Summary: In Beatrice’s world, the society is broken
into 5 factions. At the age of 16, each
person must decide which faction to join.
Leaving the faction of one’s upbringing means a separation from parents,
family, and every known thing. Before
making that choice, each person is given a test to determine which faction
would be ideal for him/her based on aptitude.
Beatrice gets unusual results that mystify the person giving the
test. The person encourages Beatrice to
never tell anyone about the results. On
the day where the factions are announced, Beatrice chooses to leave her family
and her Abnigation life for a life of adventure and risk. Initiation is intense. Adjusting to the dramatic lifestyle changes
is tough. Fist fighting is completely in
opposition to the lifestyle Beatrice knew.
All of it must be overcome, or she risks being factionless. Tris, as she refers to herself, survives
initiation into Dauntless, but more danger awaits her when she realizes what
another faction is doing with Dauntless people.
The risks that she’s willing to take for those she loves are truly
remarkable. Impression: I absolutely
loved this book! It was not just another
dystopian Hunger Games wannabe. I really felt as though the writing had me
more engaged than the second two installments of Hunger Games. The plot
twists and turns were very creative, and the layers to many of the characters
were evident. Suggestions for library setting:
Since reading this book, I’ve shown my very amateur book trailer to
classes as well as the one created by the publisher. Before showing the trailers, I talk about the
basic premise of the book and a few of the reasons why I thought it was so
good. With the buzz about it, there’s
quite a wait list to get the book, and I’ve ordered another copy of each of
them. I also did a book talk with
read-alikes like Legend , Uglies,
Matched, and The Giver for those wondering what to read while they’re waiting
for Divergent.
Roth, Veronica.
(2011). Divergent. New
York: Katherine Tegen.
DIVERGENT
The remnant population of post-apocalyptic Chicago intended to cure
civilization’s failures by structuring society into five “factions,” each
dedicated to inculcating a specific virtue. When Tris, secretly a
forbidden “Divergent,” has to choose her official faction in her 16th year, she
rejects her selfless Abnegation upbringing for the Dauntless, admiring their
reckless bravery. But the vicious initiation process reveals that her new tribe
has fallen from its original ideals, and that same rot seems to be spreading…
Aside from the preposterous premise, this gritty, paranoid world is built with
careful details and intriguing scope. The plot clips along at an addictive
pace, with steady jolts of brutal violence and swoony romance. Despite the
constant assurance that Tris is courageous, clever and kind, her own
first-person narration displays a blank personality. No matter; all the “good”
characters adore her and the “bad” are spiteful and jealous. Fans snared by the
ratcheting suspense will be unable to resist speculating on their own factional
allegiance; a few may go on to ponder the questions of loyalty and identity
beneath the façade of thrilling adventure.
Guaranteed to fly off the shelves.
Divergent. (April 15, 2011). Kirkus
Reviews. Retrieved from:http://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/veronica-roth/divergent/
Set in the future, this is a book thatwill keep
readers reading. Chicago has been divided into five factions. When students are
16, they can choose to move to another faction that they feel is more suited to
their personalities. Tris is alarmed to learn that it isn't really clear which
faction she is best suited for, and she is told that she might be a "divergent," which is bad
and dangerous. Most of the book's action is focused on Tris's initiation
exercises which are brutal and full of rancor and danger. To fail the
initiation is to be condemned to the underclass and have no future at all. The
action centers around a dystopian citythathas lost its path to good, and the
tasks and fears that must be overcome are creative and believable. This is one
of the better books of its type.
Foraker, B. (2011).
Divergent. Library Media Connection, 30(3), 78.
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