Be Present in the Moment: Still Point by Katie Kacvinsky

Just the Facts

Overall Rating:  3 Stars

Addiction Level:  I read it when I had spare time.

Believe-ability:  The setting is believable.

Dystopia Factor:  It is intended to be a dystopia, but it describes our current times.

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I am a huge fan of Awaken; it captured my interest immediately.  In fact I immediately reread it once I finished it.  The concept of waking up to the real world is addictive…not to mention the intense romance happening.  Middle Ground was frustrating for me because the pace was much slower.  If one is looking for passive civil disobedience, Middle Ground is your book.  Still Point was the end of the series.

What I disliked:

• The slow start:  Kacvinsky did not capture my attention.  I had to make a conscious effort to pick up the book, so I could finish reading it.
• The water metaphor:  I understand poetic license and using extended metaphors.  The metaphor was lost on me, an English teacher.  Kacvinsky was trying use the metaphor incorporate the title Still Point.  This book felt more like Maddie had reached a middle ground.
• Wrapping up the end:  It felt like Kacvinsky knew where she wanted the story to end up, so the ending seemed jumbled with awkward twists and turns.

What I liked:

• The overall message:  As a society we need to pull ourselves away from electronic distraction and engage in face to face activities.  A typical society should not be one where a family sits down to dinner and everyone is on their electronic device ignoring everyone else.  It should be that everyone at dinner is talking with each other.  Be mindful of the time we have with one another.
• The resolution of the love triangle:  It is frustrating to have another love interest introduced in the third book of the series.  However, I like the resolution of the love triangle.  Maddie chose the person she was best suited for.

Favorite Quotes:

• “You need to put love into something in order for it to grow.  Maybe that’s why this house felt so sad to me.”
• “Those little computers we hold—do we control them, or do they control us?”
• “‘Life is about mindfulness.  It’s about being in the moment, being aware.  And ever since I was little, I was confused about living through a computer so much of the time.  I never felt like I was missing the moment.  I was elsewhere.  I was missing the moment.  That has become a problem.  We are always elsewhere.  Our minds are never in this moment, in this now.  I guess I’m becoming more acutely aware of the nows, these moments we’re missing because we are always distracted.  Can we somehow plug back in to the now?’ he asked the crowd.”

I am glad the series is over and all the loose ends are tied up.  Now off to the next series!