Recognizing the art of writing and the impact novels have in the entertainment world by being adapted to film, we begin a new series of reviews starting with the dystopian novel “Divergent.”

Author Veronica Roth, now 26, first began working on “Divergent” as a student at Northwestern University. On her personal blog, Roth explains that having learned about different forms of fear conditioning, she got the idea for her story when thinking of a type of person who would jump from a roof to prove their bravery. This image led her to create the first of her faction groups, Dauntless, and shortly thereafter “Divergent.”

With the story told from the perspective of sixteen-year-old Beatrice “Tris” Prior, the reader is introduced to a futuristic Chicago separated into five factions — Amity, Erudite, Candor, Abnegation and Dauntless. Each of the five formed under the idea that their trait had enough power to stop wars. Although created with the premise to rid mankind of their inclination toward evil, no society can be perfect, as Tris comes to realize after learning she has an aptitude for not one faction, but three and what that entails.

Although the opening scene seems eerily similar to that of “The Hunger Games,” a few pages in and it becomes clear Roth has created a new alternative for the future of our country. This book is a must read, simply because it contains a strong female who wholeheartedly conquers her fears by demonstrating that we are our most brave, when we are most selfless. Tris is the kind of protagonist that needs to be written about, and more importantly, needs to be read.