The Selection is a young-adult dystopian romance novel by #1 New York Times-Bestselling author Kiera Cass, originally published by HarperTeen on April 24, 2012. It is the first book in the pentalogy by the same name. The Selection is followed by The Elite, The One, The Heir, and The Crown. In addition, there are four accompanying spin-off novellas released that feature the stories of selected characters before and during the course of the novel.
The story is set in the future, and takes place after the third world war in Iléa, the country that was formed out of the rubble of the United States. In this dystopian future, society is divided into castes, ranging from One, the royal family, to Eight—the orphaned, handicapped, and houseless.
The book focuses on the protagonist, America Singer, a Five, as she is chosen to participate in a process called the Selection, in which 35 girls compete for the Prince's hand in marriage. For the 34 other girls taking part in the competition, the Selection is a chance to climb the castes and live a life of luxury, but for America, being Selected is a nightmare. She struggles to fight her attraction to the prince in order to maintain her love for another man, whilst living in a palace constantly threatened by rebel attacks.
Kiera Cass, the author of the series, stated that her inspiration for America's character was based on the differences between the character of Esther from the Bible and the Disney princess Cinderella, who she morphed together to create America.
The Selection received favorable reviews in many publications, including MTV and Publisher's Weekly. It has hundreds of thousands of reviews on Goodreads, with an average of over four stars out of five. The book has sold over three and a half million copies worldwide and has been published in 32 different languages. Warner Brothers purchased the film rights for The Selection in 2015.
