Awaken

By Katie Kacvinsky

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.

This ebook includes a sample chapter of MIDDLE GROUND.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: May 2, 2011
• ISBN: 9780547574073

Katie Kacvinsky

Katie Kacvinsky worked in the entertainment industry and as a high school English teacher before deciding to write full time.

Book preview

Copyright © 2011 by Katie Kacvinsky

All rights reserved. For information about permission to reproduce selections from this book, write to Permissions, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, 215 Park Avenue South, New York, New York 10003.

Houghton Mifflin is an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

www.hmhco.com

The Library of Congress has cataloged the print edition as follows:

Kacvinsky, Katie.

Awaken / written by Katie Kacvinsky.

p. cm.

Summary: In the year 2060, when people hardly ever leave the security of their houses and instead do everything online, Madeline Freeman, the seventeen-year-old daughter of the man who created the national digital school attended by all citizens, is wooed by a group of radicals who are trying to get people to unplug.

ISBN 978-0-547-37148-1

[1. Government, Resistance to—Fiction. 2. Science fiction.] I. Title.

PZ7.K116457Aw 2011

[Fic]—dc22

2010007330

eISBN 978-0-547-57407-3

v5.0615

For Adam

for everything

May 7, 2060

My mom gave me an old leather-bound journal for my seventeenth birthday. At first the blank pages surprised me, as if the story inside was lost or had slipped out. She explained sometimes the story is supposed to be missing because it’s still waiting to be written. Leave it to my mom to give me something from the past to use in the future.

They don’t make paper books anymore—it’s illegal to chop down real trees. They still grow in some parts of the world, but I’ve never seen one. Most cities have switched to synthetic trees, and people prefer them to the living ones. Synthetic trees come shipped to your house in any size you want, so you don’t have to wait fifteen years for them to grow. Now you shop online and choose your desired size and height, and in days you have a full-grown tree in your yard, cemented into the ground and supported with steel beams anchored into the base. Instant. Simple. No fuss.

Synthetic trees never die. They don’t wither in the fall. You don’t have a mess of leaves and needles to sweep up. They’re fireproof. They don’t cause allergies. And they’re always perfectly green (constantlygreen.com has the best synthetic tree selection, according to my mom). The leaves can fade a little from the sun, but you just spray-paint them green again. During Halloween, people spray-paint the leaves on their trees yellow, orange, and red. It’s the colors leaves used to turn before they fell to the ground. My mom said she can remember seeing the fall colors when she was young. She said it was the most beautiful time of the year. It’s hard to imagine anything becoming beautiful as it dies. Then again, it’s hard to imagine much that Mom insists used to "be. "

When trees were dying off in fires and overharvested, books were the first to go. These days books are downloaded digitally and you can order any book you want to be uploaded into your Bookbag in seconds, which I convert onto my Zipfeed. It reads the words out loud to me on my computer. Simple. Convenient. I know how to read, of course. We learn it in Digital School 2. I still read my chat messages on my phone. But it was proven that audio learning is a faster way to retain information, according to some Ph.D. researchers who studied rats in a cage. By observing rats they figured out the best way for humans to learn. Some politician thought this theory sounded glamorous, so they changed a law that changed the world. That’s why I listen to almost all of my books.

I didn’t escape the chore of using my eyes to read. Mom still enforces it. She saved all her old novels and stores them in these wooden cabinets with glass doors called bookshelves. Every year she hands down a few of her favorites to me. I have a collection slowly building in my bedroom. I have to admit, I like the look of them. I also like to escape inside their world, tucked behind their colorful spines. It forces me to fully invest my mind into what I’m doing, not just my ears or my eyes. I think barricading them behind glass is a little obsessive, but Mom says the paper in books will yellow if they’re exposed to air. Just like the leaves on the trees that couldn’t survive in this world. Hey, if you can’t acclimate, you disintegrate. I learned that in Digital School 3.

So, you can imagine my surprise when my mom gave me a blank book. I rarely see a book with print in it, and now a blank one—what a waste. No wonder we killed all the trees. And I’m supposed to write in this thing. Longhand. It’s this form of writing using ink on paper. It’s so slow! It makes me laugh watching people do it in old movies. It hasn’t been used in twenty years. We learn it in school, but it’s simulated on our flipscreens. Only specialty online stores sell ink pens, but leave it to my mom to invest in this historic item. Madeline, she told me, "it’s good for you to write down your thoughts. It’s therapeutic because it forces you to slow down and think about life."

I feel guilty writing on this paper, staining something with words when maybe it’s their emptiness, the fact that they’re unscathed, that’s more interesting than anything I have to say. My life is far from remarkable. Sadly, it’s the other extreme. It is predictable. Controlled. Mandated. Paved out for me in a trail I’m forced to follow.

Why should I take the time to write down my thoughts when no one else can even read them? I’m used to millions of people having access to everything about me. I’m used to a fountain of feedback and comments trailing every entry I type, every thought I expose. That makes me feel justified. It shows that people genuinely care about me. It reminds me that I’m real and I exist. Why try to hide it all in a book? Besides, there are no secrets. Sooner or later, the truth always leaks out. That’s one thing I’ve learned in this life.

Chapter One

I pulled a sweatshirt over my head, and just as I opened my bedroom door, I was distracted by a red light flashing on my computer. I was running late, but the glow of the light caught my attention and held me in place like a net. I programmed my screen to flash different colors depending on who was calling. I knew red could only mean one person. I sat down and tapped the light with my finger and a single white sentence materialized on the screen.

Are you going to be there tonight?

I read Justin’s question and bit my lips together. My mind told me to say no. That answer would please my father. He trained me to squeeze my thoughts through a filter so my decisions came out acceptable and obedient. But lately it was making me feel weak, like my mind wasn’t really mine anymore, just a program to manipulate. That’s why this time, I was tempted to say yes.

I met Justin two months ago on TutorPage—it’s a live chatroom for students to get help on homework assignments. We were both stuck on writing a thesis sentence for our literary analysis paper, a requirement in Digital School 4. Since the tutor was being swarmed with questions and Justin and I had the same problem, we figured it out together. I remember him writing the oddest comment that day. He wrote, Two brains are better than one. It was strange because you can go through all of DS-4 without even looking at another person, let alone working with someone. One of the perks to a digital life is it forces you to be independent.

Justin and I coordinated to study two days a week together and then he started sending me invites to face-to-face tutor sessions held in downtown Corvallis. When he assured me the groups were small, but could be helpful, I still dreaded the idea of meeting him in public. I’m used to the security of living behind my online profiles and the clip art advertisements I create to define me. I can be whoever I want to be in that world. I can be funny, deep, pensive, eccentric. I can be the best version of myself. Better yet, an exaggeration of the best version of myself. I can make all the right decisions. I can delete my flaws by pressing a button.

In the real world anything can happen. It’s like stepping onto an icy surface—you have to adjust your footing or you’ll slip and fall. Your movements become rigid and unsure because behind all the fancy gadgets and all that digital armor, you realize you’re just flesh and bones.

I stared back at the screen where his words floated patiently and a strange feeling, like a shot of adrenaline, pushed through my blood. I knew I had to meet him tonight. Intuition works closely alongside fate, like they’re business partners working together to alter the course of your life.

I spoke my answer out loud and my voice was automatically converted into a digital message.

I decided maybe was the best response, just in case I lost my nerve. I hit send and a second later he responded.

Life is too short to say maybe.

I narrowed my eyes at the screen. Why was he pushing this? Why couldn’t he let me be noncommittal and leave me alone about it?

Why are you going out of your way to meet me? I asked.

Why are you going out of your way to avoid it?

