I, Robot

by Cory Doctorow

"I, Robot" is a science-fiction short story by Cory Doctorow published in 2005. The story is set in the type of police state needed to ensure that only one company is allowed to make robots, and only one type of robot is allowed. The story follows single Father detective Arturo Icaza de Arana-Goldberg while he tries to track down his missing teenage daughter. The detective is a bit of an outcast because his wife defected to Eurasia, a rival Superpower.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Short Stories, Ebooks, Dystopia, Robots, Canada

50 pages, ebook

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Cory Doctorow is a science fiction author, activist, journalist and blogger — the co-editor of Boing Boing and the author of the YA graphic novel In Real Life, the nonfiction business book Information Doesn’t Want To Be Free, and young adult novels like Homeland, Pirate Cinema, and Little Brother and novels for adults like Rapture Of The Nerds and Makers. He is a Fellow for the Electronic Frontier Foundation and co-founded the UK Open Rights Group. Born in Toronto, Canada, he now lives in Los Angeles.

Reviews

[KristenR · Rating 3 out of 5]

I want to like Cory Doctorow. Really, I do. But at the end of everything I read by him I feel kind of let down. I can't pinpoint why, and so I keep reading his books and stories hoping that something will change *sigh*

[Jonatron · Rating 2 out of 5]

A weird mash-up of 1984 and Asimov.

Copyright and intellectual property is 100% bad and leads to oppressive police states. The three laws of robotics are just handicaps, and without them, hyper-intelligent super-fast super-strong robots will cooperate with us and serve us, purely out of the goodness of their hearts. Eurasia is a utopia with no crime and highly advanced technology, apparently just because of their disregard for the idea of intellectual property?

Pretty weird and simplistic.

[Owen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was somewhat dissappointed with this short story which I found reconstituted cliches from ficticious future worlds. Maybe it's the genre that disappoints me, or maybe I expected more from Doctorow than Gibson lite. I appreciated his attempts to reference copyright issues but it was muddied with irrelevant ethical problems he didn't fully resolve.

[Safae · Rating 4 out of 5]

Highly entertaining, Oh the future so close yet so far..and like i said why aren't we investing in robots instead of phones?

[Kaitlyn Keller · Rating 3 out of 5]

I, robot is a story taking place in two different locations. The story starts in Toronto, with detective Arturo along with his daughter Ada. Ada is a smart young girl often know for skipping school. In this time, the use of robots as tracking devices is common. Arturo is trying to track Ada’s phone but it’s not working so he calls for a robot. He tells the robot to find Ada and if she moves within 10% of the route between school and where they are, the robot is to call Arturo. Ada ends up deviating from the given radius, the mall, so the robot calls Arturo to let him know. As Arturo heads to the mall, he discovers that he can no longer reach Ada, nor can he find her in any area of the mall, he only found her phone. He realizes she has been in contact with a kid named Liam, so Arturo tracks him down to find answers. Arturo goes back to the mall to check one more time, and he meets a mysterious figure. He wakes up in a completely different city, but he sees people he knows and loves. He learns the secrets to why Eurasian has not declared war against the rest of society. Arturo gets sent back to where he came from, but once he’s back, he gets taken by the man in charge of the social harmony. As the story continues, someone comes in and can help Arturo and his daughter escape back to the alternate city.
The main takeaway from this story is the idea of the advancement of technology. Today we see technology constantly evolving. However, in I, robot technology is primarily used in the form of tracking. This hints at the idea that someone is always watching. The use of robots to track down people or to potentially spy on their ware bouts is a prominent idea in this story. With this story we can see overall a theological archetype of the fugitive. We have the idea of judgement coming from Arturo, he works for a company that sees Eurasians as bad people. They are hacking into the Unats robots’ brains to gain control of them to build their army. There is also the idea of the problem. The problem here is that the Eurasians have enough strength and brain power to essentially destroy the society they are currently living in. Eurasians are seen as the problem, and the unats/social harmony see themselves as the possible solution. This story ties in the sci-fi element of robots along with the constant surveillance. In this story, particularly the Eurasian robots, remind me of Emiko, from the book The Windup Girl. Emiko is half robot, half human but has incredible strength and power and can take down 8 men at once and is faster than most. The Eurasian robots share similar qualities, they are fast, strong, and have the brains. The Eurasian robots and Emiko are very much similar, but they contrast simply at the fact that Emiko looks like a normal human being.
Overall, I did like this story however as I was reading it, I was getting slightly confused at some parts. I have experience reading graphic novels however in this story, some of the pictures were tilted and overlapped one another which made it harder to follow the right conversation sequence. However, once I reached the end of the story, I was able to piece together the information. I also liked the incorporation of the robots. I’ve always enjoyed stories with sci-fi elements contain robots mixed with humans because I like the contrast between viewpoints.

[heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simplistic plot. Nevertheless I enjoyed reading the book. It is well-written and I found myself drawn to the main characters, particularly Ada and Natalie. Even the positronic androids are likable.

[Jasmine Hughes · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story is set in the future and follows a detective, Arturo Icaza de Arana-Goldberg, who is a single father to his daughter Ada. The world that they are living in is a police state, and the goal is to ensure that there is only one company, UNATS, that is allowed to make robots, and they only allow one type of robot that follows three laws. They have a competitor in another country known as Eurasia, whose Arturo’s ex-wife defected to that company. The police officers work together with the robots, also known as “R Peeds,” to solve crimes or prevent crimes. There is a lot of advanced technology in terms of surveillance in this world, and police officers have a lot of authority with gaining access to different individuals to monitor them. The detective, Arturo, is using this technology to try and track his daughter down after she goes missing and is trying to figure out what happened to her.
The story has many different theological themes, and one that sticks out to me is the cycle of death. It consists of death, journey, and the afterlife. This can be found in the I, Robot story, and it is shown with the character Natalie. The short story plays with the idea of being able to upload your being or consciousness into a cloud or positronic brain so that she can exist in many different forms and grow a new one whenever you need it. This allows for death to be a continuation rather than an end. This, for some characters like Arturo, causes an internal struggle in the self because he is a more nostalgic character who prefers his life before robots and the ability to live forever essentially. He does, in the story, put aside his dislike for the robots so they can help him locate his daughter when she went missing, but he is still in a different headset than Natalie is. This story reminded me of the SciFi show Altered Carbon, where their consciousness is uploaded to a disk, and it can be removed and put in a body, and they continue living on. This show has similar concepts but does take a different approach than the short story.
I ended up liking this story a lot more than I had originally thought. The SciFi aspect of robots and how they were involved with the police as a tool, but when presented through the lens of Arturo that he felt like it was more of a hindrance working with the robots rather than helpful. I enjoyed watching the story unfold and seeing how he used to live in a world without robots, but now they are involved in every aspect of his job. I also found the relationship he had with his daughter to be rather interesting with the different nicknames that he had, along with how the story shows how deeply he cares about his daughter, but also his distrust in the world because he heavily monitored his daughter and did not seem to trust her and the world around her. He was quick to blame other individuals, Liam, for example, for something that would happen to his daughter. Overall, I really enjoyed the story, and I grew to like the ex-wife character once she entered the picture. I enjoyed the concept of her essentially being able to uphold her consciousness or brain in a way to continue living once her body was gone.

[Hannah Chadwick]

Overview:
The story I, Robot, written by Cory Doctorow, is a story that takes place on a futuristic dystopia. In this world, they have almost completely transitioned from human jobs, to robots taking over. It is to the point where human occupation is needles. In the beginning of the story, we are first introduced to Arturo. Arturo is one of the few people left with a job as he is part of the police force as a detective. Arturo has a 12-year-old daughtered and is divorced to his ex-wife Natalie. Natalie left the family roughly two months after the birth of their daughter, Ada. Arturo has a very important job as it follows all the imports from North America because Eurasia ships in goods and technology that do not follow the law of robotics. Ada takes after her mother by allowing her curiosity to get the best of herself, she allows her mind to run freely as she fights to be different and to see a change in this very monotoned world. In the story, Ada is kidnapped and is in trouble with the law enforcement group, Harmony. Arturo takes initiative in the hunt of his missing daughter, but through this process is brought back to his ex-wife. As their worlds collide again, Arturo starts coming to the realization that the world is not all that it seems to be and begins to uncover many untold truths and how North America is very dystopic.

