Divergent

Bibliographic Information: Roth, V. (2011). Divergent. New York: Katherine Tegan Books. ISBN: 0-06-202402-7

Plot Summary: In a future dystopian Chicago, Beatrice Prior is born into one of the five factions. Abnegation, Beatrice’s faction, doesn’t allow mirrors, or birthdays, because they value selflessness above all else. The other factions are different: Candor values honesty, Dauntless values courage, Amity values peace, and Erudite values intelligence. Tension is rising between the factions.

The book begins on the day of the aptitude test, which will determine what faction Beatrice should choose for herself, though she still has free will over her decision. Her brother Caleb, is also taking the test. Her test results are inconclusive, marking her as Divergent, and she is sworn to never tell anyone this. At the choosing ceremony, Beatrice decides her fate, defying her family and everything she has ever been taught, by choosing Dauntless. As part of her transformation, she changes her name to Tris, and eventually gets tattoos to honor her family and multiple identities.

In Dauntless training, Tris is faced with grueling physical training, and meets many of her new companions and enemies in the process. She must fight her way up the list of names to prove that she can be Dauntless, which she is surprisingly good at, much to the dismay of her enemies. If she fails this initiation, she will become factionless, which is the worst fate for anybody. So she fights, and is given numerous psychological tests known as “fear landscapes” that depict her biggest fears. A romance buds between Tris and her initiation instructor, “Four,” who gets his nickname for only having four fears in his landscape.

Jeanine Matthews, leader of the Erudite and creator of the aptitude tests and fear landscapes, has also developed a serum that mind-controls the Dauntless into becoming brain dead soldiers. She conspires to destroy the Abnegation faction with her army, and when Tris learns about this from her mother, who also reveals herself to be Divergent, she is faced with avoiding certain death.

Critical Evaluation: Veronica Roth is venturing into the popular dystopian genre with her own bleak glimpse of a futuristic society that has been divided into factions that loosely reflect how disparate our contemporary society is. By exploring the possibility of a faction-controlled world, the author is making commentary on how divided the United States is right now, and how the tension that rises between factions can lead to war. Placing this premise into the coming-of-age story of a 16-year-old girl makes for a gripping and immersive read. Tris represents any teen that might feel like they don’t fit into any of the cookie cutter molds that society has shaped for them. Being Divergent is essentially just being unique—an attribute that has been snuffed by the emergence of factions. At one point, Tris happens upon a factionless man in the streets, and though he is homeless and hungry, he seems happy and wise. The author may be hinting at social revolution in this first book in this series, but readers will have to continue with the second book, Insurgent, to find out what happens to Tris after she leaves the Dauntless.

Reader’s Annotation: Beatrice is sixteen, which means this is the year she must choose which faction she will belong to for the rest of her life. Will she leave her family and beliefs behind for a taste of something new?

Author Information: Wikipedia states, “Veronica Roth (b. August 19, 1988) is an American author known for her debut New York Times Bestselling Divergent trilogy and also the recipient of the Goodreads 2011 Choice Awards. Roth was raised in Barrington, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, and wrote her first book, Divergent, while she was supposed to be doing her homework for Northwestern University.

In 2011 she married photographer, Nelson Fitch.

Roth has sold the film rights to Summit Entertainment. Roth has a degree in creative writing from Northwestern University and currently resides in the Chicago area.”

Genre: Science Fiction, Dystopian

Subjects: dystopian society, Chicago, identity, love, friendship, family

Curriculum Ties: N/A

Booktalking Ideas: Ask teens which faction they would choose and why.

Reading Level/Interest Age: 14+

Challenge Issues/Defense: Due to depictions of violence and sexual themes, this book may be challenged. If so, refer to:

1.      

2.     The San Francisco Public Library Collection Development Policy, Selection Criteria, and Teen Collection documents.

3.     The California Department of Education District Selection Policies, Reading Lists, and Resources for Recommended Literature: Pre-K-12.

4.     A hard copy of the ALA’s Library Bill of Rights.

5.     Mixed book reviews from School Library Journal, Kirkus, and Publisher’s Weekly.

6.     Book selection rationale.

7.     If necessary, The San Francisco Public Library’s Request for Reconsideration of Library Materials Form.

Reasons for Selection: With the dystopian theme in YA lit being so popular right now, it only seems natural to include every derivative of the Hunger Games trilogy into a YA library collection, But beyond that, Divergent provides an interesting premise and action packed story that teens will love. And with the film rights already sold, and book three set to release later this year, I can only see this trilogy growing in popularity over the next year or so.