I’ve been grounded for a while. I hesitated before I hit send. I’d never opened up to Justin about my personal life. We always kept our relationship safe—bobbing just on the surface.

A while? As in a few weeks? he asked.

I laughed, but it came out sounding flat and humorless. Try two and a half years, I thought. I decided he didn’t need to know this detail. It’s easy to delete the truth when you live behind your own permanent censor.

Something like that, I said.

What did you do?

I have a rebellious streak.

That’s a little vague, he said.

I frowned at the screen. I’m not going to dish out my life story to an online stranger.

Then I think it’s about time we meet, he said.

I bit my nails when this sentence appeared. I focused on the words. They sounded so simple. But just when I believed something was simple, there was always more lurking underneath.

I’ll be there, I said, and hit send before I could change my mind.

I hopped out of the chair, grabbed my soccer cleats, and ran downstairs to the kitchen. Dad glanced at me from the table where he was reading the news on our wall screen. My mom sat next to him, reading a magazine—she insists on having the hard copy, printed on plastic paper. She’s the only person I know who complains that computer screens hurt her eyes.

Dad examined the shoes I was holding with disapproval.

I thought your season was over, he said.

I felt my hands tighten around the shoes and I kept my eyes focused steadily on his. We had the same large, penetrating eyes, the color of swirling gray clouds with flecks of green floating near the pupils. When my dad was angry, his eyes turned as dark as storm clouds just before they erupt into a downpour. He could use his eyes to intimidate, to persuade, or to demand respect. I hadn’t mastered those traits; my eyes only seemed to give me away.

The league goes year-round, Mom pointed out to him.

He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest.

Did we talk about you playing soccer year-round, Maddie? I thought you were just playing fall and winter leagues.

I kept my eyes locked on his. He tried too often to make me duck under his discipline. Baley, our chocolate Lab, wagged her tail next to me and I bent down to scratch her ears.

The spring league just started, I said. It’s only once a week. I didn’t think it was a big deal.

It’s a little expensive, he said.

I tried not to roll my eyes since I knew my dad made more money than ten families would know what to do with, being the director of Digital School, Inc. The curriculum, medium, and content of what I learned—and where and when I learned it—was overseen and instituted by the signature of my father’s hand. It was also his power and connections that got me in trouble two and a half years ago and created the constant rift of distrust in our relationship. Half of the time he didn’t seem like a father to me, more like security enforcement.

She’s seventeen, Kevin, Mom said. Didn’t we agree to let her socialize more often? I stared between them and tightened my lips. I hated it when they talked about me like I wasn’t standing in the same room, like I’m a piece of clay they have to mold in order to hold a shape.

I guess you’re right, he finally agreed.

I nodded once and thanked him. I raced out the front door and ran down the sidewalk to try and catch the train. The air was warm and the sun was finally making its spring entrance, after a long winter of hibernation. Rays of light peered through the branches above me and painted a splattering of bright and dull colors on the turf grass below. The tower of green leaves crinkled in the breeze as I passed. I met the train just as it pulled to a stop on Hamersley Street. I jumped on and scanned my fingerprint against a tiny screen as the doors beeped shut behind me.

Erin sat by the window in the back of the compartment. She was watching something on her phone and nodding her head to the music floating out of the speakers.

Hey, I said, and plopped down in the seat next to her. I took my phone out of my pocket to check a message.

You almost missed the train, she said without looking up. That’s not like you.

I was distracted by a digital advertisement playing on a screen inside the compartment. A middle-aged man dressed in khaki shorts and a white T-shirt promised me I could transform my entire lawn into a colorful flower garden in five easy steps. I watched him roll out a thick carpeting of plastic grass speckled with fake flowers and staple it into the ground.

Why were you late? Erin asked.

My dad wanted to have a little chat, I said.

She smirked and pressed a few buttons on her keypad. What now?

I tapped my foot restlessly against the rubber floor mat. Oh, he just needs reassurance he’s in complete control of every facet of my life.

Erin creased her eyebrows and continued to type. He doesn’t trust you to play soccer? she asked.

I shrugged. It’s unsupervised, it’s liberating, I reminded her. He hates that.

When the train slowed to our stop, we jumped off and crossed the sidewalk to the turf soccer fields. I heard whistling in the distance and Erin and I looked up to see a small school of black birds soaring overhead. Their small inky bodies formed a moving arrow in the sky, like a kite with no strings attached to reel it back down to the ground. Seeing birds in the city was rare, since all the trees and gardens were synthetic, but once in a while they passed through and I always took it as a sign that something exceptional was about to happen.

I looked down at the dark outline of a bird tattooed on the inside of my wrist, where the skin is delicate and the veins are thick. I ran my finger along its outstretched wings and smiled. Every time I looked at my tattoo I was reminded of the person I wanted to be. Someone that’s free to move. Someone that’s too spirited to be caged in.

Erin and I sat down on the grass to stretch. We were the only two players that showed up early for practice every week.

So, are you meeting Justin tonight? she asked me with a grin. I frowned to show her, for the tenth time, it was not a date.

It’s just a study group, I reminded her.

Her phone beeped and she started typing a message. Do you know what he looks like?

I shook my head and told her we both used face-free chatting. I never revealed my real picture online. Now that I thought about it, most of my contacts (or friends as some people refer to them) didn’t even know what I looked like. They saw cartoons, photographs, and clip art images that illustrated the idea of me.

We never get personal, I told her. I don’t know anything about him except he has trouble writing thesis statements and conclusion paragraphs. He doesn’t even know my real name, I added with a grin.

Erin set her phone down and met my eyes for the first time today. You created a fake profile for a tutor site? Why bother?

I shrugged and stretched my legs. I want privacy, I told her. My dad’s practically a celebrity, but I don’t want people to assume just because I’m his daughter I agree with everything he’s doing. Besides, I never expected to meet Justin in person. I figured we’d study for a few classes and be done.

She shook her head with amusement. Does he even know you’re a girl? she asked.

I couldn’t help but smile. I guess we’ll find out.

Chapter Two

I found the classroom for the study group and almost stumbled through the door with surprise at seeing students already inside. I naively assumed Justin and I would be the lone attendees. The room itself looked more like a laboratory than a place to study writing. All the walls were stark white and bare, except for a long screen that hung on the front wall. White tables with beige speckling stretched from one side of the room to the other, and brown upholstered chairs were scattered behind them. The floor was a hard beige tile that squeaked against my shoes as I walked in, to my embarrassment. The room smelled like bleach and cleaning products, or maybe the space was used so infrequently, it just smelled brand-new. I sat down in the back corner of the room so I could watch people without drawing attention.

A girl with blond glittery hair turned back to look at me. I met her eyes and offered her a grin but she turned away without saying anything. A boy sat in the other back corner of the room, distracted by something he was watching on his flipscreen. I glanced at him, but he appeared set on ignoring me, so I assumed he wasn’t Justin. The tutor, who looked young, was fussing with the Electric-Board power cords at the front of the room.

Three girls walked in the door and I observed them with fascination. They dropped their flipscreen bags on the front table and said hi to the tutor. He glanced up and asked them how their papers were coming along. Apparently they had done this before. I twisted a strand of hair around my finger anxiously as I noted how much more time these girls put into their appearance than I did. They wore dark makeup, their heavy eye shadow and black eyeliner visible from where I was sitting. They each had glitter highlights, the latest hairstyle trend that all the celebrities were sporting. My mom thought it looked trashy, so I wasn’t allowed to get them, but I thought it looked stupid anyway. Why would I want my head to look like a sparkling disco ball? One of the girls had silver hair with gold glitter highlights. Her head was impossible to ignore—it lit up the room like a comet. I also noticed their bright, colorful scarves that matched their coats, their leather wrist warmers, and their shiny flipscreen covers. I looked down at my outfit. I wore my usual jeans and a boring, long-sleeved brown shirt. I didn’t mean to look so drab; I just wasn’t used to making a public appearance. I did manage to brush my blond straight hair so it fell long and in one even length past my shoulders, almost to my elbows. I looked invisible next to these girls but I’ve learned there’s safety in blending in.

