Terror 'Tober (Randi): Review of The Hunger Games

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Title: The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games #1)

Author: Suzanne Collins
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Publication Date: October 31st, 2008
Page Count: 374
Genre: dystopia
Audience: young adult
Source: bought
Rating: 4 I would take this book for some bread, probably to Pita Pit (see what I did there? HAHAHA)

Goodreads Summary: 
Could you survive on your own, in the wild, with everyone out to make sure you don't live to see the morning? In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV. Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister’s place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before—and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that will weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

My thoughts: It's amazing how rereading a book makes you notice completely different things! Anyway, while this book is clearly not in the "horror" genre, some of the books that scare me the most are those that take place in a dystopian society such as Panem. After all, we see and hear every day about parts of the world with deplorable living conditions caused by action or inaction from corrupt governments. While I don't expect hunger games to crop up nearby anywhere nearby any time soon, certain elements in the story ring far too true for comfort. There's my justification for reviewing The Hunger Games for Terror 'Tober! 

Now I'm going to talk a little bit about the treatment of the citizens of Panem, since that's one of the most disturbing parts. Not only do those in the Capitol clearly think less of the people from the districts, but the tributes sent into the Hunger Games are not even human to them; they throw twenty-four kids in an arena to fight one another to the death, and still do not see those teens as real people – they are entertainment and nothing more. The “entertainment” aspect of the Games is obvious, and though I was disgusted by the actions and reactions of the people of the Capitol on my first read, this time I felt I noticed more of the “little” things, which disturbed me even more. I won't elaborate here in case there's anyone out there who hasn't yet read THG ;).

I would definitely recommend this book (despite the fact that I hated the final book in the trilogy) because, while it's not the most literary book out there, it does transcend the young adult genre to have crossover appeal for adults. Though I'm undecided on whether I would teach this book (kudos to the teachers out there already using it in the classroom!), if I did, I would center it around the question of "what makes us human?" I think the fact that this book lends itself to such a question says much about its worth! 

FTC Disclaimer: All reviews are solely the opinions of Becky and/or Randi. We are not paid in any way for our reviews, and all opinions are 100% honest.