Where It All Goes Down
San Francisco, California
Ready to get to know the City by the Bay? Little Brother takes us throughout San Francisco neighborhoods from the Tenderloin to the Mission, stopping by landmarks like the Sutro Baths, Treasure Island, and Dolores Park.
Marcus and his friends walk or ride public transportation in the form of BART and MUNI. Community's an important theme of this book, and the inclusion of public transportation is a way of underlining networks that make daily life happen for ordinary people.
(Or maybe Cory Doctorow just really likes San Francisco. You decide.)
In terms of time, even though it's unclear exactly when this story takes place, there are many parallels with life in Little Brother and life in Nor Cal, circa 2008.
A San Francisco Love Letter
Marcus learns a lot about San Francisco history and goes to visit some key places when he's suspended from school (13). For example, The Beats give him a reason to head to North Beach and the famous City Lights Books.
He gives us enough background on what makes San Francisco great that we really believe him when he says he's fighting for its freedom…although there's always the off chance that he just really likes Rice-A-Roni and It's-It's.
Inside or Outside: Which Is Safer?
When Marcus isn't running around making flashmobs, meeting his friends, or languishing in a secret detention center, he's often at Cesar Chavez High School or his house.
But over time, even these havens start to make Marcus (legitimately) paranoid.
His high school's a mass of ever-increasing surveillance, and, when Marcus finds the bug in his laptop, his own room suddenly seems vulnerable…though he fights back by using his wrapped Xbox to get online and start the Xnet.
Only Ange's house is left as a den of privacy. It's portrayed as a place to hang out without parents, hold online press conferences, and generally feel free and unwatched.
The Internet
That's right, where you are right now is a setting in Little Brother. And, although the idea of the internet as a location isn't exactly mind-blowing these days, that concept was cerebral-cortex crushing back in 2008.
The internet is perhaps the major space in this book. It's where plots are laid, spies found, games played, and allies made. The internet also gives Marcus and others many of the tools they need to make change in their communities.
In fact, the only reason we think it takes a backseat to the other (physical) settings in this novel is because Marcus spends so much time running around the Bay Area. (Also, you can't ride a cable car on the internet. Yet.)