The tutor, who introduced himself as Mike Fisher, announced we’d be starting in a few minutes. I took out my flipscreen and opened it with a sigh. Where was Justin? This was his idea, and now he doesn’t show? I frowned and watched the three girls in front of me giggle over something on their phone screens. One of them glanced over her shoulder and caught my eye. She looked me up and down and smirked at my style, or lack thereof. I rolled my eyes and when I heard footsteps, I glanced up. A boy walked in the door—well, hardly a boy since he looked more like a college student. The three girls’ heads also shot up, I noticed, and their chatter abruptly stopped.

His tall, athletic frame nearly filled up the doorway. He walked in the room with a spring in his step, as if his body contained an overabundance of energy.

Justin, the tallest, prettiest one said. I felt my stomach kick at the sound of his name and instinctively set my hands on top of it, wondering what just happened.

You can sit with us, she said, and motioned to an empty chair next to her. I watched their interaction and was impressed she could be so outspoken. Looking at him only made me want to hide underneath the table. I was expecting he’d be some cyber nerd with challenged writing skills. Not a female lust magnet.

I’m meeting somebody, but thanks, Justin said. Her face fell for a moment but when he smiled at her, his dimples set deep in his face, she beamed back.

My stomach did another flip and I winced at the sensation. It felt like Justin’s presence stole the oxygen in the room. I tend to shrink when people look at me, as if my shoulders are sensitive to stares, but he was oblivious to the attention he was generating. He had on a dark baseball cap, pulled low over his forehead, but I could see tufts of dark brown hair spilling out around the edges. He wore faded jeans and a dark gray T-shirt. It made me feel a little better. Those girls might look like peacocks next to me, but from his apparel he didn’t seem to care about fashion either.

He looked around the room and his gaze quickly passed over me. I wasn’t surprised. In my brown shirt I looked camouflaged with the other chairs. I watched him and observed his expression change. He slowly looked at each face sitting there as if he thought he was in the wrong room. He waved at the other girl sitting by herself and addressed the guy in the back of the room opposite me as Matt. Then he looked at me, this time full in the face. I felt myself blush, but his look wasn’t flirtatious. It was unbelieving, as if I shouldn’t be sitting there. I bit my bottom lip and my eyes fell down to my flipscreen.

I kept my eyes on my screen until I heard the chair move next to me and was aware of him sliding into the seat. When I looked over at him, I was met with dark brown eyes that stared straight into mine.

Hi, I mumbled. It was the standard social greeting so why was he looking at me like I was nuts?

Alex? he asked me with disbelief.

It’s Madeline, actually. Alex is just one of my profile names.

He leaned back against the chair and studied me. My eyes flickered to the three girls in the front of the room, blatantly staring at us with their mouths open.

Madeline, he said finally. I felt my stomach contract again and tried to ignore it. He took his baseball cap off and ran his fingers through a heap of brown messy hair.

Sorry I’m late. Traffic.

All I could do was stare at him. I felt my face heat up, infuriated he could see it. Meeting people in person makes you vulnerable, which my dad always preaches is a weakness.

How did you know it was me? I asked. His eyes took a turn around the room.

I’ve seen them all before, he said. The real world’s getting pretty small. I think we’re an endangered species. He looked back at me and there was a small grin on his lips, which forced me to stare at them too long.

I jumped when Mike interrupted us to scan our fingerprints. I brushed mine against the small, portable screen he carried, about the size of a cell phone. Justin quickly scanned his finger and turned his attention back to me.

Just out of curiosity, why do you go by Alex in your profile?

I lifted my shoulders and kept my eyes on my flipscreen. I hardly ever use my real name. I like to keep my identity private.

Why? he asked me. It was a simple question, but it felt like an attack.

Does it really matter? I asked and my voice came out flat. Out of the hundreds of thousands of people I’d met online, I could count on one hand how many I’d met in person. I could make friends around the world without stepping out my front door. But people stretched themselves so thin, they started to lose shape. On-line we were all equal. Social status wasn’t important. Money and looks and jobs and clothes almost become obsolete. So who cares what my real name is? It’s just a label, like a particular brand of person. Who cares who sits behind it when we only meet in waves of space?

Justin pursed his lips together as he thought about my question.

I was expecting a guy, that’s all, he said finally.

I noticed his empty hands. Where’s your flipscreen?

He tapped his index finger against his temple. It’s all in here.

How are you supposed to do your homework? I asked with a frown.

He pointed at my computer. Call me crazy, but I find those things more distracting than helpful. Don’t get me wrong, they have their benefits, but if you turned it off once in a while your heart wouldn’t stop beating. The world wouldn’t cease to exist.

"But you would cease to exist," I pointed out, and he answered me with a look that was so intense it made my heart skip.

Is that really what you think? he asked.

I’m not saying I agree with it, I said. It’s just how life is.

He pulled a small notebook and pen out from his back pocket. He uncapped the pen with his teeth and jotted something down on the thin, plastic-based paper. I stared at his hand with fascination. I thought only my ancient-minded mother attempted longhand.

He glanced back at me. I know. I get a lot of crap, okay?

I just didn’t think anyone wrote longhand anymore, I said. Except for my mom, who I swear time-travels back to 2010 every other day to pick up lifestyle habits to live by.

He creased his eyebrows and stared back at me for what I felt like was too long. This is going to be fun is all he said.

I frowned at his comment, but before I could ask what he meant, Mike began the study session. Justin distracted every brain cell I had, but I was determined not to let him see that. I raised my hand to ask one of the questions I had highlighted from the assignment.

Before Mike called on me, he smiled and asked me what my name was.

Reviews for Awaken

[roses7184_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Now that I've read this book the cover makes so much more sense! Wow. I'm pretty sure that about sums up how I feel about Awaken, unless you'll permit me to say FREAKIN' WOW! Yup. That's more accurate.

I think what most drew me in about the world that Katie Kacvinsky builds is how close to home it hits. In Maddie's world, everyone is trapped behind computer screens. Constantly plugged in, because that is the best way to stay "safe". For a long time Maddie has seen this as the norm, and a happy existence. Then Justin enters her life and everything is thrown upside down. Don't think that the irony is lost on me that I'm sitting at a computer screen typing this review. Watching Maddie's life change, and her story unfold hit really close to home. It made me think about how much time I spend behind these devices. If she wasn't living, am I? Thank you Katie Kacvinsky for making me think about that.

Maddie is a character I fell into step with instantly. Her questioning attitude, her need to please her parents despite how she feels, her inability to voice her own opinion, it's all woven into a girl who has been trapped for too long. I felt for her. Then sweet, reserved, and life changing Justin comes onto the scene. The Maddie that exists after this happens is entirely different, and yet the same person at the same time. It's a metamorphosis of the best kind. I promise that if you fall in love with her in the beginning, you'll love her even more as you watch her be born all over again.

