The Hunger Games

Collins, S.  (2008). The hunger games. New York: Scholastic.

Awards: Publishers Weekly's Best Books of the Year, 2008; The New York Times Notable Children's Book, 2008; Cybil Winner for fantasy and science-fiction books, 2008;  School Library Journal's Best Books, 2008; Booklist Editors' Choice, 2008.

 

The Hunger Games is a futuristic story set in what used to be the United States. A sadistic, cruel political system is in place that makes each area (district) of the country chose randomly a teenage boy and girl to basically fight to the death with the others that have been picked. The story is built around the two main characters, Katniss and Peeta, from District 12. The reasoning for the games was not very clear to me, but upon reflection I realized that these games and the people that view them are no different than those during the Roman Empire. During biblical times Rome and other conquering empires were known to capture youths from outlaying areas for either concubine or gladiatorial purposes. That was one brutal time in history, and I hope (and pray) that humankind doesn’t repeat it as Collins has presented in her trilogy. I had a hard time reading this book due to the violent features, but was intrigued by the relationship that was growing between Katniss and Peeta. In some ways the story was similar to Twilight as there was constant upheaval between the two main characters themselves (mostly on the female side) and between the characters and outside forces.