I absolutely loved this book, despite being 20-25 years above the target YA age range. I've been a fan of Doctorow for some years, following his work with EFF, ORG, and his writing in general. This book in particular struck a chord because of its Orwellian theme, the use of modern technology to overcome unreasonable obstacles, its relevance to today's post-9/11 world (and its lack of regard for Ben Franklin's quote about liberty and security), and its exhortation from beginning to end that looking inside the box to understand what makes it tick is okay -- not something to be legislated against or feared. Hackers make the world go around.

I wish books like this existed when I was a young adult. But I suppose they did for their time: 1984, The Death of Grass, Flowers for Algernon, Brave New World, and so forth. I'd put this book on the same shelf. Must read.