It also needs to be said that this is one of the sweetest and most frustrating romances I've read. Justin keeps to himself because that's how he has always been. Maddie used to, but Justin breaks her out of that and now the one person she wants she can't seem to have. Frustrating right? However lest you think that this is another book with a girl pining hopelessly after a boy, Maddie is different. It made my heart soar when one of the characters in the book explained to her that pining never did anyone an ounce of good (not her exact words but I'm paraphrasing here). She tells Maddie that we must learn to love ourselves and feel whole alone, before we can truly be invested in someone else. Are you floored? I was! Thank you to an author for finally saying that! Thank you for showing us a girl who knows she needs to learn to be alone! I'll end my slightly feminist rant here, but that made me fall in love with Awaken even more than I already had.

Point being, if you couldn't tell from my incoherent thoughts above, I completely adored this book. The message is clear, and I fully agree. Maddie and Justin teach us how important it is to get out there and really live, and to do it for yourself and no one else. Awaken crawled into my mind and made me think, and if a book can do that then I'm sold. Pure and honest love is all I have for this book.

[bucketofrhymes · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

First of all, I love that this book included an online schooler. I did most of my high school over the internet, so I love reading about characters who do that as well. And this was only the second book I've ever found with an online schooled character so... big thumbs up for that.

But I don't completely understand how things became so isolated. Online schooling becoming a big thing because of safety -- I get that. Doing things online in general because of technological advances -- I get that, too. But getting to the point where you don't go to the beach or a cafe? That, I couldn't quite wrap my head around.

And maybe that's because I've spent a lot of my life doing things -- like going to school, making friends, and working -- online. The future portrayed in Awaken is probably not that far off from my own life... but I still know what chocolate cake tastes like.

I needed more of a reason for why Maddie's life was the way it was, and it kept on distracting me. I liked the school aspect, I liked the author's writing style, I thought Maddie was a compelling character, I just wanted more information.

[bella2786 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Mit "Die Rebellion der Maddie Freeman" hat die Autorin Katie Kacvinsky, eine sehr interessante Thematik aufgegriffen. Ein Funken Gegenwart steckt schon in der Geschichte, wenn man bedenkt, dass schon heutzutage kaum Jemand exisitert, der nicht auf Facebook oder Twitter vertreten ist. Social Networks sind der Treffpunkt für viele Jungendliche. Anstatt sich wie früher "Offline" zu treffen, trifft man sich beim Chatten oder Posten auf Facebook. In dem Buch ist das nicht anders. Am Anfang des Buches lernt man Maddie, ein 17jähriges Mädchen der Zukunft und ihren Alltag kennen. Ihr Vater ist der Direktor der Digital School, wobei der Unterricht nur Online stattfindet. Ihr Leben dreht sich nur um die digitale Welt und "Online" fühlt sie sich am wohlsten. Bis sie Justin in einem Chatroom kennenlernt, der sie dazu bewegt, sich mit ihm in einer Lerngruppe zu treffen.
Der Erzählstil der Autorin ist sehr fesselnd und verleitet dazu, mehr lesen zu wollen, um das Ende der Geschichte zu erfahren.

[ellsbethb · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This book has a solid premise. It did felt like it needed more narrative and less infatuation and pining.

[faithlibrarian · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Formula Dystopian but with a slight twist. Madeline's father has invented a digital school where no one interacts with anyone else anymore in 2040. No more school violence, no more teen pregnancy, no more teen vandalism, etc. etc. However, when she meets up with Justin she realizes that there is a whole new world out there that she had been missing out on. With "real" music and conversation and cars.....

[fueledbycoffee · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I was so surprised by this book. All in a good way. Like when someone makes you a banana and peanut butter sandwich and you wonder how insane they are and it turns out tasting so good, you wonder why it took you so long to try it.

You hear that, Katie Kacvinsky? Thats the sound of Jiffy Banana swammiches being made all over the internets. Cause people want to read your book now. Youre welcome.

I opened the book and I saw the date "2060" and blinked. I wasnt in a swammich coma yet, so no...I didnt realize this was set in the future. A functioning dysfunctional future ruled and dictated by technology. (All the cool bibliophilic kids call this "dystopia". Whatever.)

I loved seeing the world unfold through the eyes of someone so isolated by what was considered normal technology usage. This isolation developed to the point that society forgot the positives of human interaction. Im an extrovert turned introvert. I could envision not just the idea of technology taking over our lives but also our cognitive self. Ideas not our own, face-to-face encounters being replaced with fear of the unknown all couched in a safe bubble of touch screens. Add a resistance movement. I then wondered why the french I didnt think of a storyline like this. Brilliant.

I felt that Katie penned a lovely balance between adventure, drama, love story, and substance in her characters. The writing never detracted from the story and flowed with each chapter.

Maddie's character has a lot of growing up, soul searching... but she never came across as some cute, vacuous character. The maybe-they-like-me, emotional family ties, as well as the complications in Maddie and Justin's relationship were also quite believable and never forced. Books that have "I love you, erhmahgerd, youre my Soul Mate" within days of meeting make me blergh so I appreciated the pacing of the story. I hope to see Maddie and Justin's relationship solidify and unfold in the coming books.

Overall, I ate that proverbial sandwich. Crust and all....and I liked it.

(Gird your loins, book 2, here I come....)

[themadhatters_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was a remarkable story about a girl who is struggling with her relationship with her father in a dystopian society. It takes a look at what could happen with our society if we become too focused on social media and technology that allows us to live our lives behind closed doors with very little physical interaction with others. I highly recommend it. I'm looking forward to reading the sequel.

[leftik_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Awaken has an intriguing backstory that could easily happen five or ten years from now. School violence forces a radical change - to move all education online, to the safety of one's home. The fallout of this change is that soon everything moves online. You meet in virtual coffee shops while drinking coffee from your own house, you "screen" movies with friends from your bedroom, alone. The dominoes begin to fall as living becomes more and more obsolete.

Don't get me wrong - people do get out in the book. People go out for work, they go out for occasional social events, it's just not the norm. And it is rather sad. Maddie's responses to finally interacting with the real world are so naive, they're almost heartbreaking.

I also really liked the love story in this one. It didn't jump off the page, like other dystopian relationships in other books, but it grew rather nicely. Maddie questions many things about the boy she likes, instead of just letting him steamroll her own thoughts and ideas down.

I had two issues and both issues are small. 1. I didn't find the big, climactic confrontation scene to be that climactic. Maybe I'm crazy, but it didn't seem like Maddie put forth too much of an effort. 2. While I thought the backstory was well developed, I could have used a bit more current world building. I never really grasped what society was really like in this changed environment. (Which, now that I type that, maybe I couldn't know because Maddie was so in her own world she didn't know? Perhaps?)

This one was on my TBR pile for a good, long while and I'm glad I finally got around to reading it. Does it top my list of favorite dystopian novels? No. But it's a good, interesting read if you're a fan of the genre.

[a_reader_of_fictions · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Awaken grabbed me from the very first page. The book starts with a journal entry by Madeline, which discusses the fact that people do not write longhand anymore and keep journals this way. Nor do they print books or use paper, what with there not being real trees anymore. A definite dystopia for a librarian and lover of literature! These journal entries are interspersed with the narration. There are only a few, but I think it works, because she only has one journal and cannot write too often or will not have anywhere else to write important things.

Of course, Awaken does have the immediate super duper love thing. Madeline falls for Justin the moment she sees him. From then on, she generally describes each first sight of him in a room thusly: "I instantly felt the energy in the room shift as if the lights dimmed or an air current changed direction" (150). This is definitely a bit much, but perhaps more understandable considering that this is almost the first time she has ever met someone her own age. So if you spent most of your time in your room on your computer, then left to meet a friend you chatted with and he turned out to be incredibly hot, nice, smart and trying to save the world, you might fall pretty hard pretty fast too.

