Divergent Thinking

[Terri M. LeBlanc]

I was so excited to see a collection of essays about Veronica Roth’s Divergent series. I read a similar collection of essays for The Hunger Games series and I gained helpful insight into the novels. I was hoping for the same with Divergent Thinking.

It took me a long time to finish Divergent Thinking. I found it difficult to engage with the essays as most of them focused on the psychology of Tris and/or the factions. The collection felt repetitious as many of the authors seemed to be examining the same points of the story over and over (why Tris is not Abnegation? Why did she choose Dauntless? What does it mean to be Divergent?). I was hoping for more examination of the political climate, how Tris’s World mirrors that of Nazi Germany and even our world when it comes to prejudices and long-held beliefs.

My favorite essay was by V. Arrow called “Mapping Divergent’s Chicago.” V. works through plotting the location of each of the factions throughout Chicago and its suburbs. Maps are provided (although on the Kindle version they are difficult to read) along with strong arguments why the locations that were selected fit each of the factions best. With V.’s directions, you could safely created you own Divergent faction tour through Chicago minus jumping on and off the train.

This collection of essays would be a good fit for anyone who is interested in the psychology of Tris and the various factions within the series. Otherwise, I would recommend passing on Divergent Thinking.

This review was originally posted on Second Run Reviews