The Hunger Games

RobinMAshby

My wife is middle school librarian and had me read all 3 since the kids were so nuts over them. The books don't glorify the killing of the kids in any way, the kids/people in the books are just coping with the situation they are in. The author doesn't go out of her way to add lots of gory details. We read an interview where the author talked about how her father was in the military and always talked to her about how awful war was and that is the message she is trying to get across to people in her books. It might not seem obvious in the first or second book but those ideals are much clearer in the 3rd book. I don't like horror movies but these books are awesome and I can't wait to see the movie(s).

cbear017

This book is really no different than Lord of the Flies and it has been a part of the curriculum here in Ontario for high school students for upwards of 30 years.

The Handmaid's Tale, 1984, The Martian Chronicles are examples of other widely popular dystopian novels than are taught in schools. I don't get the angst that the Hunger Games seems to evoke in people especially since literature of this variety is far from new.

jimmie25

I just used to be against twilight until i ended up reading the books and they were so addictive. I might read these too just to see whether or not they are as crappy as the movie sounds The Twilight movies suck by the way. But the books are plain awesomeness.

tina9988

I read all 3 without even realizing they were young adult books....then my 58yr. old mother read them and loved them!

P.S. I know some kids I would like to toss in there!

Krizzle4Rizzle

I love hunger games. You are not allowed to have a different opinion than me! *shakes fist*

KaciWood19

I hate spoilers. I'll just recommend reading the entire trilogy. hint hint

this!

BrettPGH

Loved them! Even if the sequels aren't as good as the first book.

Yes it is pretty cruel that children die fighting each other in an arena. That's pretty much the point. It's not exactly unheard of, we had kids working in coal mines not so long ago.

Life can be pretty brutal and good books don't shy away from that for a "nice" story. That's what Twilight is for.

gp79

I've read all the books and now I'm going to go see the movie. Don't judge a book by it's cover.

mommaski4

Its not really about kids killing kids - that is a byproduct of the bigger storyline. Its more about government control of population and an exploration of what people have to do to survive and live in this type of society. Its about keeping the man down and about people rising up to say "no, we aren't taking this anymore!"

I can understand why you may not think its good read. You have to get beyond that and see the bigger issues the books are exploring to appreciate them. IMO anyways.

^This! Just finished The Hunger Games, can't wait to start book #2 tonight.

Agreed. Finished book 1 is a day an a half. Honestly, I NEVER would have read it if both my 25 year old son, my sis-in-law, and her niece did not ALL rave about it. They all have such different taste in books, particularly my oldest son who is really an avid reader. So, I gave it a try. Part way through book 2 now. It is intense! But not necessarily the 'fight to the death' thing, more of the underlying reasons, the oppressive government, what people will do for survival, how one person can change so many things, etc.

My 8th grade son has to do monthly book report and he really hates reading. I told him to read this one and he is halfway through and really enjoying it. (He plans on reading 2 and 3 for the next 2 book projects so that is really saying something). My 9 year old daughter (9 going on 19) begged to read it. After having finished it myself, I allowed her to read it. We are having some great conversations about this book.

Really, give it a try. It is so unpredictable. Many plot twists. But, yes, it is intense.

AnnaK812

These books are AWESOME. I couldn't put any of them down. Yes they do depict kids who have been forced to kill other kids, but it's meant to stand for a much deeper message. I highly recommend reading them if you haven't!

LoraF83

This book is really no different than Lord of the Flies and it has been a part of the curriculum here in Ontario for high school students for upwards of 30 years.

The Handmaid's Tale, 1984, The Martian Chronicles are examples of other widely popular dystopian novels than are taught in schools. I don't get the angst that the Hunger Games seems to evoke in people especially since literature of this variety is far from new.

The Handmaid's Tale.....another great book! I hated the ending though!!!

angela828

The Hunger Games is a fantastic book series...... don't knock it until you try it. Like Twilight, it is addicting but Katniss (main character) is such a better role model than Bella.

The Hunger Games isn't just about "kids killing kids" - it's about a dystopian future and rising against it and it is an awesome read. I don't know anyone who has read it and didn't love it !

alyssaanagram

I felt the SAME way - but the book really is so much more. The characters are really compelling and the story line is very deep. I was pleased with the entire thing. Looking forward to seeing how everything is portrayed on film!

And this doesn't give anything away but 90% of the characters also find the idea of kids killing kids disgusting. Its not just the readers.

Stacyfit37

My question is how do you judge something you haven't actually read?

:huh:

Well said.

