One of the most popular authors wrote what is truly a young person's book: Have Spacesuit, Will Travel". I librarian pointed me in the direction of the SF shelf when I was 8, and I either found this book or had it pointed out to me.

You seem to know what you are writing about, but I would like to see at least one reference. The notion that passport RFIDs contain a copy of the passport info seems beyond the pale, that is, too stupid to be true.

The RFID is just a key into a database that Padget has no access to. And the $250 figure is specious, as the device needed usually costs over $1000 on eBay (he bought one that was broken and fixed it). There are real dangers with the wider adoption of RFID, but this hack was more show than substance.

Actually, I have already re-read Anathem. The invented language does initially represent a barrier to understanding, but on deeper reflection, is key to what Stephenson is doing with this book. That is, examining the philosophical roots of our society as well as the antipathy to science so common in the USA today. arth1 has me interested enough in the Litany that I will look for it. But I did find Anathem totally engaging and thought provoking, while providing an exciting ride from time to time. Very much like his earlier books, in that there are long passages with dialog where characters explain the zeitgeiss of the time, interspersed with occasional action sequences.