tiny pink books

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Scholastic Press, 2008

If you read this blog, you’ll know that I just can’t resist any kind of apocalyptic/post-apocalyptic science fiction.  The Hunger Games is set in a dystopian vision of North America known as Panem (or as Entertainment Weekly so intellectually put it in their review of The Hunger Games: “negative Utopia”).  Katniss Evergreen is a resident of District 12, the future version of Appalachia.  The people of District 12 (and many of the other districts) live in poverty, facing starvation and struggle for their entire lives.  Katniss, who lost her father as a child, takes care of her family by illegally hunting in the woods near their town with her friend Gale.  That is…until the day of the Reaping.  Every year, two teenagers, a girl and a boy, are chosen as tributes from each district to be given up into The Hunger Games.  The Hunger Games is a televised fight to the death between the tributes, which every citizen of Panem is forced to watch.  Of course, Katniss ends up in The Hunger Games with Peeta, her fellow District 12 tribute.  While she struggled in a bloody battle for survival, Katniss also finds herself thrown into a love quandary as Peeta and her are forced to team up…but is it for survival or is it something more?

That’s about all I want to say about the plot because it is fairly simple.  Kids are thrown into an arena and forced to kill each other.  The plot echoes back to Battle Royale (which is almost identical in setup), The Running Man and The Long Walk.  What makes The Hunger Games special is that, while maintaining that frightening aspect of survival, it is also well written and creative in its reality TV device to help drive the plot.  Not only does Katniss have to kill off all her enemies (or let them kill off each other without getting caught in the middle), but she has to play up her character and emotions to the cameras, making sure to get the viewers rooting for her in forms of sponsorship.  The result is a story that is both exciting and emotional.  While the love story may turn a few readers off, I’m pretty sure that there is enough excitement to keep most of them onboard.  As such, this is a book that I would recommend to a lot of different types of readers…those seeking excitement, those seeking a critique of society, and those seeking a adventurous survival story will enjoy.  I know that I did!  Not for those who are easily bothered by violence and dark subject matter.  While it is not nearly as bloody as something like Battle Royale, there is death and there is a little gore (less than I expected though…honestly!).

Note:  I listened to the audio version of this book and recommend it wholeheartedly to adult and teen readers!

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