To Kill a Mockingbird 

In the book, To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, the protagonist, Scout, lives in a small southern town during the Depression. In this small southern town there is a widely know legend that there is a man named Boo Radley that lives in a basement, eats cats and has stabbed his father with a pair of scissors. Scout, her brother Jem and their friend Dill are equally terrified and intrigued by this shady character, so when the day comes that Boo gives Scout a blanket (without them noticing) while waiting for a fire to shimmer down on a cold winter night, they are nothing short of flabbergasted. The lesson of this encounter with Boo was that Scout should treat Boo less like an animal, and more like a human being. Scout should know that there is nothing sinister about giving a blanket to a girl in the cold. 

The deeper theme behind this lesson is not to judge a book by its cover. Boo is a good example, but there are many others. Another example is that Scout’s father, Atticus, is a lawyer supporting a black man. In order to win the case Atticus will have to make the jury treat the man like any other human being. This theme was also shown in the beginning of the book when a boy was treated like dirt because of the poverty of his family, but when Atticus had a conversation with the boy he treated him with respect. 

“Al Capone shines my shoes” by Gennifer Choldenko 

The main character of the story lives on Alcatraz, the jailhouse island that houses famous criminals such as machine gun Kelly, one arm willy and of course the deadly mobster Al Capone. On Alcatraz there is a very distinct, rich and different culture. One example of their unique culture is that they call the isle in the middle of the prison cells “Broadway” and the metal detector in front of the entrance to the island “the snitch box”. This has a very major impact on the main character “Moose” and all of the other aspects of this rich and exciting story. After all Moose wouldn't have Al Capone out to kill him if he didn't live on Alcatraz.

This wouldn't have happened if Moose hadn't asked for Capone’s help to get his sister into a special school via his shirt pocket that he sent into the islands convict laundry mat. Now Capone wants his part of the deal. Because of the story’s unique setting Moose has fallen into this deep problem.

Another example of how the setting affects the story is that there is a tension between one of his friends on the island and another that lives on the mainland. They are very different and in some ways and end up fighting for Moose’s attention. If there lived near each other and not a ferry ride away thy come to like each other. Or at least live with each other. Also, since this boy has lived on Alcatraz his whole life he does not play baseball. The boy from the mainland does. Again the Alcatraz culture has created yet another conundrum. 

The book Little Brother Cory Doctorow is a cautionary tale. It is afraid of the advancements in technology and how it could affect society. It details how it believes extreme security could destroy education.

At Cesar Chavez high there are cameras that detect and track people’s distinct walks. The school gives computers to each student, but their web history and the programs they use are monitored. The rebels of the story use tactics like putting gravel in their shoes to change their walk to avoid the surveillance. This does not take place in a far off time, the only real difference between this time and our time is that the technology is slightly more advanced.

I find it interesting that this story does not act as if the government is the one surveilling people beyond their privacy. contrary to most cautionary tales involving extreme surveillance  the government takes steps in the opposite direction. They outlaw cameras that use facial recognition technology in schools.