W00t! DIVERGENT is finally in stores. I’ve been raving about this ARC ever since I gobbled it up after ALA in January! DIVERGENT by Veronica Roth is a book that makes you think, a book that stays with you long after you finish reading. A book that makes you question: which faction would YOU choose?

DAUNTLESS—The Brave
CANDOR—The Honest
ERUDITE—The Intellectual/Knowledgeable
AMITY—The Peaceful
ABNEGATION—The Selfless

Hard to choose just one, isn’t it!

Debra Driza (friend and fellow San Diego author) has come up with a fabulous idea. She says that while sticking to one virtue might sound simple, ultimately, it’s probably better to branch out a little bit. So guess what? She created the DIVERGENT FACTION-OF-THE-WEEK CHALLENGE where she (and I … and you if you want to) can try out all five.

THE CHALLENGE:

Every Monday for the next 5 weeks, Debra is going to announce the faction/virtue of the week. Over the next four days, we’ll be trying to perform at least ONE ACT that embodies that virtue/faction. It doesn’t have to be fancy; just something in everyday life, something we might not usually do. Then, each Friday, we’ll all blog about our act.

THE GOAL:

TO SPREAD THE DIVERGENT LOVE–and maybe find out a little something about ourselves in the process. Tell your friends, get them involved—the more, the merrier!! If you plan to join us, leave a link in the comments section on Debra’s blog each week.

And, in honor of the main character Tris’s upbringing, our kick-off virtue is…..

WEEK ONE: ABNEGATION!

According to the Divergent fansite, Abnegation means:

To refuse or deny oneself (some rights, conveniences, etc.); reject, renounce.
To relinquish, give up

Basically, Veronica says the faction is about selflessness; stripping unnecessary things from life in order to help people forget themselves and do away with vanity, greed, and envy.

So, this week–GO FORTH! Step outside of your “you” zone and perform your selfless act in the wild. If you like, tweet about your trials and tribulations with an #abnegation hashtag. Then, on Friday, blog about your experience and share your Abnegation-ness with the rest of us!