Katie makes a good main character. She's brave sometimes, petrified sometimes, capable of defending herself and others when she needs to, incredibly intelligent and unaware of her amazingness. All of this combines to make her into a real character, a teenage girl trying to figure out her place in the world and what she wants to make of herself. It was always interesting when one of the journal entries would come up, because you could really see her working through the things that preceded. Plus, you got a view into what she hid in front of others, because she likes to really think through possibilities before committing herself to something.

This was a great dystopian read with some fantastic quotes that totally kept me rapt. From the ending of this one, a sequel is pretty much certain and I am most glad of it!

[jami_leigh · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Very slow. Good concept, except, well, the main plot is this digital school is evil. Seriously, every teen HATES school. I was an AP/Honors kid who thought high school was just a holding pen til I could get to college. If the worst thing in your universe is being a techhead, then your universe has it pretty nice. There was no grit to make it dystopic, just an over controlling father, and a lazy world (think Wall-e).

[pacey1927 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I liked the main point of this book which was 'Don't get so investing in technology that you lose sight of the real things and the real people that surround you."...We are human beings and we need social interaction and companionship. But I just wasn't thrilled with the book in general. It was ok, but nothing special, nothing that made this novel stand out from the crowded shelves of dystopian young adult literature.Maddie is a high school student who attends DS or digital school. In fact most of the world does now; its the law. Her father himself invented and runs digital school. Even in person study groups are frowned upon. The world had gotten so violent that digital schools were deemed necessary for the safety of the students. Maddies friends are people she met in her differnet online groups. If she wants to hang with her friends, she does it from her PC. Enter Justin. Justin is doing everything he can, along with his parents and a group of followers, to bring down digital school. It should be a choice and not a law. He believes food should be homecooked, not ordered in specific nutrient assigned packages. He believes in cars, which is a totally antique concept in Maddie's world. Lots of readers loved Justin, but I just saw him the entire time as wanting to use Maddie to get info on her father. He actively tries to recruit Maddie to give him inside information on her father.The other big problem I had: The book makes a huge deal of how everything, even dancing, in done with the computer. However, Maddie still plays soccer in real life. And her father is constantly at work, meetings or conventions. Why would he not work digitally from home, like nearly every other person in this world? I just think it was a weak excuse to get him out of the house so Maddie could interact with Justin.I am somewhat on the fence though. The book was readable and the ideas presented within are interesting. The book struggles with a clean execution.

[monahank_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

People aren’t meant to be living their lives in solitude, but as seen in their government’s eyes it is the only way to keep their world safe. Awaken, by Katie Kacvinsky is a young adult, science fiction, and somewhat romantic novel that expresses coming of age in the time where computers overrule. In the year 2060, Madeline Freeman and Justin Solvi form government resistance against technology and the discouragement of real human interaction. Everything Maddie knows could turn out to be a lie and it’s up to her to decide whether she wants to change her life or continue on the lonely path she has been on.Awaken takes place in a time where real trees or schools don’t exist, and everything can be done in your own home. People don’t realize the excitement and importance of face-to-face communication anymore. Meeting friends, dating, and now attending school are all done on the computer. Groups of rebels grow all over the country, fighting against the government’s strict control, and working to make DS, or digital schooling, an option and not a requirement. Madeline must make the choice to fight for what she believes in and go against the government her father works for, the antagonist, or hide behind her screen where mistakes can be erased with a click of a button.Madeline Freeman as the main character, is a young teen who is very smart, athletic, and a little bit rebellious. With Maddie’s troublesome past, it leaves her father mistrusting every action she makes, and it just so happens that her father is also the creator of this digital schooling. When Maddie meets Justin Solvi, a distant yet caring boy, through an online study group they decide to finally meet in person. Justin opens up Maddie’s world and shows her what is really out there, what people are missing when they sit behind a screen. As Justin brings Maddie into his world her rebellion starts to grow again, and so does their intimacy. No matter how hard they fight it, neither can deny the feelings that are forming for one another. Both start to cause major trouble for Maddie and this leaves her with the decision to go against her own family and fight for what she believes is right, or forget about Justin and live the life she now has no interest for. Discovering new things along the way, her choice will change everything she has known so far and only be the beginning to an adventure yet to come.In some ways, Awaken is similar to the hit trilogy Delirium by Lauren Oliver. Both books include coming of age characters who are government resistant and find romance slowly through the novel. Both books also take place in a dystopian world, where massive change is at stake. They both include characters who are pulled between their own family, and what they truly believe in. Delirium is a great read and a major page turner, highly recommended if you like Awaken. Awaken is the first of two books so far in the Katie Kacvinsky’ trilogy. The story line is steady, but interesting enough to keep you wanting more. Katie mixes the perfect balance of action and romance to always keep it exciting. The characters are well-formed in a way that makes the story complete, and somewhat realistic if weren’t for the plot. Katie Kacvinsky does an amazing job to make the story come alive in your mind and make you really think what our future will be like in 50 years.

[aaishah_6 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

3.5/4 starsAwaken had been on my computer for quite some time up until this point. I'd started it two or three times but for one reason or another was never able to go beyond the first couple of paragraphs. I'm glad to say I finally sat down and read this properly. It was definitely worth it, although I'm still not sure what rating this truly deserves.The year is 2060 and technology has taken over. Hardly anyone goes out anymore. Instead, they go to school, work, the beach, anywhere they want, all from the safety of their own homes. Why wouldn't they, when anything outside can be virtually replicated, able to be experienced without stepping a foot outside the front door? Madeline Freeman, however, wants more. And when online studymate Justin Solvi insists on them meeting face to face, she can hardly believe it. She is shocked when she discovers his motive for seeking her out...not to mention confused when he opens her eyes to the lie her life is, and to everything she's missed out on.This isn't quite like other dystopias I've read. Generally you have a regimental governmetn exercising total control over society, or a set societal hierarchy in which a particular group is considered an outcast, illegal, inferior. At least, that's what I've come across. In Awaken, Katie Kacvinsky provides a different take on dystopia, focusing more on how technology dominates. While there is a controlling government, it is not as high on the extreme scale. Having said that, dystopia also means a society in which a key problem is causing it to be dysfunctional, and there are certainly problems here. The world Kacvinsky has created is frighteningly possible. Today, each day brings with it a newer, faster, (supposedly) better piece of technology. And with these developments, we become lazier and dependent; we demand instant gratification, and that is exactly what this book points out. Here, people have lost the ability to actually live life. It always strikes me as ironic that, despite these societies being set in the future, they are far more backward in some way than we are today. The author has crafted this well, although I would have liked to see some more world-building: there were times when it felt very current.I liked Maddie well enough. She was a little self-contradictory - she doesn't like her dad controlling her, yet when offered the chance to make a change, is more comfortable with following a determined path. But at the same time, she is strong. Strong enough to know what was wrong with her life at 15 and act on it; strong enough to step out of her comfort zone and meet Justin two years later. I also couldn't help but share in her sadness. Her dad, inventor of the digital school and consequent millionairre, is the very definition of controlling tyrant. While I understood the distrust he had for his daughter (someone's daughter stealing their secret files and giving them to the opposition is bound to do that to a person), what I couldn't understand was how potent, almost toxic, that distrust was two years on. What father, however unforgiving, bugs his daughter and has her followed? What father checks and triple checks every aspect of his daughter's life, all the way down to the number of people in her study group?The relationship between Justin and Maddie was incredibly well-paced. I thought Maddie was too quick to let Justin get under her skin, but that was balanced by the distance he put between them. I liked that his character was consistent - it's obvious that he does actually care for Maddie, but he warns her it can't happen between them, and lives by his word. When he eventually gives in, the relationship between them is sweet. I loved how he was always taking the time to give Maddie new experiences. Her reactions to these I particularly enjoyed because it gave me a whole new appreciation for life. Everything we take for granted - from the colours around us, to fire, to to the grass beneath our feet - she appreciates and respects. Even a scratched, creaky wooden floor. As ridiculous as it sounds, what we see as flawed, something beneath our notice except to be annoyed about, she saw as a sign of history. I loved seeing things from a new, fresh perspective.Overall, Awaken was an engaging read. Even though it perhaps wasn't what I was expecting, I still enjoyed it. There were sizable chunks where perhaps not much happened, yet Kacvinsky managed to pull it off and keep me reading nevertheless. I'm definitely looking forward to the second one.This review is also posted on my blog.

