Divergent by Veronica Roth, 2011. Katherine Tegen books, New York. ISBN: 9780062024022
What's it about?
In future Chicago, society is neatly divided into five factions (Candor, Amnity, Abnegation, the Dauntless and the Erudite) that represent strong character traits. Sixteen-year-old Beatrice Prior has to choose the faction where she will spend the rest of her life—will she chose to stay in the faction she was born into, or she will change her life forever by choosing another faction?
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Divergent is set in a future Chicago, where society is divided into five factions, all based on virtues. There is the Erudite faction, comprised of those of superior intellect. There is the Dauntless faction, made of those who are courageous. The Amnity faction is made of kind people, and the Candor is made of the honest. The faction sixteen year old Beatrice Prior was born into is Abnegation. These are the selfless, often deprecated by other faction members as “stiffs” because of their drab clothing and quiet demeanor. The Abnegant place others first and set aside their individual needs. Factions are determined by a test that everyone takes at sixteen. Beatrice’s test results are inconclusive—she is divergent, and must keep this knowledge to herself. When Beatrice (who shortens her name to Tris) chooses the Dauntless faction, her trial has just begun. She must endure a harsh initiation at the hands of a cruel Dauntless leader, Eric, and a mysterious Dauntless instructor who calls himself “Four.” If she fails to rank highly enough, she will end up factionless, doomed to pitiful living conditions.
Divergent is set in a future Chicago, where society is divided into five factions, all based on virtues. There is the Erudite faction, comprised of those of superior intellect. There is the Dauntless faction, made of those who are courageous. The Amnity faction is made of kind people, and the Candor is made of the honest. The faction sixteen year old Beatrice Prior was born into is Abnegation. These are the selfless, often deprecated by other faction members as “stiffs” because of their drab clothing and quiet demeanor. The Abnegant place others first and set aside their individual needs. Factions are determined by a test that everyone takes at sixteen. Beatrice’s test results are inconclusive—she is divergent, and must keep this knowledge to herself. When Beatrice (who shortens her name to Tris) chooses the Dauntless faction, her trial has just begun. She must endure a harsh initiation at the hands of a cruel Dauntless leader, Eric, and a mysterious Dauntless instructor who calls himself “Four.” If she fails to rank highly enough, she will end up factionless, doomed to pitiful living conditions.
Tris slowly sheds her Abnegant identity, and become the Dauntless Tris, unafraid of taking risks. She doesn’t abandon her former faction, though; she remains fiercely loyal to her family. The reader follows her through her grueling transformation, and sees how she shows characteristics of the other factions throughout training. Divergent is a thrilling, thought-provoking book. The factions are interesting conceptually, although some factions are more richly depicted than others. The most detailed depiction is of the Dauntless faction. That these factions are exaggerations of traits forces the reader to think about ways that they themselves are defined by society, and how this impacts every day choices. This novel is science fiction, but it is more allegorical than hard core science fiction. It should appeal more to girls than boys, and the relationship between Tris and Four, will also satisfy readers seeking romance.
Genre: Science Fiction; Dystopian
Reading level: 5th grade level
Interest level: Middle school and high school students, as well as any adults who read and enjoyed Hunger Games will devour this book and want more. Although this book is aimed at teens, many older tweens (grades 6-9) will love this novel.
Read-alikes: Divergent has been aptly compared to Hunger Games; both books feature strong female protagonists who fight against a monstrous force—in Hunger Games, it is the Capitol. In Divergence, it is the Erudite faction.
The Chaos Walking trilogy by Patrick Ness (The Knife of Never Letting Go, The Ask and the Answer and Monsters of Men reminds me of Divergent because it is dystopian to an extreme, and in the Chaos Walking books there is the theme of nearly an entire society being duped by an evil person.
Other books fans of Divergent may enjoy, or those with similar themes are The Giver, Brave New World, Farenheit 451, and 1984.
Subjects/themes: Societal roles, mind control, virtual reality, dystopias, character traits, courage, selflessness, abuse of power
Character name/descriptions:
Beatrice Prior (Tris) –The protagonist; Abnegant by birth, Dauntless by choice, but divergent by test
Four –An enigmatic instructor. Beatrice’s romantic interest
Eric—a cruel Dauntless leader
Series information: Insurgent (Divergent #2) is due out May 2012 (HOORAY!!)
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