Theological:
I robot, throughout the story show high appreciation for aesthetics, but two very different aesthetics for both Ada and Arturo. Ada and her father have polar opposite opinions and thoughts on the world. Ada, just like her mother, value freedom and autonomy, a more independent lifestyle. Ada believes strongly that all people should have access to her work relating to the robotics as she is worried about the well-being of the planet all everyone who is living on it. Arturo, however, has more nostalgic look on things. He wants to preserve the right and ideals of the past, a sentimental longing of the past.

Thoughts:
I enjoyed this story but found myself reading words that have no meaning at time and just getting lost in reading words on a page. But overall, I think Doctorow using strong description to allow the readers to paint a vivid picture of what the world would look like at each scene in the book. I think if I had more time I would reread this story for a second time to try and pick up minor details that I may have missed the first time I read as I think the little details play a large part in the story.

[Julia Beaven]

The short story I, Robot, written by Cory Doctorow, takes place in the future of Toronto, where robots exist in helping people with everyday things. The main character Arturo is a very successful detective, divorced husband, overprotective father, and anti-robot. His ex-wife, Natalie, has a different perspective on life, as she left him and their daughter, Ada, to devote her life to researching and making robots for Eurasia. Eurasia makes competing robots to the ones made in Toronto by UNATS. The police station where Arturo works wants UNATS to be the only ones who make robots, so they are always in conflict with Eurasia. A rebellious, intelligent child, Ada loses her dad’s tracking devices and robots and goes missing. Despite hating robots, Arturo uses them to assist in finding Ada. Ada has fled to Ottawa to be with her mom. However, she will not leave the country to go to Beijing without Arturo. Because of his beliefs toward society and his ex-wife, Arturo has difficulty seeing Ada’s desires.
In the story, there are many conflicting beliefs between Arturo and Ada, which makes it very hard for Arturo to let Ada go and live a life like her mother. A conflicting opinion is death. In the eyes of Natalie and Ada, death is a continuation because they live on through thousands of robots when they die. Arturo, being old school and not liking robots, struggles with their concept of death to a point where it’s almost unsettling for him. Arturo would view death as the enemy. It’s the enemy because Arturo has difficulty grappling and coming to terms with Ada’s excitement and aspiration to live like Natalie, as 3,000+ robots and not as a human, which is essentially death. Although he does not have the same wants in life, his love for his daughter is powerful, and, in the end, he accepts whom she wants to be.
When reading the story, I, Robot, I thought of many possibilities. Today, as a society with robots, we are on the verge of what Cory Doctorow wrote about in I, Robot. Robots exist in today's world, and there is a variety of them that can do a variety of different tasks. The thought of I, Robot soon becoming a reality crossed my mind. The idea of robots will continue to grow and become more common, I think to a point where they will be used in everyday activities. I could envision my life where robots existed when reading. Therefore, the story was a very intriguing read because out of all the short stories read so far, it seemed to be the most possible in the quickest amount of time

[Ashley Mattern · Rating 4 out of 5]

The short story I, Robot by Cory Doctorow is told from the point of view of a man, police detective Arturo Icaza de Arana-Goldberg. The story takes place on futuristic earth, for the most part, in Toronto and Ottawa, Canada, and briefly in Eurasia. Along with Arturo, Ada, Arturo’s twelve-year-old daughter, and Natalie, Arturo’s ex-wife that left him two months after Ada’s birth, serves as the main characters. Arturo’s job as a detective is to police the technology in North America because Eurasia imports powerful technology that does not follow the three robotic laws that the North Americans follow. Ada, much like her mother, is running amok fighting for freedom but soon finds herself kidnapped and in trouble with Social Harmony, a type of law enforcement group. As Arturo hunts down his missing daughter, he comes face to face again with his ex-wife. As Natalie makes her appearance back into Arturo and Ada’s life, Arturo becomes aware of many truths and just how dystopic North America is.
I, Robot, is bountiful in the aesthetics and values of many of the characters. Regarding the primary characters, however, their aesthetics and values can range from family to freedom. Arturo values his daughter and mother the most, which is apparent in his actions and decisions throughout the story. Natalie, however, values freedom and autonomy. She values the overall well-being of the planet. She feels that her work and research of robotics and technology should be free for all to know to achieve the planet’s well-being. Ada, much like her mother, also wants freedom and doesn’t want to be a part of the system that North America follows.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading Doctorow’s short story. I’ve never read anything like this short story as I’ve never been much a fan of robot stories, movies, or television shows. However, I found this far different from what I’ve read and watched before. The descriptions Doctorow provided made the story easy to follow along and allowed me to paint a picture in my head of what was going on. Some parts of the story took me by surprise as I was not expecting some of the things that happened. I think this is a perfect short story for those who like stories about artificial intelligence and for those like me who have not been a fan of the typical robot stories floating around.

