Divergent by Veronica Roth

                              

                           Divergent by Veronica Roth                                              

                              Reviewed by: Beth P.

               Imagine you are given a choice that determines the rest of your future. Where you live, what you value, whether you see your family ever again. You could choose to remain the same you have always been or you could choose to move to a completely different area with different priorities. Your future depends on that choice. That choice is what is given to the protagonist Beatrice “Tris” Prior at age sixteen.  In their futuristic utopian society, which is the setting, Tris-like all other sixteen year old's undergo testing to decide what “faction” they should enter and become a member of. There are 5 factions which each value a certain virtue in humanity. Factions  are similar to cities except you can’t go to other factions other than  your own. Tris was born, and grew up in the Abnegation  (the selfless) faction and can choose to stay there or join any of the other  4 categories: Amity (the peaceful), Erudite (the intelligent), Dauntless (the brave) or  Candor (the honest). If she picks one of the other categories she will have to pass intense initiation to prove herself and her abilities. Only the best initiates pass so if Tris fails, she becomes part of the dreaded factionless. She is determined to become a member and beat the other initiates (some who have trained their whole lives). What will she choose? Can she become a member while balancing friends, love, and enemies? Find out in the action packed book: Divergent.

               I did enjoy the book. It was quick paced, relatable and it had excellent word choice. The book was going at a fast pace, with many interesting plot twists all the time. For example, only in the first several chapters is when Tris makes her choice on  factions. It then ended with a surprise at the end of the chapter. The setting and conflict quickly changed to Tris trying to pass initiation! The book also very relatable to the characters, especially Tris and her best friend Christina. Both are trying to fit in while figuring out who they are and what they believe in. An example to show this is when Tris stood up for Al in page 161-162. Eric, the leader for the initiates, was bullying her friend  Al and making him stand there while Eric throws knives around Al until he doesn’t flinch. Tris became very angry and while everyone else was hiding and being a bystander, Tris took action. She tried stopping Eric-and voluntarily took Al’s place to help her friend. Although it is an extreme condition, I can relate to standing up for a friend and helping them. I remember the scariness, and risk I felt when confronting the bully, similarly to Tris. The book also had excellent word choice. The word choice really suited the situation and the character. For example, the head of all Erudite uses intelligent sentences like this one “we are tired of being dominated by a bunch of self righteous idiots who reject wealth and advancement.” The author used very advanced vocabulary and the sentence was full of thought -out description and word choice. When a Dauntless member  is speaking they use terms like “Stiff” (slang word for Abnegation) and “dude”.

               This book reminds me of how important taking chances are. I’m not much of a risk taker myself but the book really helped me learn that sometimes doing things you don’t always do helps you learn. If you live your life always taking the safe, easier way to go…you won’t get anywhere or do anything. Taking chances helps us understand and decide who we really are.  Tris was constantly taking chances (some not as good as others). She knew what the “right” thing to do but was always curious if she would be helped or could help others if she did the other option.  Some themes the book helped me better understand is courage, and being selfless. The book helped me understand courage because I didn’t understand  what courage meant and that it applies to everyday life. When I think of courage,  I always think of a superhero or firefighter running into a burning building. That shows a huge amount of bravery and courage, but courage happens all the time in little ways. It takes courage to finally tell your friend that you want to work with someone else this time. Tris showed both types of courage throughout the book. She would jump off buildings but also volunteer to be the first in line to be judged.  Courage doesn’t happen just once in a while, it happens every day. Another theme the book also helped me to better understand is selflessness. It helped me realize that selflessness isn’t always a good thing. Being selfless is great for others because you are making their life a little better. But it also slowly might lead to people taking advantage of you, giving yourself low self esteem  and never getting what you really want. Tris saw it happen before her own eyes and was frustrated she couldn’t have a little bit of selfishness in herself because of her faction rules. I learned that selfless is still a great value we should try to be every day but you need everything in moderation. That concludes my book review on the book Divergent.

Honorable Mention books

1) Insurgent: by Veronica Roth

2) Pretties by Scott Westerfeild

3) The Other Side of the Island by Allegra Goodman

4) Darkbeast  by Morgan Keyes

5) The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

6) Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

7) Mockingjay  by Suzanne Collins

8) Among the Imposters by Margaret Peterson

9) Among the free by Margaret Peterson