I am currently reading the Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. In the story, it follows a girl, and competitor in the hunger games; Katniss, living in a country known as Panem. It is meant to be futuristic, because it is mentioned that Panem is descended from the ashes of what is known as North America. Panem is constructed of 12 Districts, and each district specializes in a need, for instance, district twelve, of which Katniss is a member, specializes in coal. At the heart of Panem is the capitol, which just takes from, and controls the districts. Years before, the districts rebelled against the capitol, and lost. The capitol lives in constant fear that something similar may happen, so they instituted the hunger games, a gruesome way to keep each district hating each other. Every year, the children from each district aged 12 to 18 are seperated, by boy and girl, and a name from each is drawn. The boy and girl from each district is sent to be a member of the Hunger games, a fight to the death in which one child can be victorious, while every district member is forced to watch on a television. To the capitol this is the ultimate form of entertainment. In my opinion this story is poignant because it is very symbollic and gruesome. There is no happy ending, but that is what makes you stop and think of all the connections to our world, and how ultimately, if we continue to act the way we do, we will have no happy ending either.
This book has an addictive non-stop writing style that doesn't permit you to put it down, combined with a world different enough from our own, that makes you want to know more about it. If you think about it, the idea is disturbing. Katniss goes up against children years younger who have no chance and men who were trained for these games, and the glory that would follow being the victor. The games are designed for the winner to wish they hadnt won, and in that way no one will ever truly win. I liked that the main idea, which was interesting enough was intertwined with a horrible love triangle that made you want to read on even when the book got boring. There were many layers of character development throughout these books, and in my opinion they were very well written. I would suggest it to anyone.
Excellent blog post, Tess. I think you did an excellent job summarizing this novel. You added enough detail to peak the reader's interest, but didn't add too much as to take away the effect of the book.
ReplyDeleteI felt that you did a good job explaining what was going on in this book (because it different from the world we live in right now), and I felt like the reader would be able to follow along.
If I hadn't already read The Hunger Games, your blog post would've convinced me to. Awesome work!
- Tati
I think you're right that, even when the 'winner' has won, they don't feel as if they've won at all by the end. I've yet to read the next to novels, but the non-stop writing style you spoke of makes me want to read on. (If the library ever gets enough copies.)When I first heard about the book, I thought it would be more in comparison with Uglies by Scott Westerfeld or some book written solely for the purpose of portraying violence, but I was pleasantly surprised by the aspects that could appeal to anyone of any personality.
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