[Louie Sepe · Rating 3 out of 5]

GoodReads Review 3
4/20

I, Robot is a short story by Cory Doctorow about a seemingly futuristic dystopia where the need for human being occupation is needless. Robots are at the disposal everywhere and have taken the jobs of almost all humans, especially the police force. We are first introduced to Arturo, who is a very decorated police detective, and his mischievous daughter Ada. What seems like any ordinary day, quickly all goes to hell. This wild goose chase of a story has many twists and turns with a much deeper meaning.
One theologic theme that stood out to me was the annoyance with these robots that are somewhat god figures. Everyone always talks about how cool it would be to have humanoid robots in our world and how helpful they could be. In this story however, the large majority of people actually hate these robots. Arturo hates how they have no feelings and that their words almost have no meanings. He makes it very clear how much he hates these robots many times throughout the story. The biggest piece of irony comes at the end of the story when he finds out the truth about his ex-wife (wont spoil it). It’s almost a “be carful what you wish for” kind of story. Of course their are many other underlying themes such as digital rights and freedom etc., but this was the biggest take away that I had.
I really enjoyed this story in the end. At first though, I thought it was kind of boring and sounded a little similar so some stories/movies I had seen and read before. Once the story picks up however, and more information is revealed, I found myself very intrigued while visualizing everything going on. I really like how the author deconstructs these robots and makes them almost the bad guys. The many twists at the end were awesome too and I would definitely read more stories from this author.

[Julia LaClair · Rating 5 out of 5]

I Robot overall, is a story about a dad who loves his daughter. Arturo job may be a cop; however, his main job is to keep his daughter safe from anything that may pose a threat to his bold acting daughter, Ada. Ada has recently been exhibiting bold behavior such as using an excuse club to call in to school late. The excuse club disguised her voice with one to sound like her father. Arturo however was always one step ahead of Ada, he bugged her phone and knew exactly what she was up to. He had a robot follow her and notify him if she left a predetermined zone. When this happened, Arturo found his daughter at a mall working with someone that he determined an enemy to him and his daughter.

The theological concept of death is displayed many times throughout the reading. The reading reminds us to think about how we can view death. Everyone has a different perception of death and I think it is good to remind ourselves of that. Some view death as an end, another may view death as a continuation. As someone who is preparing to work in healthcare this is a concept that I should keep in mind. Patients will not always view death in the same light and that is important to note when providing care. This does not remind me of another science fiction readings I have personally read.

I enjoyed reading I Robot because not only was the story engaging, but it also had a deeper meaning than what the storyline may have told us. I believe overall this book was really about a father who really loves his daughter. It shows the depths that a father would go through to protect and keep his daughter safe. As a daughter I know I have overlooked some of the things my dad has done for me over the years, and it is stories like these that make me think back and appreciate all the things my dad has done for me.

[Madison Speece · Rating 4 out of 5]

iRobot, Overclocked written by Cory Doctorow is a story based upon futuristic robots and things people have become capable of. The story focuses on Arturo and his daughter. Arturo is a dad and somewhat stereotypical old cop; he doesn’t like the new technology of the robots at all. The story’s plot builds up due to his daughter, Ada, going missing and he is worried for her. He is so worried he tries to bring in the robots to help. As the story continues he finds out where his daughter has gone, how intelligent she may be, and even connects with his ex-wife, who left him and his daughter for reasons of her own.
The theology in this story that stands out to me is the theological archetype of Arturo. Throughout the story you can see how he would feel that the universe is broken. Arturo feels that the robots are unnecessary and that they are somewhat of enemies. Along with that, he also seems to believe that others may be the problem, others being the robots and possibly even the intelligent people who have created these robots. Aside from the warrior archetype, he could also be seen in the refugee archetype for the self aspect, which is feeling as if he is the victim.
I really enjoyed this story a lot! I thought this story was easy to comprehend and an easier read. I tend to like stories that follow a more “lifelike” science fiction. This story included humans as the main characters and robots as the science fiction and we have robots in the world we live in today. Although this story had advanced robots, I feel like they are not too out of the ordinary for what the world can come to.

