Divergent Reading Order
| Title | Published | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|
| Divergent | 2011 | Buy |
| Insurgent | 2012 | Buy |
| Allegiant | 2013 | Buy |
Veronica Roth was 22 years old and still in college when Divergent was published. She’d written the first draft during her winter break at Northwestern University, finishing it in a matter of weeks. The book sold to HarperCollins before she graduated.
Divergent imagines a future Chicago divided into five factions based on personality traits: Abnegation for the selfless, Candor for the honest, Erudite for the intelligent, Amity for the peaceful, and Dauntless for the brave. At 16, everyone chooses a faction. Beatrice Prior discovers she doesn’t fit neatly into any category. She’s Divergent, and that makes her dangerous.
The trilogy sold over 35 million copies worldwide. Summit Entertainment produced three films starring Shailene Woodley, though the planned fourth film was cancelled when the third underperformed. Roth was heavily involved in the adaptations, visiting sets and consulting on scripts.
Roth has been open about her struggles with anxiety and how they informed her writing. Tris Prior’s fear simulations drew from Roth’s own experience with panic attacks. The books resonated with readers who saw their own anxieties reflected in the narrative.
After Divergent, Roth moved away from dystopia. Her 2017 novel Carve the Mark was space opera. Chosen Ones, published in 2020, followed former teenage heroes dealing with trauma in adulthood. She continues to write across genres, no longer defined by the trilogy that made her famous.