Divergent: Just Read It!

It was almost three years ago now that I fell in love with Katniss, Peeta and the world that Suzanne Collins created in The Hunger Games. Katniss has become a literary hero of mine and I have no idea the number of people that the series was passed on to because I put the book in the hands of someone I knew. When I have that kind of literary experience I find myself comparing everything else I read to it. I'm hoping to recapture the way I felt while caught up in the story. I'm hoping to read characters that inspire and challenge my thinking again. I'm hoping to feel compelled to read into the wee hours of the morning. And honestly, anything that doesn't stand up to it leaves me desperately wanting more. While I've read plenty of excellent books since I first discovered Katniss, I've not been excited about a book until I read Divergent by Veronica Roth.

Divergent is another dystopian society set far into the future in my beloved Chicago once Lake Michigan has been reduced to a marsh. Most of the familiar landmarks of Chicago's downtown make an appearance in the book but are mere remnants of their glory days. Part of my love for the book is the role Chicago plays. Teenagers zip-line off the top of the Hancock building, climb the defunct Ferris wheel at Navy Pier, and jump on and off of the moving El all in an attempt to prove their bravery. But, my familiarity with Chicago landmarks only adds to my love of the characters and the way I'm forced to think about myself while reading this book.

In order for the current society to be at peace, the people have broken into five different factions. At the age of 16, adolescents go through a virtual test that helps them decide which faction they will live in for the rest of their lives. Either you choose to stay with your family and the people whom have shaped you thus far, or you choose a new faction effectively turning your back on family and friends. Once your choice is made you must go through a battery of tests to prove your worth in order to receive full status as a citizen. Each of the five factions represents a specific character trait that their members uphold above everything else. Candor (honesty), Dauntless (bravery), Abnegation (selflessness), Amity (peace), and Erudite (intelligence.)

The less I say about the actual plot, the more you will love the story that unfolds as Beatrice, the heroine of the story, makes decisions about her future. As the story develops, Beatrice learns that everything and everyone is not as they may seem. The real beauty of this story comes from the questions you will ask yourself while reading, beginning with, "What would I choose?" There are questions raised about prejudices and stereotypes and worth as each group has another faction that they view as particularly repugnant. Veronica Roth is really taking a long hard look at how something in society that was originally created for good and peace can become distorted and an agent for harm. Somewhere, within that oppression is a group of people who are hungry for rebellion. And who doesn't love a story about righteous rebellion?!

Today marks the release of the second book in Veronica Roth's trilogy. Insurgent hits stores today in both print and ebook format. Sweet sister that I am, I opted to purchase the book in print rather than download it to my iPad because my roommate and sister said, "You aren't going to let me borrow your iPad to read it are you?" So I am anxiously awaiting the delivery of a good-old-fashioned copy of Insurgent. If you see it on a shelf and are intrigued by the cover art, just be sure to check out book one first!