“Fear doesn't shut you down; it wakes you up. I've seen it. It's fascinating."
“We believe in ordinary acts of bravery, in the courage that drives one person to stand up for another.”
“I like to think I’m helping them by hating them,” she says. “I’m reminding them that they aren’t God’s gift to humankind.”
“I ignore my fear,” he says. “When I make decisions, I pretend it doesn’t exist.”
Original Language: English
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Country: USA
Publication Date: May 3, 2011
ISBN: 9780062024022
Page Count: 487
Synopsis
In Beatrice Prior’s dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can’t have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.
During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris, and struggles alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together, they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes-fascinating, sometimes-exasperating boy fits into the life she’s chosen.
But Tris also has a secret: one she’s kept hidden from everyone, because she’s been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers unrest and growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly-perfect society, she also learns that her secret might be what helps her save those she loves . . . or it might be what destroys her.
Review
Close your eyes and picture this: you are 16 years old and about to make the biggest choice of your life. You have grown up in a faction that values a particular trait, Abnegation (selflessness), Candor (honesty), Amity (kindness), Dauntless (bravery) or Erudite (knowledge-seeking). You could choose to stay with your parents and the place you know or you could strike out into a new faction but beware, once you've made that decision, there's no going back.
This is Beatrice's story, an Abnegation girl who is conflicted about which faction to join. On one hand, she feels that she has never truly belonged in Abnegation, but on the other, she doesn't want to betray her family. Her decision is made more difficult by the knowledge that she is not like most people: she is Divergent. Once in her chosen faction Beatrice must absorb the culture shocks and keep all her wits about her if she is to survive as failing the initiation will render her factionless and an outcast of society. Meanwhile, government troubles are brewing and Beatrice's world is about to turn upside-down…
Summary
Right now Divergent looks to be the Next Big Thing, so if you are a teen or tween who cares about that you will want to get on the list for this. Don't worry, it's an easy read. I found the premise (society divided into 5 "personality" groups) to be implausible and unexplained. The mandatory romance is obvious. My guess is that this book (and series) was rushed into publication to take advantage of Hunger Games popularity and maybe cash in on it. I've heard the movie rights are sold... This is so much less than Hunger Games on so many levels, e.g. character development, world building, relationship complexity
What is Divergent? Read the book and find out because you won't hear it from me!
Reading Level: Young Adults
There is some romance (references to intimacy), some drinking, and a fair amount of violence. No language above the word "hell."
Rating : 3 stars
