Published Information
| Author: | Suzanne Collins |
| Series: | Hunger Games #1 |
| Published: | October 2008 |
| Genre: | Science Fiction |
| Pages: | 374 |
Plot Summary
The background of the story is a future earth after some kind of holocaust. At some point after the disaster, a state system evolved where there was a capital and 13 districts. Each of the cities was responsible for some type of production: coal mining, fishing, agriculture, fabric, etc, with the capital city being the governing body. At some point, the 13 districts revolted against the Capital because of working conditions, or something along those lines. The 13th district was made an example of and was destroyed. All the other districts were forced into submission once again. But as a constant reminder of the power of the Capital over the other districts, the Hunger Games were created.
Each district, excepting the Capital, must use a lottery system to choose one girl and one boy from each city. These "tributes" then go to the Capital and compete in the Hunger Games. The games are a duel to the death in a fabricated environment that can be a jungle, snowy wasteland, beach, or anything else that can be imagined. The environment is built to force the tributes to come together to fight. In some cases, the landscape causes this (for example, only one body of water to drink from). In other cases, the game coordinators release some form of destruction that you must run away from (such as a fire) and by running away from it, the game coordinators herd you into proximity of other tributes. When the tributes first enter the game, there is basically a pile of weapons, food, and survival gear available. But if you want any of it, you have to be prepared to fight/kill others to get it. Only one person is allowed to leave the games. The winner then gets a life of luxury and immunity from other games. However, previous winners do serve as coaches for the current games, so you never really get away from it. Again, the idea is that the Capital has all control and can do what they want, so the districts shouldn't even hope to think they can be successful in revolting again.
With this back drop, we are introduced to district 12. District 12 is the coal mining district. It is very poor, and most activity is severely limited. You can't leave the district, you can't hunt, you can't speak freely against the capital, etc. Kitness lives in District 12. Her father was killed in a coal mining accident, and her mother completely shut down after that for a while, so she has been the provider for the family. She provides by illegally hunting outside the district and then selling her catches to others in the district. As the tribute selection occurs, Kitness' little sister is chosen. Kitness immediately volunteers to go in her sted, thus again protecting her family. So Kitness and Peeta, the other tribute, leave for the capital to prepare for the games.
Kitness knows if she is to return to District 12, Peeta will be killed, if not by someone else, then by her. And while she doesn't feel anything towards him romantically, he did help her at a very desperate time in her life. He tossed her some burnt bread when her family had nothing. That small act saved her life and the life of her family, right after her father had died.
As she participates in the games, she also begins realizing that some of the other tributes have also lived very similar lives as her. In fact, one from District 11, Rue, reminds her so much of her sister, that they form an alliance to help each other. So how can she win if it means she has to kill others that are beginning to mean so much to her?
Comments
This is one of the best books I have ever read. It is well thought out, and fairly simple. Yet the commentary it provides on today's society kept me thinking about it for days. It is not a happy book, though it does end well. Suffering and death are key elements of the book, and what the tributes are forced to go through to survive is psychologically hard (though not necessarily to the reader).
I just read this for the second time in preparation for this review, and by the third chapter, you begin feeling a little drained just reading it. But it is very hard to put down.
In looking at our society, some of the themes that are dealt with are: handling government when we feel it has overstepped it bounds, why some of society don't care or even realize there are others suffering and dying while they enjoy an incredible amount of indulgence, how some of the more wealthy see others simply as entertainment or worker bees and treat them as little more than a pet, and how difficult it is for some in our society to step outside the bounds their environment has placed them in. The book doesn't present solutions for these problems, but rather makes us re-evaluate our lives and recognize if we are part of the problem rather than the solution.
With all that in mind, I would not recommend this for junior high youth unless you are planning on reading it with them. The issues dealt with, and the actions the tributes are forced to take are fairly intense, and could be disturbing.
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