Hunger Games

I liked this book despite its lack of any redeeming qualities such as moral message or historical interest. It is plot driven, exciting, and a little distrubing since it involves children fighting to the death in a Roman gladiator type contest broadcast to a large audience via television. It was a bit of a guilty pleasure for me; I hoped the central character would win even though it meant all the other kids in the contest would have to die.

Katniss is not even that endearing as a character, being cool hearted and arrogant, but she has a strong sense of duty to her family, and is a fabulous hunter and provider even though she is only about 14 years old. They grow up fast in the future USA (called Panem), where the proles have no power to fight the power, and the government is cruel and faceless.

Suzanne Collins borrows her ideas freely from other and better books set in god-less societies such as Brave New World and 1984. These stories are somehow intriguing while they warn readers. Oh yeah, the movies Network, Mad Max, Death Race 2000, Running Man, They Shoot Horses Don't They? and many others assisted Collins I'm sure. Also, a book which I have not even heard of until just now called Battle Royale (1999) appears to be the plot of Hunger Games (2008). It is set in Japan and could be a metaphor for the ruthless competitiveness in society. It was made into a movie and then a graphic novel series. It was rejected for prizes because of its violent content.

I've noticed a popular trend to 'Lemony Snickett' character's names to parallel their personalities or their jobs. An example in Hunger Games is Effie Trinket, one of the sponsors for Katniss in the game. She has a pink wig, is shallow and self absorbed. She is a trinket. Also, Peeta is a baker, get it? Pita?

I am sometimes troubled by the portrayal of the post apocalytic future world by unimaginitive writers as being the USA. Governments have fallen, new borders, powers, and nations have been created, and yet too often they haven't expanded past the borders we know today. To me this either narrows the story's scope of the world, or points to the authors' ethnocentrism. I don't see the point of changing everything, but not really.

The reading level is YA, grade 7 and up, but the idea of an ultra-violent reality TV show pitting children against each other is adult level. It is quite the phenommenon really; consider this Hunger Games role play at a Manilla book fair. Its great! Kids go around pretending to kill each other for the games. I'm disturbed.