Title & Author: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (374 pages)Genre: Fiction--Young Adult & Science Fiction
Completed: 30 July 2010
Summary & Review:
In a desperate move to save her sister, Katniss Everdeen volunteers to enter the Hunger Games: a 24-person fight to the death where only one person can emerge victorious, and alive. She travels to the Capitol of her home country Panem, a country that is a dystopian vision of the future of North America, with Peeta, the boy chosen to enter the games from her district with her. With the help of a coach and a team of stylists, Peeta and Katniss devise a plan to help them survive in the arena. To Katniss, their plan, that of acting madly in love, is nothing more than a fictional means to an end, while to Peeta, the plan is no act at all. Together, they must figure out how they can both come home alive.
My wife, Paige, recently read this book, as well as its sequel Catching Fire, and recommended that I read it too. While she enjoyed the book, she felt that the premise behind the games was a little weak, i.e. the government requiring each of the twelve districts to sacrifice two youths to the games each and every year in order to remind the people how powerless they are. I agree with her assessment. It seems like Collins had come up with the games themselves and really loved the idea and then didn't spend much time worrying about a plausible scenario that would cause such games to exist.
But, the writing was entertaining and quite good for a young adult book. Also, I kind of like that Collins was willing to write about such a brutal and jarring storyling in the YA genre. She presented some more mature themes such as freedom, independence, survival, and sacrifice that I think younger readers would do well to consider and think about.
Now, I have not yet read book 2 in the series, so I don't want to complain too early. However, I don't think I can take another series with some indecisive girl stringing two boys along who are both madly in love with her despite the fact that she is really nothing special at all. I think I've had my fill of that from a certain other popular series. (*cough* Twilight *cough*)
Rating: 6.5
4 comments:
Team Peeta or team Gale? You should read Catching Fire too. And Mockingjay comes out next month, but I'm sure Paige has told you all that. I also thought this was an interesting topic for youth. I'm still not sure how I feel about that. It is a bit brutal.
Have you read the Uglies/Pretties/Specials/Extras series by Scott Westerfield? He also addresses some controversial topics in these books directed at youth. I don't agree with some of the agenda he pushes in his books, but find it fascinating at the same time.
Like I told you in person cuz I live with you - I think you write the best summaries! You should start a business just writing summaries :) LYB!
You'll especially like book 2. I couldn't put it down! I spent ALL day reading it until I finished. I hardly ever do that.
I wish I could say if I was team Peeta or team Gale, but in book 1 you just didn't have the time to really get to know Gale.
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