The Hunger Games

Dear Reader,

"The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins is a post-Apocolyptic novel aimed at young adults. And, to be quite honest, I was not in the mood for it. My good friend Anna and her boyfriend raved about it. Anna read through the night to finish it, telling me she couldn't stop and simply had to know what happened next. My co-worker Whitney, during a lull in conversation one day, asked if I had ever read it. I told her I hadn't, as its popularity guaranteed that it was always absent from the library and I did not have any spare cash.

Whitney, not to be easily silenced, e-mailed me a pdf version of this novel I kept hearing about***. She insisted that I start reading it. Reader, I had the entire 300 pages read in two days. It is the engrossing story of Katniss and Peeta, and their struggle to survive in the arena as they fight other children to the death. They do this as the citizens of their nation (called "Panem") watch them on television, place bets, and root for their favorite child warrior (called "tributes").

This novel is chilling, a brilliant blend of "Lord of the Flies" and "The Road." More than just another piece of Post-apocalyptic media (a genre wildly popular right now), it's a serious observation about the effects of reality television on American audiences. When we root for a team or a celebrity or an average Joe, what exactly are we rooting for? For that person to win or for someone else to falter, for someone else to be humiliated? Among other things, Collins closely examines the motivations behind reality television in this book. My advice to you? FIND IT AND READ IT. JUST READ IT!

***You might be having the vapors, dear Reader, because I read this book initially in an illegal format (pdf). Well, chillax. One of the first things I did with my next paycheck was buy both "The Hunger Games" and its sequel "Catching Fire" in hard cover. HARD COVER.

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