Awaken Review

320 pages

Maddie lives in a world where everything is done on the computer. Whether it’s to go to school or on a date, people don’t venture out of their home. There’s really no need. For the most part, Maddie’s okay with the solitary, digital life—until she meets Justin. Justin likes being with people. He enjoys the physical closeness of face-to-face interactions. People aren’t meant to be alone, he tells her. Suddenly, Maddie feels something awakening inside her—a feeling that maybe there is a different, better way to live. But with society and her parents telling her otherwise, Maddie is going to have to learn to stand up for herself if she wants to change the path her life is taking. In this not-so-brave new world, two young people struggle to carve out their own space.

Review:

Wow. I just finished reading this book and it was so amazingly real. Katie Kacvinsky did a good job writing this dystopian novel. Its amazing because you see so many similarities to our world today and where we could possibly head if we choose technology over people. One interesting phrase stuck out to me from this book. Maddie was referring to the online world and she said "I can be whoever I want to be in that world.... I can be the best version of myself. Better yet, an exaggeration of the best version of myself.... I can delete my flaws by pressing a button." That really hit home with me because I've noticed that in today's world a lot of people do in fact use the internet to put up an image of themselves that they want others to see. I think that the author really connected this novel with life as it is right now and I enjoyed reading this book immensely. I ca 't wait until she finishes writing the sequel so I can see what happens to Maddie and Justin. This is definitely a must read for fans of dystopian novels.