The Selection

This week I decided to read the book The Selection by Kiera Cass. This book was recommended to me by a girl in my placement classroom. This book is about a sixteen-year-old girl named America Singer. America lives in the country of Illea which was formed out of the remnants of the United States following World War 3. The land of Illea lives in a caste system. Caste One is the royalty and cast Eight being the poorest who are outside laborers. America and her family are in caste five, and by law, they have to be artists and musicians. America decides to take part in the Selection. The Selection is a reality show in which 35 young women go to the palace to fight for the prince's heart. Whoever wins the competition will become the new queen.
America only decided to sign up for this competition because her family needed her to. They needed the money that came with it, and they needed the hope that there can be a better place for them. America had a big problem signing up. This problem was Aspen. Aspen is her boyfriend, and they were planning on saving money so they can get married. When Aspen heard that America got in, he decided to break up with her so she could try for a better life. When I finished reading America was competing and was one of the prince's favorites. When they finally realized their feelings for each other Aspen shows up as a guard. It was hard to put the book down because I have so many questions. Will America win? Who will she pick?
The reason I love this book is that it hints on so much that we see now. We have our own idea of a caste system in our country. We hear on the news all the time about how people are treated differently. Whether it be about immigrants or people who have disabilities. I could see how this book is a reflection on what the US is now and how it can be a picture of the future of it.