Divergent (487 pages)

Veronica Roth is a new author to me, but this book will be of interest to any of you who enjoyed The Hunger Games....I write that with some hesitation, as this book is similar, and will be a series, yet it is definitely different from the Hunger Games. There is much good about it, but I was a little concerned about the ending. That may be the link to the next book in the series; we'll see. It is a book set way into the future in Dystopian Chicago. Those of you who are familiar with Chicago will relate well to the text as you recognize Chicago "sites". Beatrice is a young girl who has lived with her mother, father, and older brother in what seems like a fairly normal nuclear family. The society has a tradition of requiring adolescents to choose the "path" they wish to follow. This path is either to stay where they are or go to a different faction. each faction has a its own "virtue." Both Beatrice and her brother choose not to stay with their faction. The plot includes more than enough exciting moments of fights, frightening tests of mental and physical endurance, and testing of loyalty. It's a keeper. This is a book that could be added to the possibility of a book club with a theme of dystopian reading.