title: The Hunger Games Trilogy
author: suzanne Collins
method: borrowed (various sources)
I love apocalyptic/dystopian literature. i love the idea that maybe this could happen to us in a few hundred years if we don't change our ways, or even if we had gone down a different path we may have ended up with authoritarian leadership, or living in the woods fending for ourselves. Also since i work at a school and spend most of my time surrounded by 9 year olds i wanted to read what they were all excited about, so the hunger games quickly made it to the top of my must read list.
first let me say that these books are totally enjoyable. they take about an evening to read, and the whole time you will be wrapped up in them. i don't believe that they are something to be dismissed as young adult literature, and if you like dystopian lit, its a great example of beginners dystopia. however, all of the issues i had with are the things that make the book a young adult, and not an adult book.
What i loved the most about this book was Katniss. she's strong, a feminist and an excellent literary roll model. i feel too many young adult books feature sissy wishy washy girls as the protagonist who can't make a decision based on their own opinion, they just follow the men in their lives. katniss is the opposite. she works with what she has and does everything she can to stay in control of her own situation. the sacrifices she makes are all to better her family. now, she is also selfish and self centred (more so in the later books) but these flaws make her interesting.
the books do have a darker progression, and the more we learn about the world the more we realize that these people are not simply oppressed but controlled minutely. everything they see every scrap of news they hear is controlled by the capitol. at the end of the first book, some of the people i talked to agreed that they wanted what i wanted, which was to feel more for the other children taking part in the hunger games. each of the other tributes are almost dismissed (minus Rue) as people we know nothing about or psychopaths trained from birth. however collins relieves herself of this duty in the beginning when katniss vows to not mingle with the other tributes. however, if we had a sense of where these other children were coming from and how they felt, i think there are moments in the book that would have been more powerful.
i found the love triangle unnecessary as well, but it's teen lit, and you need some romance. i mainly didn't really like it because i didn't see why Gale would a) fall in love with katniss or b) think to mention it. I only say this because Gale is so strong on his own and has so much to worry about with his family and working in the mines and it would be nice just once for childhood friends to not fall in love when they hit puberty. just once? can we have a platonic male female relationship? any ways.... Katniss herself is so focused on her own family and the fact that she never wants to bring children into the messed up world of the districts that she doesn't particularly care, but that means neither do we.
i'm still glad i read it, and there were moments in the third book that really got to me (in that good way), and when you meet the other past victors from the hunger games, things get a lot more interesting because you see what happens to people when how they win fame is killing other people in a world wide spectacle broadcast and are then treated as celebrities.
love always,
ellebee
author: suzanne Collins
method: borrowed (various sources)
I love apocalyptic/dystopian literature. i love the idea that maybe this could happen to us in a few hundred years if we don't change our ways, or even if we had gone down a different path we may have ended up with authoritarian leadership, or living in the woods fending for ourselves. Also since i work at a school and spend most of my time surrounded by 9 year olds i wanted to read what they were all excited about, so the hunger games quickly made it to the top of my must read list.
first let me say that these books are totally enjoyable. they take about an evening to read, and the whole time you will be wrapped up in them. i don't believe that they are something to be dismissed as young adult literature, and if you like dystopian lit, its a great example of beginners dystopia. however, all of the issues i had with are the things that make the book a young adult, and not an adult book.
What i loved the most about this book was Katniss. she's strong, a feminist and an excellent literary roll model. i feel too many young adult books feature sissy wishy washy girls as the protagonist who can't make a decision based on their own opinion, they just follow the men in their lives. katniss is the opposite. she works with what she has and does everything she can to stay in control of her own situation. the sacrifices she makes are all to better her family. now, she is also selfish and self centred (more so in the later books) but these flaws make her interesting.
the books do have a darker progression, and the more we learn about the world the more we realize that these people are not simply oppressed but controlled minutely. everything they see every scrap of news they hear is controlled by the capitol. at the end of the first book, some of the people i talked to agreed that they wanted what i wanted, which was to feel more for the other children taking part in the hunger games. each of the other tributes are almost dismissed (minus Rue) as people we know nothing about or psychopaths trained from birth. however collins relieves herself of this duty in the beginning when katniss vows to not mingle with the other tributes. however, if we had a sense of where these other children were coming from and how they felt, i think there are moments in the book that would have been more powerful.
i found the love triangle unnecessary as well, but it's teen lit, and you need some romance. i mainly didn't really like it because i didn't see why Gale would a) fall in love with katniss or b) think to mention it. I only say this because Gale is so strong on his own and has so much to worry about with his family and working in the mines and it would be nice just once for childhood friends to not fall in love when they hit puberty. just once? can we have a platonic male female relationship? any ways.... Katniss herself is so focused on her own family and the fact that she never wants to bring children into the messed up world of the districts that she doesn't particularly care, but that means neither do we.
i'm still glad i read it, and there were moments in the third book that really got to me (in that good way), and when you meet the other past victors from the hunger games, things get a lot more interesting because you see what happens to people when how they win fame is killing other people in a world wide spectacle broadcast and are then treated as celebrities.
love always,
ellebee
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