Through a close analysis of Suzanne Collins’ Hunger Games series and Veronica Roth’s Divergent series, it will be shown that these two-current young adult dystopian book-film crossovers pose several relevant parallels to contemporary real-world problems. By deciphering a pattern on what garners their popularity, and most importantly analyzing the aspect of why they reached such levels of recognition, we can then begin to close in on just how important these two series are in representing the 21st century young American mindset. Taking into the equation also, how the overall-arching genre of dystopia has evolved with the times and has now adapted to reflect contemporary anxieties and fears. Looking into several elements such as a newfound desire for strong female roles, persuasive antagonists that are inspired by realistic historical precedents, and an unsettling desensitization towards violence and gore, we can then see that the successful equation of The Hunger Games and Divergent series reflects mainstream interests evocatively and effectively. It is not just an intervention into the encompassing utopian/dystopian tradition, but into today’s sociology. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2018. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection