The Hunger Games

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

"Oh my gosh, Christa!  Have you read The Hunger Games? PLEASE read it...and hurry up so I can have a girl to talk to about it!!"  These words came out of the mouth of my boyfriend's teenage daughter.  Was she really talking to me?  I was shocked for two reasons:  1.  She hates to read!  She had not only read this book, but the entire trilogy in record time!  2.  She also dislikes me.  Her typical greeting is an eye roll and immediate departure from the room.  So, not wanting to miss an opportunity to bond with her, I immediately found the book and began reading it.  It wasn't long before I was leaving my house at 10:00 pm, in my pajamas, to run to a friend's to get the second and third books!

Suzanne Collins has written a modern fantasy chapter book that captures readers, young and old.  Set in a future version of what was once North America, the landscape has changed drastically.  Residents of Panem, or what was the United States, live in districts and are controlled by the Capitol.  Each district produces a certain type of product or service.  Residents cannot leave their assigned district except when approved by those who govern the land.  The people of those districts are for all intents and purposes, imprisoned in their district.  Food and supplies are scarce.  Independent thought and behavior is discouraged.  We are introduced to these ideas by the female protagonist, Katniss. 

Katniss is a first-person narrator for the journey through The Hunger Games.  Seeing the land and the people through Katniss's eyes, her point of view colors the reader's vision.  As the book begins, we are introduced to Katniss's sparse surroundings, members of her household and her daily routine of finding food for her and her family. She is very matter of fact about the events that lay ahead of her on that day.  It is the day of the reaping or the human lottery that is held annually in the land of Panem.  As part of the punishment of the people in this land, there is an annual 'reaping' of people from each district.  A boy and girl from each district are selected to compete in the annual 'hunger games' where the competitors fight to the death, resulting in one winner.  Yes, children fight to the death.  The victor of these games receives immunity from any future games and the family of the victor receives food and wealth as well.  Katniss is thrown into the ring as a contender when she accidentally volunteers herself.  From that point forward, she is in conflict:  person against self, person against nature (or a manmade version of it), person against person and person against society. 

Collins uses a style that is fast paced, with enough detail to describe the situation without making it 'flowery' and over explained.  She uses a mixture of futuristic characters from the Capitol with their extravagant clothing and vibrant hair and skin colors in a contrast with the workers from the coal fields of the outlying districts.  The extreme differences between the "haves" and the "have nots" is represented in the districts themselves, as well as the competitors in the games.  The setting for the games and that of the lives of the characters offer stark images of realistic settings with futuristic items such as holograms and hovercrafts.  It uses the everyday to engage the reader and make them feel as if they could be in the story.  The emotions that Katniss experiences are those that we can all identify with:  competition, isolation, despair, fear, sadness and compassion. 

I will be the first to admit that this book was addictive.  I could not put it down.  I felt compelled to see what happened to Katniss and how she handled this unreal situation.  I cheered her on when she had successes and felt her pain when failure was imminent.  I was very surprised at how the 'weight' of this story hung with me.  Days after I finished it, I was still left with the heaviness of the issues of the story.  Could I kill an enemy?  Could I kill a friend?  How do you know who is on your side?  How do children face these issues when I cannot imagine them as an adult?  From a classroom standpoint, this book can be used in so many different ways.  It can be used for units on government and the issues of power within the government.  What kind of government do you expect there to be in the next 25 years?  50 years?  Is it possible that the United States could become like Panem?  This book and the remaining trilogy is also a study in human nature.  What are we capable of doing when push comes to shove?  Will we only look out for ourselves  Will we make sacrifices?  It can be used philosophically.  How does this compare to ancient Greece? 

When I finished this book, I immediately talked to the eye-rolling teenager.  She was squealing with questions.  The one thing that stuck with me was  her surprise when we really talked about the age of Katniss.  In the book, Katniss was only one year older than my friend.  She could not imagine being sent out on her own, armed with very little in the way of defense, and expected to kill for victory.  Another issue was the sadness that we both felt, especially after finishing the entire set of books.

Since this book deals with some more adult issues, older readers will most likely relate better to this book.  It does deal with some dark issues of human nature and some gruesome scenes.  I would recommend this to mature middle schooler students and high school students, as well as adults.

After seeing the interest this book generated among teenagers, I am thoroughly convinced that it's a great read, especially for those that may not normally take an interest in reading.  I'm all about any book that creates conversation and no eye-rolling!