Larry Bowlden reviews "Divergent" by Veronica Roth. The book is written for youth, but Larry recommends it for older readers too. It looks at a futuristic dystopia in which five rigidly defined social "factions" structure society like into personality type castes - kind of like Phillip K. Dick's "Clans of the Alphane Moon". People ritualistically chose a faction in their teens, but are guided by an aptitude test. The principal story is that of Beatrice, who leaves her faction of birth for another, while hiding the fact that her tests showed her to have "divergent" aptitudes. She eventually stumbles upon a nefarious plot being hatched within the ranks of another faction. Larry describes how the story will appeal to "serious minded young people" with its gripping moral quandries about authority, social order, and the sources of our humanity.
- KBOO