Divergent

Title: Divergent

Author: Veronica Roth

ISBN: 978-0062024039

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books

Copyright: 2012

Genre: Action/Science Fiction

Age Range: 14 - 18

Reader’s Annotation: One choice can decide who you become, follow Tris as she fights to carve out a place for herself in a post-apocalyptic Chicago.

Plot Summary: Post-apocalyptic Chicago is separated into five factions: Abnegation, for the selfless; Amity, for the peaceful; Candor, for the honest; Dauntless, for the brave; and Erudite, for the Intelligent. Each year, all sixteen-year-olds take an aptitude test that describes the faction for which they are best suited. When given the results, the person is able to choose to stay with their family's faction or change factions. Society’s credo is faction over blood.

            Beatrice Prior was is born into an Abnegation family. She does not feel like she belongs. Since she is sixteen, she takes the test. Instead of one or two results, she has three: Abnegation, Erudite, and Dauntless. This multiple aptitude makes her Divergent, which is dangerous. The tester, Torey, warns her not to tell anyone. Before the Choosing Day, she struggles over whether to stay in Abnegation to satisfy her parents or choose another faction. On Choosing Day, Beatrice decides to leave Abnegation and join Dauntless, while her brother Caleb chooses Erudite.

            Four, the Dauntless instructor, explains that not all initiates enter Dauntless only the top ten. The rest will be factionless. She renames herself Tris and befriends Christina, Al, and, Will. Peter, another transfer, constantly patronizes her with his gang including a big lug named Molly. The initiation comes in three stages, the first is physical involving guns, knives, and hand-to-hand combat. There are many brutal fights between the different transfers. Tris drags in the standings and worries for she will make it. During one fight, she defeats Molly and gets a passing rank. On a wargame, Tris spends time with Four and finds out he is afraid of heights. She devises a winning strategy and is praised and accepted by both transfers and Dauntless born. Will is ranked number one. Jealous, Peter stabs Will in the eye with a butter knife. During parent visiting day, Tris discovers that her mom was originally Dauntless and also Divergent. Her mom asks her to see her brother and ask about a serum.

            On a political scale, Erudite tries to uproot Abnegation as the leadership of the city. Erudite's reports accuse Abnegation's leader, Marcus, of abusing his son, who joined Dauntless two years before. More reports are released about Caleb and Tris leaving Abnegation as well. Tris goes to Erudite head quarters and sees Caleb. She asks about the serum and they get in a fight. She sees the Erudite leader for a brief talk that weights heavy in threats.

            Tris and the other initiates begin stage two. Similar to the aptitude tests, stage two involves simulations where the person has to overcome common fears. Tris recognizes that she is under a simulation while others do not because she is Divergent. Tris is ranked first. Four warns her to take it slower. Peter, Drew, and Al attack and sexually assault Tris in an attempt to throw her into the chasm at Dauntless headquarters. Four comes to her rescue. Al begs for forgiveness later. She rejects him. He commits suicide. The final stage is much like the second, but the fears that each candidate has to overcome is their own specific fears. There are usually eight to fifteen fears in their fear landscape. The smallest amount was four. While preparing for this stage, Four lets Tris into his fear landscape. He only has four, hence his name. She learns that he is Tobias, Marcus’ son that was abused. The final test is upon them and Tris has to go through her fear landscape in front of Dauntless leadership. She is able to navigate through each fear with some ease. She freaked out the Dauntless leadership saw that she is afraid of intimacy with Four. After passing, she is now Dauntless. She is injected with a new "tracking" serum. Before the final ranking reveal, Tris and Four share an intimate moment expressing their feelings. Tris is revealed to be number one.

            While celebrating, she realizes the serum is part of an Erudite plan to invade Abnegation. The serum induces the Dauntless into being robotic soldiers that do whatever the master control tells them to do. Anyone who is Divergent is not affected including Tris and Four. After arriving at the Abnegation compound, Tris and Tobias try to break away from the pack to escape. The Abnegation compound has been invaded and Abnegation leaders are being murdered in the street. In scuffle, Tris is shot and Four refuses to leave her. They are brought before Jeanine, the Erudite leader. Four is injected with a serum that controls his sight and sounds counteracting the Divergence. Tris is sentenced to death by glass box. As the water fills the box, Tris’ mom breaks the tank to rescue her. With not much time left, Tris has to save the Abnegation from execution, find Four, and save her friends from becoming robotic murderers.

Critical Evaluation: Divergent has been compared to The Hunger Games for its content of a young female protagonist that is fighting against a corrupt system. One might think that just one of these books should be included. The difference between the two books is the choices that are made. While Katniss is forced into the situation that she faces, Tris is able to make her own life choices. This book is a good example of how teens can remain in charge of their lives. It also addresses the idea of identity. Identity is important for teens. They are trying to figure out who they are and who they want to be. For all of these values and more, YALSA put it in their 2013 list of Teen’s Top Ten Vote. It also won the Sakura Medal Contest.

Author Information: Veronica Roth is a twenty-two-year-old debut author and a recent graduate of Northwestern University's creative writing program. While a student, she often chose to work on the story that would become  Divergent  instead of doing her homework. Now a full-time writer, she lives near Chicago. Source - http://www.harpercollins.com/authors/37588/Veronica_Roth/index.aspx

Curriculum Ties: Social Science

Challenge Issues: Violence; Sexuality; Sexual Assault; Child Abuse

Booktalk Ideas: Differences: Start by dividing the teens into different groups and give them the names and values of the faction. Talk about how the different factions form the base of the society.