Divergent (Identity, dystopian society)

Book Title: Divergent by Veronica Roth

Thoughts: If you liked the Hunger Games, you should like Divergent.  At the age of sixteen, teenagers have to decide which faction (society) they want to live with for the rest of their lives, kind of like in Harry Potter in which the hat chooses what house a person will live in.  But if a teenager chooses a different faction from their family, they will only be able to see their family one more time: "faction before family."

Trish has a conflict trying to decide which faction to belong to

• Abnegation--selfless people who put others' wants and needs before their own.
• Amity--people who will lie and manipulate others to keep peace.
• Candor--honest people who only tell the truth.
• Erudite--the intelligent people who are scientist and computer geeks.
• Dauntless--people who like taking risk.

Even though I don't agree with all the manifestos of each faction, I can pick out bits and pieces that I do agree with.  Maybe that's why we live in an imperfect society.

Trish has grown up as an Abnegation but wants to be selfish.  She has been upset with her parents and brother, so she knows she won't fit in with the Amity.  She has lied to her parents (what teen hasn't lied to their parents), so she doesn't feel like she fits with the Candor group.   She doesn't consider herself smart, so she won't fit in with the Erudite.  The only group she feels she will belong to is the Dauntless because she wants to live a free life on her on, so she chooses the Dauntless.

The novel focuses on Trish's trials to become a Dauntless--nineteen people chose that faction, but only ten will make the final cut.  The first trial she has is to fight another person and be the last person standing.  I know I'm not tough enough to withstand these challenges. 

This book has several conflicts, action, and a little romance--not too much that male readers would diverge from the story though.