-software doubly so. I also encountered a worse phenomenon when sometimes WordPress blogs ate the comments I posted and wouldn’t let me re-post them claiming they were identical. And the blog owners did not know what to do because they weren’t WordPress experts. They also held the WordPress version back, which probably exposed them to many security vulnerabilities. I hate WordPress.
    Regards,
    Shlomi Fish
    My homepage: http://www.shlomifish.org/

  18. Seriously dude if the only way you can connect with “the kids” is to feed them leftist propaganda in the form of “children’s” books maybe you should take a look at scientology.

  19. Toystory21, let me get this straight.
    1. Updating Orwell’s 1984 is treason, because it necessarily presents a hypothetical version of our government as the bad guy. Even worse if characters don’t set a good example by obeying the law anyway, and doing what they’re told.
    2. Barack Obama would bring about a police state (?!?)
    3. Any reference, direct or indirect, to a real tragedy in fiction is shameful “exploitation” of that tragedy.
    4. A book for teens must never contain dialog in which anyone uses a bad word.
    5. Liberals have trouble with “big words.” Because, what, they’re less educated than neocons?
    6. You put “book” in quotation marks because we should have some doubt as to whether it’s really a book or just looks like one.
    Please, please, let us know when you post your next irrational diatribe as response # 482 to a news story at cnn.com’s Political Ticker, because I’m sure it will be oh so entertaining.
    In the meantime, we’re grateful that you took a post about the love of a good book as an opportunity to vent your spleen.

  21. Wil, you’re not only practicing the kind of parenting I strive for, you’re doing it in the lucid, conscious way I hope I can manage as well, where you are aware of your actions and able to reflect on them. Thank you so much for posting this, what a great thing for you to share with your son.
    I’ll be downloading LB forthwith. Thanks for the reminder. Keep up the good work at home and on the blog!

  22. With my excuses, there is far less to do, in this post, with reading and books than being a great father. You should be paid for that.
    Meh, what am I saying… you just showed your reward.
    But anyway, say “Welcome!” to Nolan from me.

  23. Wil,
    I have to say your part of the reason I’ve been reading a ton lately. After being in Mysterious Galaxy for your reading/signing I realized how much I’d missed reading good books on a regular basis. I’ve been going full swing since then. And the great domino effect is that my nine year old is really getting into reading as well. We’re looking forward to a summer of lots of great books from our local library.
    It is so awesome that you got to share this with Nolan. I look forward to the day I can do that with my daughters. And I’ll definetly have to check the book out now.

  24. I have an almost-16-year-old daughter who used to read voraciously. She, too, has stopped reading so much. However, I can still get her to do it and it does, indeed feel good when we can discuss a book. I actually would like to thank J.K. Rowling for keeping us reading the same books for the last nine years. We’ve read other stuff together, too – the stuff the cool kids are reading. But the Harry Potter series has been one consistent, fun, low-brow thing we could count on sharing together since she was very young.
    It’s great.

  25. Cheers for the recommendation. The book is absolutely brilliant. I’m a quarter through it and can’t stop. really makes you think.

  26. Wil, I found Little Brother prominently displayed at my local library after you wrote this post, and I picked it up. I started reading it today, and I must say, I’m addicted. I’m so drawn in, I had to stop myself tonight because I need to go to work tomorrow, but I’ve finished about half of the book so far. Thanks for the suggestion! 🙂

  27. To the poster who is 40 and doesn’t think this book is for him/her: I’m 40, I tore through LB in one day, and I loved it. It’s a shame that the 17-year old protagonist means that the book is narrowly categorized as YA…this book is for everyone. I loved it.
    Summertime is for reading. I’d love to see a list of Wil’s other faves so I can build a list for the rest of the summer….

  28. AHH I finished it yesterday, and I can easily say it’s one of the best books I have read in a long time. And I read a lot. Thanks for that recommendation, I will be passing it on.

  29. yo! just found this place by accident. always thought you got silly pieces in st:tng. wish they could have thought up better parts for you, the character was great. you played him well. great to see you’re married, i hope very happily! oe day, maybe you’ll get around to writing a new book to tell us all about what you think they COULD have done with wes? hope to see you in something else soon, we brits dont see much with you in it, dont know why? pity, you’re a good actor. speak soon i hope! ta ta!

  30. Nice to see the two of you having a shared experience over a book (and one in printed format, even).
    When Terry Pratchett’s Nation comes out, give it a try again. Thanks to obtaining an Advance Reading Copy, I’ve enjoyed it, and my SO has enjoyed it. It is being marketed as YA, but definitely it written for anyone to read. It is a stand alone novel, and is a bit of an alternate history novel which might have kids trying to Google “Mothering Sunday Islands” like I did. It also is a book that might get kids interested in astronomy as well.

  31. Thanks for pointing me to ‘Little Brother’, I just finished reading it. Hard to put down, and it’s an eye opener.
    I just wish there was a German version so I could give it to my Little Brothers.

  32. Once I found a local copy, I blew through it in four and a half hours. I’ve handed it off to my surrogate little brother, who’s just turned 17. Between adolescent laziness and an overwhelming desire to be perceived as cool, I don’t have a lot of hope that he’ll actually pick it up. What time he doesn’t spend on all the summer prep work for the three AP classes he’s taking this year (he’s not completely hopeless) is reserved for sleep, video games, and lightweight television. One of these days, maybe he’ll stumble on a clue…

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