Cyberwar

Children's Literature

A cyberwar—an attack by computer that could put a halt to America's telephone systems, electric power, air traffic control, and Internet service—that is the subject of this book. As part of the "Issues in Focus" series, this volume begins with a reminder of the September 11, 2001 attacks on United States' soil. From here, the story quickly rewinds to the mid 1800s and a look at the development of electronic communications—from telegraph to telephone, radio, the first vacuum-tube computer, to the Internet. At times, this book reads like a spy novel, where the "good guys" are United States citizens, the bad guys (among others) the Soviets and Iraqis, and the detectives members of the Department of Defense and the National Security Agency. While the terminology—cyberheists, cyberattacks, cyberterrorists, killer bananas—is amusing, the message is that although we have not yet been subject to cyberterror, the operative words here are "not yet." Available as a library-bound edition, Cyberwar contains chapter notes, a glossary, further reading, and an index, and it provides a thought-provoking start for the student interested in exploring this new and mystery-filled area of study. 2003, Enslow Publishers,
— Susan Schott Karr