Veronica Roth

Veronica Roth became a highly successful author while still in her early 20s, and is renowned for her young-adult book trilogy that began with Divergent in 2011. Roth began writing in earnest while studying at Northwestern University, with her time in Chicago leading to the concept for Divergent, which is set in a dystopian future version of the city where teens must struggle with their place in the social classes and their own abilities. Upon its publication, the novel met with a warm reception, and many comparisons to the hugely popular Hunger Games books. In 2012, Insurgent, Roth's second installment in the series, arrived with plenty of appreciation from the franchise's predominantly young fans. The next year, the third novel, Allegiant, followed, even as shooting on the film version of Divergent began. Thrilled by the success of her books, Roth continued the trilogy's tales in a collection of short stories that once again showed her commitment to tense youth-oriented fiction.