[megan_harnett_2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This story was a great concept. Basically it takes place in the future and everybody lives through the computer. They have social interactions, do all work, school and everything through computers. The main character Madeline meets a boy in person and he shows her the world outside of the digital one. It is a very interesting concept and it made me think about how much digital things are taking up our lives. Definitely makes you think about it. I highly recommend this book to everyone!!

[angelafristoe · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I was really impressed by this book. There's a sea of dystopian novels out there right now, and a lot of them tend to remind me of one another. There's heavy, and depressing worlds where people aren't safe alone and there's some vague references to a war, but Awaken take on a more realistic approach. After terrorist attacks hit a number of schools across the country, killing thousands of children, the country goes into a lock down on their children, instituting an online school program that is mandatory for all children.What I love about Maddie is that she's not drawn into a rebellion by Justin, even though he's definitely on a mission to get her to join him. And when Maddie finds out exactly who he is, she's angry and hurt. But unlike so many romance driven dystopians she doesn't go out and make rash decisions, or more importantly stupid decisions. She goes into everything with her eyes wide open.The ending was not what I expected and that made the story even stronger. This is the first in a series, and I am definitely interested in what happens to Maddie and Justin, but even if it wasn't I'd be satisfied with how Kacvinsky finished the book.

[bornbookish · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book was AMAZING! Definitely one of my favorite dystopian novels ever! The author did such a great job at creating a futuristic world that is completely driven by technology and completely believable. She painted this world so vividly across the pages that I really felt like I was there, living the story alongside the characters.All the characters in this book, from the main ones to the ones who only played minor roles, were all such strong characters. Maddie is such an incredible leading lady. She is strong, confident, brave, and beautiful, the best part is that she doesn’t even realize it. She possesses all these qualities but isn’t all cocky about it, she doesn’t even see these qualities in herself until others point them out. Of course there is also Justin, the totally incredible leading male. Justin is strong, brave, sweet, protective, the list could go on and on, or I could just sum it up by saying that he is one of my all time favorite YA leading male characters ever. I have to admit that as much as a loved this book, it wasn't love at first sight. It took me a little while to get sucked into the story, but once I was, you would have had to pry that book from my fingers with the jaws of life to make me stop reading. Needless to say I’m sitting on pins and needles waiting for the sequel (a.k.a. Middle Ground) to come out in late 2012. My only wish is that it would come out sooner!

[nbmars · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Even though this story takes place in 2060, I didn’t really consider it to be a full-fledged dystopia – more like a "dystopia lite." Society is still recognizable but is an exaggerated form of our current reality. Online social media encounters have largely replaced face-to-face social interaction. Even schooling is conducted online. This enables all children, no matter what race and class, to receive a quality education. Moreover, because there are no more [brick-and-mortar] schools, teenage violence is at an all-time low, as are teenage drug use and pregnancy. Some people, however, are dissatisfied. They feel that quality of life has suffered from the “emptiness” of digital life compared to the richness of reality. They advocate being in the actual presence of others, rather than having interactions mediated by electronic devices. Ominously, those caught protesting are sent to detention centers until they are deemed “safe” to go back into society. No one knows exactly what that means, but it doesn’t sound good.Maddie Freeman, age 17, is torn. Her father is the inventor and CEO of Digital School. But Maddie has a rebellious streak, and wonders if “there was more to life than a pixelated curtain.” The fact that she had been grounded for two years (except for soccer and academic-related activities) doesn’t help her attitude. Then, she receives a dare to be seen in real life at a face-time study group, and she goes. There she meets Justin, age 20, the deliverer of the dare, who turns out to be tall, athletic, and hot, hot, hot. You can guess where this is going. But it’s a bit different in that Maddie, reputedly “gorgeous,” is 17 and never been kissed. Her whole social life has been conducted online, where kissing doesn’t happen. And when it does? "Kissing is its own kind of collision, it produces its own planetarium of lights inside your head. For me, it was seeing colors for the first time after living in a black-and-white world. A single person can be just as wide and vast and spellbinding as any sky full of stars. They can make you think the world stops and night can last forever.”But Justin is one of the social dissidents, and hanging out with him gets Maddie a detention sentence. Will she be the same person when she returns, if she survives the experience? Discussion: Justin’s family, part of an “old-fashioned” community, is juxtaposed to Maddie’s, in which everything is digital, plastic, and instantaneous. Maddie’s dad is convinced that “solitude breeds peace.” Justin, on the other hand, contends that staying “tucked safely behind…locked doors is not the answer to human problems. It only conceals the problem…it doesn’t fix it.” Maddie comes to believe that expressing herself using arbitrary avatars and having access to a delete button may be easier than authentic communication but it isn’t really honest. She also discovers that there are so many other effective ways to convey feelings besides just words. So there are a lot of thought-provoking issues to consider in this first volume of a projected trilogy.Evaluation: What makes this book interesting is that it isn’t so removed from our current reality, and seems like an actual possibility for our near-term future. This would make a great discussion book for teens in order to consider the consequences of their digital dependency. And there is lots of good “swoony” kissing to keep them interested.

[jibar_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I started this book in the beginning of June and then kind of got annoyed with it and left to read another book. I decided to finish it a few days ago, and the ending really changed my opinion of the book. For me, the beginning was just drab and not what I expected it to be. In fact, the whole novel wasn't. I was expecting some world in which people where even more invested in computers.What I did like was the romance between Madeline and Justin. It felt very real to me and I liked reading about every single doubt they had. And even though Maddie's brother Joe is a very minor character, I found him very likeable, too.The world is consistently built, I suppose. Everything has a reason of existence, and the characters are well thought out, especially Madeline's parents. I'm still missing an antagonist to like, really. Because I hate Maddie's Dad, but not with an antagonist-passion, if you know what I mean. But since this is the first book of the Awaken Series, there is probably still something to come.S0 while I was a little disappointed with the world itseld, the plot was well thought out and the action was written very well. If you see it somewhere, you should go pick it up.

[varsha1010 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The fact that the title of this book is Awaken is amusing to me because, despite a few instances, the best way to describe this book is Sleepy.The story has potential to be a great series but this first instalment is just not that great.The story takes place in the year 2060 and follows the life of a eighteen year old girl named Madeline. In this future, computers have taken over our lives; people go to school, hang out with friends and go on dates via Internet connection. After retaliating once against this type of living and getting burned for it, Maddie has stayed within the confines of computer life. Then she meets Justin, a boy who refuses to live his life through a computer screen and her life is turned upside down.Maddie falls head over heels for this guy and 90% of the story is about how she can't stop thinking about /looking at his lips and his perfectly messy hair... Yet there's an "analog revolution" happening around them and she doesn't really seem to care.I realize the author probably did this because she intends on making a sequel and the plan is to develop the revolution more in the next book but it just ended up making me dislike Maddie and Justin's relationship and hope that it doesn't work out.Overall, this is an okay book. The writing is good and has promise for a good sequel but I think I'll hold off on the recommendation until I've read book two because really, nothing has happened yet.

