The Hunger Games
Author: Suzanne Collins
Publisher: Scholastic
Published Date: 14 September 2008
ISBN: 0439023483
Some Americans may not be fully satisfied with the way the country is currently being run or how the government is handling certain social policies. However, when one has read about the regime depicted in Suzanne Collins’ hit The Hunger Games, it becomes apparent that there is comparatively little to complain about.
The Hunger Games: Review
The Hunger Games is a young adult science fiction/fantasy novel that tells the story of two adolescent protagonists, sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark. Released in 2008, the book describes a world that is no longer the same Earth as we know it – years from now in a future dystopia, the continent of Panem now stands in the place of North America.
A harsh and heartless government (widely known as the mysterious “Capitol”) has taken control of Panem and instituted some frightening decrees. One of these decrees is the dreaded Hunger Games, an annual “contest” in which one boy and girl from each of the nation’s districts must fight for their lives to survive. This particular year, teens Katniss and Peeta are chosen as their district’s “tributes” – a testament to the reality that the scope of these so-called games is just as brutal and dangerous as they seem.
The Hunger Games is alluringly written in Collins’ flowing prose and offers a steady equilibrium between lurking violence and poignant sentimentality. With the fascinating plot continued in the trilogy’s second and third books, Catching Fire and Mockingjay, perhaps the reason this work captivates its wide-reaching audience so well is because this future country is so vivid and realistic – sometimes even a bit more life-like than we would like to believe. Although not recommended for very young readers because of its severe nature and overt depiction of hostility, The Hunger Games nonetheless enables older readers to broaden their minds (and their outlooks on society) the moment they enter the hazardous terrain of this dystopian world.
Author Suzanne Collins stated that her idea for this novel arose from competitions seen on televised reality shows, as well as grave footage of the Iraq War. Coupled with her personal understanding of how it feels to fear for the potential loss of a loved one in battle (her father served in the Vietnam War), Collins came up with this brilliant plot. Due to its immense popularity, The Hunger Games has sold over 800,000 copies worldwide, and is available at both bookstores and online via eBooks and Kindle.
Should You Read It?
The Hunger Games is very deserving of its critical acclaim and a highly suggested work for all those craving action, romance, adventure, and imagination. If you haven’t gotten in on the action yet, now is a perfect time! Select your weapon, reader, whether it be a pen, bookmark, or sword, and confront an unchecked and uncharted land as you read Suzanne Collins’ magnetic novel, The Hunger Games!
Ryan Arciero - Ryan Arciero, a student studying English and Education at Lewis University -- an honest, avid reader and writer with a passion for ...
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