[Johannmary Ortiz · Rating 3 out of 5]

overview
This book review will focus more on Arturo's worldview as a warrior. Arturo Icaza de Arana-Goldberg is a police detective. He has a 12-year-old daughter. Her name is Ada Trouble Icaza de Arana-Goldberg he has been raising her alone since she was two months old because her mom left due to work. Arturo tracks his daughter and notices that she is not going to school. He has to decide whether he follows his daughter or attends his social harmony briefing. Arturo decides to have a robot follow his daughter even though he dislikes them. He goes to the social briefing, and there was damage done to R Peed Robert, the robot, due to an electromagnetic pulse. Arturo sees his daughter's phone on the floor, and now his daughter is missing, and no way to track her.
theology
The theological aspect I see in Arturo. I think Arturo's theological archetype is a warrior. Theology does not mean religion but how Arturo feels about his world. He considers the earth to be broken because he lives in a world with robots he does not like. You can say that he sees others as the problem because his daughter is the problem. After all, she lies about where she is going. But he also sees the robots as a problem. Arturo considers death as an enemy because even the thought of losing his daughter makes him sad.
concluding thoughts
I'm not too fond of this short sciences fiction story. I don't see robots in our future having feelings. I did enjoy how there is a Dad and daughter relationship. Even though Ada said that Arturo is a terrible father and doesn't love me, I feel she is going through a teenage phase, but also she wanted to meet her mom.

[Sidney Goodman · Rating 3 out of 5]

“I, Robot” follows the perspective of police detective Arturo Icaza de Arana-Goldberg as he searches for his missing daughter, Ada, whom he believes has been kidnapped by a renegade group of individuals who believe that the robots used by UNATS and the control that the Department of Social Harmony exerts on the distribution of technology are both immoral. When Arturo discovers that Ada has not in fact been kidnapped but has been helping her mother Natalie, a brilliant robotic scientist who defected from UNATS to go to Eurasia and continue her work uninhibited, he has to decide where he stands on the issue of information regulation and illegal robotics.

Throughout the story, it is extremely apparent that Arturo and Natalie have polarized aesthetics. The things that they value are opposed, and they place emphasis on different areas of ethical concern. Arturo values nostalgia, while Natalie values autonomy. He wants to preserve the ideals of the past, while she wants to be able to pursue the future uninhibited. This becomes increasingly evident when Natalie reveals that her consciousness lives on in thousands of robotic bodies, trampling over Arturo’s notion that the soul is knit to the body.

While I did enjoy this short story, I found it difficult to relate with the characters. For me, connecting with at least one is paramount to my enjoyment of a story, so I couldn’t get as invested in this one as I had hoped I would because none of the characters really spoke to me.

[Ryan McCarthy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The short story that I decided to read first was I, Robot by Cory Doctorow. I was influenced to read this because I read Asimov’s version in a history class last year. The story takes place in a police station, and their job is to make sure that only one company makes robots, and that the company only makes one type of robot. It is set in Toronto, and the main character is Arturo Icaza de Arana-Goldberg. He is a single father that is a detective at the police station that I mentioned. The main plot of the story is about him trying to track down his missing teenage daughter. The other key part of the plot is that Goldberg’s wife abandoned him to join a rival, a group called Eurasia.
If I’m being completely honest, I am not a big reader and am struggling to find a theological connection to another science fiction book. It would be easy to compare it to Asimov’s I, Robot, while they are different in their respective ways, they still have similarities. For example, they are both based in futuristic settings, and some of Asmiov’s stories displayed the loyalty that the robots had to the humans. This one displays loyalty as well in the sense that the detective is hunting down his missing daughter.
I did enjoy reading this book, and like the idea of a futuristic setting because it is very interesting and easy to get into. I will say that this book (as well as this course in general) definitely changed my perspective on reading and on science fiction stories already.

