Family Quotes in The Selection

Strong women give birth to other strong women. At least that's what they say. (Well, it would be more accurate to say that they give birth to strong babies, but that just sounds weird. You get what we're saying.) The Singer household is no exception to this rule.

While America's relationship with her mom can be a little tense at times, her relationship with her dad is all hugs and kisses. Totally adorbs. Even though she gives her mom a hard time, however, America needs to realize that her mom loves her just as much as her dad does.

One of the reasons America is so in love with Aspen is that he's unflinchingly dedicated to his family. He'd do anything for his brothers and sisters, but given that he's a Six (one of the lowest levels in Illéa's awful caste system), even that might not be enough.

Here's an important thing to remember when reading The Selection: this is the first time that America has been away from her family for an extended period of time. That's a big deal. As if it weren't enough that she's on the most high stakes reality show of all time, she's forced to do it all by herself.

It's always a bit shocking for America to see the royal family acting normal. She's grown up watching them on TV and revering them, so this is the first time she's been forced come to grips with the fact that they're real human beings. That's a lot harder to grasp than you might think.

Although America finds the Selection more enjoyable than she thought it would be, she still misses her family. As a result, she savors the few brief opportunities she gets to make contact with them.

America has been living at the palace for some time now, but she still doesn't feel like she knows the royal family. That feels weird to her. It's like being invited over to a sleepover at a friend's house, but when you come over, you find out that they're on vacation. Of course, this is even more complicated, because the family in question happens to be royalty.

America's view of the royal family is complicated even further once she begins seeing the king and queen as individuals. The king seems quiet and intelligent, but not too compassionate. In contrast, the queen seems truly empathetic and kind to those around her.

While becoming a princess would undeniably help her family in a material way, America can't help but wonder if the experience might be too much of a culture shock for them. What if it changes them—for the worse?

After learning about Queen Amberly's miscarriages, America is finally able to empathize with Maxon's family on a fundamental level. They might be the richest, most powerful, most ridiculously good-looking clan in the country, but they have the same struggles as anyone else.