Divergent Trilogy
Veronica Roth
The Divergent trilogy is a series of bestselling books by Veronica Roth. The first book recently became a blockbuster film with high-profile actors.
Divergent begins in the future. After a major war, people are divided into five factions. Those who blamed aggression for the war formed Amity. Those who blamed ignorance became the Erudite. Those who blamed duplicity created Candor. Those who blamed selfishness made Abnegation. And those who blamed cowardice were the Dauntless. In the factions, people find their purpose and identity (“faction before family”), and society functions as each faction offers a distinctive contribution. The story follows the path of one girl who switches from the Abnegation faction to Dauntless, now led by savage individuals who misconstrue “bravery” with “brutality.”
The premise of the factions is the most intriguing part of this series. What happens when virtues become vices? When virtues lead to an extreme, no longer balanced with other virtues, society suffers. Also running through this story is the importance of “family over faction,” even when society devalues the former and celebrates the latter.
The first book in this series was, by far, the best and most interesting. By the second and third books, everything has devolved into chases, narrow escapes, espionage, and bursts of teenage romance.
Facing Leviathan
Mark Sayers
This is an unusual leadership book in several ways. First, Sayers admits that his exploration of alternative approaches to church community a decade ago led not to greater peace and discipleship but nervous breakdown. His pitting of the organic approach to leadership against the mechanical approach turned out to be a disaster for him and his family. In this way, the author uses leadership failure as the starting point for his book.
Secondly, this book is unusual because it is not built on principles, but history. Sayers traces the mechanical and organic forms of leadership, and how these two mindsets have been in conflict for centuries. He incorporates illustrations from the worlds of art, leadership, and war. Along the way, he makes the case that leadership is neither mechanical nor organic, but that the Christian story provides a third way that challenges us from all sides.
Third, the book is unusual because it doesn’t offer an easy solution to the problem, but wants to unleash the Christian imagination to reflect our Savior in ways that challenge the world and edify the church.
An unusual book that turned out to be one of the most interesting I’ve read in a long time, especially in the leadership space. It left me wanting more.