[Kyle Schermerhorn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Arturo Icaza de Arana-Goldberg is a detective in Toronto, Canada. His department started using robots to help with solving cases and stopping crime. After the disappearance of his teenage daughter, Ada, he has to use the help of the robots to track her down. Arturo goes around asking citizens if they've seen his daughter. He finds a terrorist's nest. Later on, he assumes that his daughter Ada was a hostage. He is then able to find her in Beijing and return her home.
The main theological theme that is presented in 'I, Robot' is the theological worldview of Arturo Icaza de Arana-Goldberg. Arturo is considered as a 'warrior'. He believes that everyone else is the problem, just like how the robots are the problem. You can also tell how he is determined in everything he does and is probably safe to say that he thinks that death is the enemy.
For me personally, I wasn't a huge fan of the story as a whole. I liked the entire plot of the story, but I wasn't a big fan on how it was written. I was also confused in the beginning with all of Arturo's 'titles'. it was also kind of confusing on how Arturo found his daughter halfway through the story and then there was more to the story, even after the finding of his daughter.

[Jamie Inacio]

This short story by Cory Doctorow gives the sense of a futuristic dystopia where robots have taken over pretty much every job. These robots have especially taken over the jobs on the police force which is an important part of this story. Arturo is a highly decorated police officer with an extremely mischievous daughter. This story is action packed and keeps you on your toes while also delivering a very prominent meaning. I think that many people could relate these robots to different theological people. People always assume that robots are awesome and fantastic but the harsh reality is that many people in this story really don’t like these robots. We always assume that having robots take over for many of life’s works would be so beneficial but in reality it’s weird to go to a grocery store and not be able to chat it up with your cashier. Arturo makes it very clear that he hates these robots because they took away his wife with her fascination of them. I personally enjoyed this book because there was a little bit of romance along with the addition of robots. I also feel like this short story was actually a story it grabbed me from the first 2 sentences.

[Diamante Rivera · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is about a single dad who has a robot track down his daughter Natalie who has gone missing and is willing to do anything to get his daughter back.

The theological aspect I got from this was about people dying the journey of a persons death and the afterlife of death. It pretty much reminds me of the movie I robot in the one scenes in the movie.

I really liked the book overall it was very furturistic for the robots in the story. I would've definitely avoided this books because I don't like science fiction based on robots but this one really caught my eye.

[Sam Hnatiw · Rating 3 out of 5]

I stumbled on this story mistakenly thinking it was the inspiration for that movie I saw in my teenage years. I like the world created in this story, however unbelievable it actually is. The ending was a little convenient and felt like the most interesting parts of the story were crammed into only a few pages.

I'm glad I read it though. It was though provocating.

[Biblioworm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Перенасыщенно фантастическими деталями, в итоге получается китч.
У Азимова это существенно естественнее, миры хотя и совсем фантастические, но нет такого давления.

Ну и в целом очень схематично - автор обозначил очень интересную психологически проблему, но вообще не стал ее прорабатывать.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story reads like Asimov's later Robot books (Caves of Steel, et al) meets 1984. A police officer father tries to manage of his teenage daughter after her mother traitorously escapes to the Eurasian alliance.

[DANIELLE MARTINO · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the realistic drama between the father and daughter. Also shows how technology is today can can grow into. The ending lost me. Her mother is a robot now and they all look like her. That was hard to take.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

What is consciousness? What does it mean to be human? What does it mean for something, or someone, to be alive? These were the questions I asked my self after reading this book.

[Warren Liebeman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Asimov meets 1984.

[D. Mark Detrixhe · Rating 5 out of 5]

As always top class

Just wish it were longer. Like always a complete absorption into the writers world with a world and characters you don't want to leave. Marvelous!

[Shatha · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was... Weird. Sort of 1984-ish, and it lrft me confused. But in a good way? I guess?

[Joutjout · Rating 5 out of 5]

i want to read this story

[Riju Ganguly · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story began brilliantly, progressed furiously, and then...
Then it became a propagandist trash, and died.
What. A. Disaster!

[Carlos · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice short novel by Doctorow, in the line of other stories: a critique against the"big brother" way of life, in which the government snoops on the people for their own protection.