[edenjean_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

"Awaken" is a near future dystopian coming of age and love story. Once I finished the first chapter I could not put it down. Madeline Freeman, the protagonist, is the daughter of the founder of Digital School, an institution developed to combat the escalating violence among youth in the mid Twentieth Century. As a school principal who saw far too many deaths in his own school, Mr. Freeman took it upon himself to solve the nation's problem. He did so by creating a system of computerized schooling programs, which began as optional alternatives to dangerous public and private schools. Soon the decision-makers in each state saw Digital School as a panacea and passed mandatory attendance laws, at first for the elementary level, and later for middle and high school as well. The novel begins with Maddie, and insightful descriptions of her daily life as a member of the new digital society, in which people no longer need to go out into the dangerous world to attend school, go shopping, meet new friends, go on dates, climb mountains, or walk on the beach. Everything is done digitally, through systems developed after the advent of Digital School. Maddie knows nothing but the virtual world she is accustomed too, and so when she meets Justin at a real world study group she is shocked at his affinity for face to face interactions. The intrinsic contrast in worldview, mannerisms, and dialogue between Madeline and Justin sets the tone for the rest of the novel. Their dichotomy reflects the divide in public opinion about the digital world. The dialogue and conversation between Justin's group of revolutionaries and Maddie's enculturated worldview creates a constant stream of questions in the reader's mind: What is wrong about Digital School? How do I depend on technology? Do I see myself in Maddie? In Justin? Do I agree with the CEO of Digital School? Do I agree with the revolutionaries? Do I approve of their methods of protesting? How is my life like that of Maddie's or Justin's?Kacvinsky's first novel is a successful analysis of the dependence modern humans have on technology as well as a fascinating speculation on how technology could change the nature of our culture, and our lives. Generally appropriate for ages thirteen to nineteen, there are relatively few descriptions of violence, none of which are graphic. Several scenes of low-level intimacy between Justin and Maddie create a delightful love story, but may be too advanced for readers below the age of fifteen.

[wilowraven · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Dystopian stories are all over the place these days. I for one couldn't be happier. As far as dystopian tales go, Awaken was a pretty good one but at the same time, I had a few issues with it's world.The youth of Awaken don't attend brick and mortar schools. Everything has done digital. And it's not just the kids, daily day to day life has progressed to the point where less and less people interact with each other face to face. It's actually a pretty believable future. Digital is cheaper and in the case of Awaken, it could be safer.The issues I had with Awaken have to do with the rules that govern it's society. All schools are digital and most communication is done over computers. Our protagonist Maddie is under a sort of house arrest. She caused some trouble for her father who is the head of the very powerful company that started Digital School. So, there is a second layer of isolation for her. She doesn't have face to face friends and she doesn't get outside much but it seems like she could if she wanted to? It wasn't really clear and in fact she does spend a large amount of time outside her house with really little to no consequences so I was confused.In one of these out of the house experiences, Maddie meets this guy Justin, who's only interest in her is her connections. Her father is powerful and Maddie could be helpful to Justin's cause. What is his cause? Well, at times if felt like borderline terrorism. His people are fighting Digital School - they feel it's dangerous for people to have no real interaction with each other. They rescue people who have broken the law and 'save them' and help them get off the grid so to speak and live a real life.Ok..but...well...the problem, for me, was that this digital world didn't actually feel very dangerous. People still could, and did meet in person. There are coffee shops and live music and Maddie herself plays soccer and there is no government saying you can't do that or we'll arrest you. A lot of people don't want to interact face to face and in this society they really don't have to. If very much felt like a choice. Maddie hasn't really had much exposure to 'real' life but she's a special case. Most people it seemed had a choice.So Digital School is bad and I never really found out why exactly. But people are fighting against it. And Maddie could be the key to it all if she betrays her father again and helps destroy all that is digital but I was never really sure what it was that she could do other then steal from her father. And really, couldn't anyone figure out how to do that? And Justin, this guy, who only wants her for what she could do for his 'cause'? Of course they fall for each other but for me, It was way to unrealistic to be enjoyable.Final verdict:As dystopian stories go, I would not rank Awaken among the top. As romance stories go, Awaken is way down on the list of my favorites - or rather, it doesn’t really make the list. Another take on the 'what if's' of our present society but without the believability or the actual danger everyone seems so afraid of. I would be hard pressed to recommend Awaken to fans of dystopian YA but as always, I encourage you to make your own decision.

[tracythelibrarian · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Awaken is the story of a future world where people live their lives online for the most part. All their social interactions are online, all school is online (DS - Called "Digital School"). People rarely leave their homes, and when they do they find themselves tracked by their fingerprints whenever they use public transportation (which is what most people use) and in a world of fake trees, grass, even food. Maddie is the daughter of the founder of DS. She has a rebellious streak in her and is contacted by Justin, who leads a group trying to give people a choice between DS and face-to-face school. Justin introduces her to a world where people get together to socialize, food is made from scratch, and DS is optional. And Maddie introduces love to Justin. What I love about this book: ACTION! There are actual chase scenes in the book. I also love that Kacvinsky has created characters that question the status quo and attempt to shake things up and create a revolution (much in the same way that Katniss and Peeta changed things in Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games series). And I love that Kacvinsky has created a world where online social interaction has become the main means of socializing. Why? Because this book takes what I see in my library every day (chatting online, Facebooking, texting) and makes you question the hold these online interactions have on us and how out-of-touch we can become by living our social lives online. Part of me wishes that the romance played a lesser part in the book because with less of a romantic focus it could be a great YA book club book to discuss the affect of technology on our lives. I can see this book appealing to teen girls but not so much to boys.

[dasuzuki · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

When I first read the summary of this book it sounded right down my alley. I love dystopia's and I'm always a sucker for a good romance but the book started off a little rough for me. It took picking it up a couple times and putting it back down and then picking it up again after seeing several friends whose taste I trusted say they loved it. I kept with it this time and I'm not sure at what point it took place but it really sneaked up on me and I loved it. I had about 30 pages left when my commute to work was over so instead of my morning routine of breakfast and going through email I snuck in a few more minutes of reading to finish it off.I absolutely loved the characters. At first it did irk me that Maddie who was supposed to be this computer whiz and socially awkward girl is of course gorgeous. I'm not saying computer geeks can't be pretty but come on! Why do they always have to be gorgeous in these books. Can't the mousy looking girl catch the hot guy now and then? But that is beside the point. Maddie was the perfect blend of the naive teen who grew up always "plugged in" and rarely having face to face interactions and rebelliousness against a system that so restricts people's choices. I could also relate to her as she went through technology withdrawals. To be honest the thought of not having internet access, reading email, etc makes me jittery just thinking about it. I remember I had to go one week using dial up service to get online and even that was torturous. I can only imagine how it must be to go from being online pretty much 24/7 to being cut off cold turkey.Then there is Justin. Can I just say swoon?! He struck me as so much older than 20 but I guess that is what happens when you are left pretty much on your own and make it your life's purpose to save other people. I loved seeing him open up in small ways like knowing how to cook and letting Maddie experiment with peanut butter, tomato and other horrid sounding sandwich combinations. It was cute and so out of character with the serious, activist persona he tries to portray.The supporting characters were just as intriguing. I love Maddie's mom and how she secretly tries to help Maddie rebel. I'm curious how she ended up with a husband that is so far gone in technology invading people's lives while she still enjoys introducing her daughter to actual paper books and *gasp* encouraging Maddie to write in a paper journal. Justin's set of friends are also a curious mix of personalities that I can't wait to see more of.I think the story itself draws in the reader because while it's a dystopia it's not that too far off from where we are now. With Facebook, Twitter, blogs, iPads, etc I feel like people are constantly hooked into the internet and a lot of social interaction takes place in online communities. I know there are several people I talk to on Twitter, online book club and baby boards that I feel like I am closer to than some of the people I have actually met in person. Like I mentioned above I am a tech junkie and would hate to not have access to these online worlds and with the rate of violence increasing in schools it would not surprise me if we start moving towards digital schools.And of course there is the romance. I loved seeing Justin and Maddie together and Justin made my heart pound and wish I could be in Maddie's shoes sometimes. I liked that although Maddie was in love with Justin she didn't blindly go along with his opinions and causes. She was torn between her love for him, what she thought was the right thing to do and her love for her family. My favorite piece of advice for Maddie came from Justin's mother. While she encouraged their relationship she tells Maddie that she shouldn't NEED Justin to feel whole. She has to be comfortable being on her own too. I loved that because I feel like that's one thing that doesn't come across often enough in these YA romances. You often see the heroine or hero who will just die pining from heartbreak if they were to lose the other person or even be separated from them for too long. The relationships are so needy it can't be healthy.When I finished this one up I sighed in happiness and some regret as I realized I would have to wait patiently for the next book.

