Book Review: The Hunger Games

Collins, Suzanne. (2008). The Hunger Games. New York: Scholastic Press.

ISBN: 978-0-439-02348-3.

“I can’t stop looking at Rue, smaller than ever, a baby animal curled up in a nest of netting. I can’t bring myself to leave her like this. Past harm, but seemingly utterly defenseless. To hate the boy from District 1, who also appears so vulnerable in death, seems inadequate. It’s the Capitol I hate, for doing this to all of us.”

Katniss Everdeen is a contestant in the annual Hunger Games, a tradition set in the science fiction future that reminds readers of the ancient Roman Gladiator days. The premise is just as barbaric, with the added twist that the contestants must only be between the ages of twelve and eighteen; in other words, children fight and kill other children, and are rewarded for their success.

Even so, readers sense that the characters want to maintain their humanity. Some form allies, even though all parties know that eventually they will have to be enemies. Since the protagonists are young, it is believable that the contestants can maintain their humanity throughout the Games. If this were a story involving adults, it would be hard to believe that they cared for the other contestants; most adults are too leery of others’ hidden motivations.

As with other adolescent literature, a prominent theme in The Hunger Games is self-discovery. “I don’t know. I haven’t even begun to separate out my feelings about Peeta. It’s too complicated. What I did as part of the Games. As opposed to what I did out of anger at the Capitol. Or because of how it would be viewd back in District 12. Or simply because It was the only decent thing to do. Or what I did because cared about him.” Katniss is forced to figure out who exactly she is, while at the same time maintain an image that will please the audience. Often these two “identities” conflict, which is what most adolescents feel while growing up. The difference is, Katniss has to know when to be “herself” and when to be a crowd-pleaser in order to stay alive.

Despite the horrifying basis of the Hunger Games, the reader cannot help getting caught up in the fast-paced, exciting plot. The Game can change at any time, which leaves the reader as breathless as the characters who are running, hiding, and fighting for their lives.