Divergent

Divergent by Veronica Roth

Divergent by Veronica Roth. Katherine Tegen Books, New York City, 2011. ISBN:  978-0062024022

Summary

Beatrice Prior is about to make the most important decision of her life--deciding which fraction to belong to. In her dystopian Chicago, people are sorted into five different fractions, with five different values: Candor are the honest, Dauntless are the brave, Amity are the peaceful, Erudite the intelligent, and Abnegation, the fraction Beatrice grew up in, are the selfless.   While Beatrice can choose a different fraction depending on her test scores, she can also choose to stay with her family in Abnegation.

During the test, Beatrice makes several choices in different scenarios—dealing with a violent animal, lying about knowing someone. When she awakes from the test, she’s told that her results were inconclusive, and instead of narrowing her choice down to one or two fractions she’s left with equal results for three fractions: Abnegations, Dauntless, and Erudite.   Only a few people come away with these results and they are called Divergent—a term Beatrice has never heard before.  

As Beatrice waits for the Choosing Ceremony, she must make a choice: to stay with her family or to start over in a new fraction.  She also must keep being a Divergent a secret from her community and from her family.

Critical Evaluation

Roth does a nice job with the world building of Divergent as well as the character development.  The idea of a society divided by different fractions is unique and makes for an interesting read.  The setting of post apocalyptic Chicago isn’t too drastic or different from the modern world, making it easy for the audience to understand the actions and moral reasoning of the Divergent society.  The action is nicely paced and while there is a sense of danger throughout the book, it never gets too dark for its teen readers.

Beatrice, or Tris as she later is called, is a mentally and physically strong character.  As a result of her fraction choice, she’s forced to quickly change from a meek, selfless girl, to a strong, take no prisoners young woman.  While she could choose to ignore her destiny she instead takes it head on, knowing she must have strength in her troubling world.  

There are only a few violent scenes in the book and no language or sexual situations, making Divergent a perfect read for teens of all ages.  With a unique plot and a strong narrator, Divergent is a great read for both new and returning dystopian fans.

Reader’s Annotation

In a world where people are separated by fractions, Tris must use her differences and strength to change her society.  

About the Author

“Unlike most authors, Veronica Roth had a relatively quick journey to literary stardom, with her debut novel Divergent landing her on the New York Times best sellers list at the tender age of 22. Roth attended Minnesota's Carleton College for one year before transferring to Northwestern and graduating from the university's prestigious writing program. Literary agent Joanna Stampfel-Volpe of Nancy Coffey Literary recognized potential in Roth and signed her to a contract, securing a publishing deal with HarperCollins only four days after sending out the Divergent manuscript.”

 (Veronica Roth.   Retrieved September 14^th , 2014 from http://www.epicreads.com/authors/veronica-roth/327/)

Genres

Dystopian

Action/Adventure

Curriculum Ties

Political Science

Booktalking Ideas

1: How would our modern society function under different fractions?

2: How does Tris changing her name reflect her identity?

Reading Level/Interest Age

Ages 14+

Grades 9+

Challenge Issues

Violence

Defense File

1—Ensure that policies such as “Freedom to Read,” “Collection Development,” and “Challenged Materials” are available for patrons and staff to read and research. Have list of awards and reviews for titles, as well as a “Reconsideration Form” on hand at all branches.

2—Listen to challenges and complaints openly and without judgment. Allow the patron to express their thoughts without inputting your own.

3—Have patron fill out reconsideration form. Provide information and background on challenge material’s author and title.  Forward reconsideration form to appropriate supervisors.

PPLD’s Challenge Materials Policy: http://ppld.org/challenged-materials-policy

PPLD’s Collection Development Policy: http://ppld.org/collection-development-policy

Why included?

I included Divergent for its action, dystopian plot, and strong female lead character.  It's also been a popular patron request, thanks to the movie adapations.