Pirate Cinema
Rousing near-future adventure tackles privacy issues.
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this book.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Pirate Cinema, by Cory Doctorow, paints a vivid picture of life on the streets in near-future London and features a cast of characters who operate outside the law. Marijuana use is regarded as unremarkable, teens engage in sexual relationships, one major supporting character is gay and another bisexual (they share a physical relationship), and a male character is interrupted while "wanking" (masturbating). The characters and narrator use a great deal of profanity (e.g. "bloody," "shite" "arse," "piss," "bastard"), but there's very little violence. The novel presents the message that not all readers and their families will be comfortable with: that it's sometimes necessary to work outside the law to survive, thrive, and achieve positive change for the good of the citizenry. But many readers will be exhilarated and moved by the amount of passion and intelligence the characters bring to their quest for justice.
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What's the Story?
Obsessed with creating illegal remixes of his favorite movies, 16-year-old Trent McCauley finds himself on the wrong side of the law. When his family's Internet is cut off for a year due to his transgressions, Trent runs away to London rather than face his father's unemployment, his mother's failing health, and his younger sister's plunging school grades. He falls in with a group of squatters refurbishing an abandoned pub, as well as activists and artists working to overturn a copyright law that would turn millions of young people into felons overnight. Rechristened as Cecil B. DeVil, Trent learns how to use technology and art to effect political change.
Is It Any Good?
PIRATE CINEMA is another volume in Cory Doctorow's series of novels about teenagers taking on the system, and it mostly maintains his high standards. The novel addresses issues that directly affect today's young readers, and it doesn't promote simplistic answers to most of the questions it raises. Trent's acclimation to life on the streets of London seems a little too easy, but the book in general stays within the realm of plausibility. Many readers will be exhilarated and moved by the amount of passion and intelligence that the highly diverse characters bring to their quest for justice.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the book's messages regarding piracy and rights ownership. Do you think the motion picture and entertainment industries overstate the problem of piracy?
How do you feel about online piracy? What does "fair use" mean? Should artists be allowed to take parts of older works and use them in new ways?
What might it be like to be 16 and have to live on the streets of London? Can you imagine living on your own in a big city?
Book Details
- Author: Cory Doctorow
- Genre: Science Fiction
- Topics: Friendship
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Tor Books
- Publication date: October 2, 2012
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 13 - 17
- Number of pages: 384
- Available on: Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
- Last updated: July 12, 2017
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