(#1) / The Hunger Games / by Suzanne Collins / (Book)

Opening

Bibliographic Information:

 The Hunger Games / Suzanne Collins

ISBN-13: 978-0439023528 / Scholastic Press

p. 384 / $5.39 (Amazon)

Body of Content

Summary: Katniss is a teenage girl with adult responsibilities – caring and providing food for her family – in a fractured world set in a distant, dystopian future.  Over her small district – and 11 other districts – an authoritative government (Panem) keeps rebellion in check and fear alive by a vicious competition – the Hunger Games – a televised pageantry of violence.  All children between the ages 12 and 18 must enter the Game’s lottery – but only two are chosen – one male, one female – from each district.  Horror reaches Katniss’ heart – upon hearing her sister’s name called at the lottery.  As soldiers begin dragging her sister onto the stage, Katniss volunteers to take her place.  A childhood friend by the name of Peeta joins Katniss on stage.  Soon the Hunger Games will begin – twenty-four competitors will enter the Arena – but only one can leave alive. What alliances will be forged? What strategies will players invoke? Who will live to see their family again? Who will die in the opening moments? One thing is certain: this year’s Hunger Games will be like no other.     

Critique: The book contains themes relating a fair amount of violence.  But the dark premise is the bulk of the actual tension.  While the action is well-paced, most battle scenes are not extended – reaching completion within a few pages.  It is the “waiting” both as a reader and for the main characters that creates the suspense – of not knowing whether the turn of a page will result in the death of another person.  And death is certainly a consistent presence throughout the book.  But Collins deals with the issue with “gloves on” – as adult writers would venture into more graphic details of the action sequences.  

Still, the book is not only about violence – but about how the characters must deal with impeding death and potential loss of their self-identities.  Peeta is an enigma – both to Katniss and the reader.  But after the completion of the story, the character arc is complete – and with more certainty, the following remark holds veracity: Peeta is the anti-Career.  Peeta does participate in the Games, but not to the same extent of the other characters.  Placed in a situation where violence is the anticipated action, Peeta continually runs counter to the Games and the Empire – through a subterfuge of alliances, camouflage into the natural surroundings, and inherent trust in Katniss.  Even when the young girl died at the campfire (the opening night of the Games), the reader is left with the possibility that Peeta did not kill her. 

A telling moment – a point of foreshadowing – occurs before the Games – when Katniss and Peeta sit on the rooftop of the training building.  The movie adaption expresses Peeta’s desire – very well – saying, “I keep wishing that I could think of a way to show them that they don’t own me – that if I’m going to die, I want to still be me” (IMDB, 2011a).  Within the Games, Peeta’s actions are slight, shadowy, and subtle – but they are rebellious, seditious, and dangerous – aimed squared at an unforgiving system and a brutal government.  Peeta embodies a form of passive resistance – not to the same degree as Jesus Christ, Gandhi, or Martin Luther King, Jr. – but nevertheless, he is fighting creatively and intentionally against a context that requires violence.  Katniss embodies aspects of this approach (cf. burial of Rue, suicide pact), but Peeta stands as the character who subtlety tries to remind Panem of the inhumaneness of the Games – and the quiet resilience of the human spirit.

Teaser: Katniss enters the Arena – facing the strong likelihood of death. Will the Games turn Katniss into a killer? Or can Katniss turn the Games into something else?

Information about the Author: Suzanne Collins lives in Connecticut with her husband and two children.  Earlier in her life, Collins enrolled at a high school in Birmingham, Alabama – a school with a strong fine arts program.  Later in her education, she received a degree from New York University.  The degree reflects her writing interest, as the degree was a Master of Fine Arts in “Dramatic Writing” (Wikipedia, 2011). Collins wrote a few books before The Hunger Games, but that trilogy easily put Collins on the map – both for name recognition and money reasons.  She earned $10 million dollars for the 2010 year alone (Bercovici, 2011) – the year helped by strong sales number of the first two books and the release of the series’ final book, Mockingjay.  Further, a major film adaption of the first book hits theaters in March 2012.

Before novels, Collins worked heavily within the television industry – writing for numerous Nickelodeon shows – including story editor and/or writer duties on “The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo”, “Clarissa Explains It All”, “Santa, Baby”, “Generation O!”,  and “Wow! Wow! Wubbzy!” (IMDB, 2011).  While The Hunger Games is aimed at a YA audience, these earlier writing duties comprised intentions towards younger audiences.    

Supplemental Material

Genre: Science fiction / Dystopian / Thriller

Curriculum Ties: Philosophy – existentialism in the midst of difficult decisions, circumstances   

Booktalking Ideas: 1) Will Peeta and Katniss lose their lives in the Competition? Will they lose their innocence?

Reading Level: Grade 7 up – deemed by School Library Journal (Amazon, 2011). The interest level, though, may reach as low as grade 5 and easily extends into high school grades.  Such is the case – based upon the age of the competition’s fighters – 12 through 18.  Even with a “rough” premise, the book is still within YA territory, as the heroes do not commit many killings. If this title were a true adult book, then the protagonists might take on more the actions of the Careers – or have more ambiguous natures/motives.     

Challenge Issues and Defense: The book is basically free from any language or sexuality.  However, some parents may take issue with the violence and adult themes – as the very premise throws children into a kill-or-be-killed environment. The best defense is noting that Collins does not condone the violence – but that she actually provides thoughtful commentary through the underdogs’ actions, which speak against the brutality and unfairness of the government’s games.

 

Personal Reasons for Inclusion: I read the book in a three-day period – finding it (not only) a well-paced thriller – but also a book with a subtle and meaningful message about violence and passive resistance.

Last Thoughts

References: 

Amazon. (2011). The Hunger Games [Webpage]. Retrieved from http://www.amazon.com/Hunger-

Games-Suzanne Collins/dp/0439023521/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1321950575&sr=8-1

Bercovici, J. (2011). “The world’s highest-paid authors [Webpage]. Retrieved from

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffbercovici/2011/08/17/the-worlds-highest-paid-authors/2/ 

Internet Movie Database (IMDB). (2011a). “The Hunger Games” [Movie Trailer]. Retrieved from

            http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1392170/

Internet Movie Database (IMDB). (2011b). Suzanne Collins (III) [Webpage]. Retrieved from

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1056741/

           

Wikipedia. (2011). Suzanne Collins [Webpage]. Retrieved from

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suzanne_Collins

Listening to (Music): 
Artist – Soundgarden / Album – “Superunknown”