[allureofbooks · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is just going to be a quick shot of some of my initial thoughts of the book, because it won't be released until May 2011. I was planning on writing a full review and just not posting it for a few months...but this isn't the kind of book you can read and just set aside. At least - it wasn't for me! So, I won't be going into any details about the plot...I just want to rave about it and convince you all to pick it up as soon as you can! You better believe I'll be buying a copy as soon as it is released!I opened this book on my computer via NetGalley (so if you don't want to wait until May 2011, go sign up!)expecting a pretty quick read. I haven't read any dystopian fiction for several weeks, and was looking forward to giving this a shot. Fast forward about three and a half hours...and I'm finished with the book and left crazy for more. Seriously, I would probably promise Katie Kacvinsky my firstborn for a look at the next book (assuming she is writing one, please-oh-please tell me she is). It is beautifully written, the chemistry between the characters gave me chills, and I was crazy impressed with her dystopian world-building skills.Engaging plot, dynamic characters, and a future that manages to be both compelling and believable enough to make you wonder. You don't want to pass this one by - books like this are the reason we all love to read.

[krista23 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I have to admit the picture on this book threw me off. I was expecting the story inside to maybe be a coming of age contemporary novel. But was pleasantly surprised.This book takes place in the future, where computers (surprise!) rule our lives. The novel focuses on DS or Digital School and how taking kids out of normal public shools and putting them into home schooled computer classes (all the way through college) has disrupted what we call "community." The whole concept of even having to leave your house has bencome obsolete.My Opinion: A concept that can 100% be our future and the near future. As a person who spends 8-10 hours a day on the computer myself, how can I not see this as a possible future. I have to say that although I really liked some ideas in the book, it does make you look in at your own life and realize how much we really do depend on the safety of our own homes and how easy it is to stare at a screen all day, lacking physical activities. Katie's writing is amazing, the romance and action was a perfect fit. The writing flowed perfectly and made me not want to stop reading. I loved every minute of this book and completely fell in love with Justin and Maddie and am hoping that this will not be the end of their story. I want to continue reading about them and love that I was able to be introduced to them. I am going to recommend this to everybody, adult and teen, it's got some awesome messages and in a very fast paced, entertaining way .

[liyanna_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The future described in this book is very likely to happen, as we depend more and more on computers these days (online shopping, online dating, online social networks ...). It is not hard to imagine that we ourselves will turn into online hermits one day. So I really liked the plot. The characters were very likeable as well.The romance, however, was very frustrating to me. Madeline and Justin are in love with each other, but Justin keeps turning her down. And when they finally kiss he distances himself from her once more. Argh! He even suggests that she should date a friend of his. This completely baffled me. When you love someone, surely that thought should kill you. Why not try a long distance relationship for the time being, or even some kind of Bonny and Clyde thing? For this reason I'm disappointed with the book.

[loyet_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Amazing! I love the world that she's created. I love the commentary on the way society is currently and where we're headed. And perhaps it's reflection on my own story, but I loved the love story and Maddie's persistence.

[brandisbookmusings · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Awaken by Katie Kacvinsky is set in a futuristic America where everything is done on computers. Walks along the beach, hiking, dates, tutoring, and most importantly school. The outside world is unknown and scary to most...why would you want to be unplugged? Rebellious Madeline's father is the creator of DS, the digital school that provides safety and equality to all through education. This is Madeline's life, but when she meets face to face with a boy she met on the internet he introduces her to the life that she has been missing. Maybe this new technlogically enhanced world isn't keeping everyone safe, but slowly taking everything away that makes us human. I really enjoyed Awaken and it really hit home. With the technological advancements of today this type of future isn't that hard to imagine. This book makes you think of all that would be missed and the little things that we take for granted: cars, trees, sports, books, grass, fire, sunsets, salty beach air, being face to face with friends, and the touch of another human. This book was amazing and all who are growing up in this digital age should read this book.

[sithereandread · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

AWAKEN, by Katie Kacvinsky, is a chilling look into the future of digital technology and all the 'what ifs' that come along with it. I was extremely impressed with this novel and exploring the implications of humans going totally digital and losing real connection with each other.Kacvinsky set up the book wonderfully. I was able to view Maddie's day-to-day activities and saw how little she interacted face to face with others. Her father was the pioneer of Digital School in which students across the U.S. sat at home all day in simulated classrooms to keep them safe from the violence of real school. I think the idea of DS was really cool and I agree with it in some aspects but in this world it was taken a bit to the extreme.Maddie comes out of her shell and agrees to meet Justin at a face-to-face tutoring session and both of their worlds are altered. I loved the budding relationship between these two. Maddie had the most room and ability to change but overall this relationship changed the both of them. The chemistry between these two was electric and I yearned for them to be together the whole time!Overall this book was unexpectedly action packed and a rude awakening for the digital era. I was sure to keep my cell and computer far away from me while reading and I think you should put down the technology and read this one too!Cover note: Quite a literal cover in this instance. I love the flowers trapped in the jar, out of its natural habitat just as humans should not live inside but outside with others. Bravo cover artist!!

[renkellym · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Summary: Maddie lives in a world overrun with technology. There’s no need to interact with other humans anymore thanks to her dad’s revolutionary invention—Digital School. But when Maddie meets Justin, a boy who still values face-to-face contact, she learns that there’s more to the world than touch screens and chatrooms.My thoughts: Awaken brings a poignant question to the table—is technology doing us more harm than good? This message is conveyed almost entirely through Maddie’s questioning of the world around her and through the actions of those against Digital School. Thankfully, this means that Awaken doesn’t come off as preachy—it makes you think rather than trying to forcefully change your opinion.Story-wise, Awaken was a bit slow. Maddie’s narration just didn’t grab my attention well enough; it was easy to put the book down to do something else. Though the premise is certainly interesting—it’s easy to see how the society in Awaken could be a possible future for us—I found it difficult to get into.The characters in Awaken were likable and fun. Maddie’s stubbornness and drive to escape her father’s legacy were the qualities I most admired in her. Justin, the rebel boy, was also interesting—there is more to him than initially meets the eye, which was a breath of fresh air. The two had really great chemistry together, and I was really happy with the way their relationship turned out.While I wouldn’t consider Awaken to be the best dystopian ever, I still think it’s a solid contribution to the genre. The story’s a bit slow, but the questions it brings up about technology and the characters make up for it.