MyFeistyEvolution

Once you get into the book, it's really quite eye opening and a great read. I absolutely loved them!

megteg

I love these books! Keep in mind that Kids killing kids has been in literature before. Lord of the flies...etc. It is a mature subject matter, but I think what these books really deal with is how your mind reacts when you have to make the choice, kill or be killed. What do you do? It's a character study. I also really like Katniss as a strong female character. She has to do some horrible things, but she does the best she can. I also think its good to show a bit more reality of how not everything is sunshine and roses around the world, even if you are a child. It's good to have a little perspective about life when little kids are complaining about getting the wrong color of iphone for christmas.

RilantheFirebug

It shouldn't be so surprising why books like the Hunger Games (books about distopias, the opposite of utopias) are popular. For example, I was a toddler when Operation Desert Storm occurred. 13 when 9/11 happened. My country has been at war my entire life. People are (and have been) scared of worldwide epidemics like SARS, bird flu, swine flu. People are scared of biological warfare, of nuclear warfare.

For a lot of us, it isn't so hard to imagine the societys depicted in books/movies/etc like The Hunger Games.

hugthefish

My question is how do you judge something you haven't actually read?

:huh:

Ditto. If you have not read the series but only know the gist of the plot (barely), please do not judge it. Yes, it's about kids killing kids, but it's about much more than that. If you had read the series, you would know.
My absolute biggest pet peeve is people (especially parents) taking a stand on books that they think are inappropriate when they have not read the books themselves.

Saffyra

I just finished this book this morning and really enjoyed it. And it was pretty obvious that the main character was not happy about what was going on.

It's a hell of a lot better than Lord of the Flies.

BAMFMeredith

I read all 3 books in 48 hours. I was attached to my Kindle like it was glued to my hands. My bf even started to get worried about me asking if I needed to eat or go to the bathroom. SO. FREAKING. GOOD.

I have fan-girled out like crazy over the movie!! I probably talk about the Hunger Games at least twice a day in random conversation. I may a bit over-obsessed.

Fantastic social commentary on government control and the widening gap between the upper and middle/lower class.

odusgolp

My wife is middle school librarian and had me read all 3 since the kids were so nuts over them. The books don't glorify the killing of the kids in any way, the kids/people in the books are just coping with the situation they are in. The author doesn't go out of her way to add lots of gory details. We read an interview where the author talked about how her father was in the military and always talked to her about how awful war was and that is the message she is trying to get across to people in her books. It might not seem obvious in the first or second book but those ideals are much clearer in the 3rd book. I don't like horror movies but these books are awesome and I can't wait to see the movie(s).

Really good synopsis for me, thanks

mzhokie

I get your point. When I first heard about the book I thought it was some odd thing I would hate and ignored it. The whole premise sounded horrible. But after some friends raved about it, I downloaded the sample and was hooked.

Forget what it looks or sounds like..... the real story is the characters. It's a story about love, a story about underdogs, a story about rebellion as well as a fight for your life. You can't put the books down. You are so drawn into these characters lives that you have to keep reading and you want to know what happens. Sure it's a fantasy world in the far off future with this horrible game where children fight to the death. But that isn't why I read the books and not why I liked the books.

this kind of book is not normal for me either............. I didn't read Harry Potter or Twilight etc. I don't do fantasy or sci fi. But I liked the series and I have a couple of friends who don't read this kind of stuff either and they loved them too.

JoJoDoerr

Normally I would have never picked a book like this for myself. (seriously, I read a lot of memoirs, biographies, etc.) After a friend of mine (a retired school teacher) suggested I read it..I read them all! It is almost impossible to explain it to someone as any explanation sounds ridiculous...all I tell people is just get an open mind and read the books. Once you are just a few chapters in you are sucked in and can't wait to read what happens next. They are awesome books! I am hoping the movie is as good as the book but not holding my breath as I know the books are almost always better!

Training2Tri

I can't wait for the movie!! The first one was awesome!!

aprilshowers262

I think it's a great idea. It's highlighting children in violent scenarios. More and more do we see this in real life. Take Ohio's latest incident, for instance. Children are becoming more violent. Maybe it's books like this that will help us to open our eyes.

odusgolp

My question is how do you judge something you haven't actually read?

:huh:

Ditto. If you have not read the series but only know the gist of the plot (barely), please do not judge it. Yes, it's about kids killing kids, but it's about much more than that. If you had read the series, you would know.
My absolute biggest pet peeve is people (especially parents) taking a stand on books that they think are inappropriate when they have not read the books themselves.

I didn't take a stand. I said I didn't get it - some people actually explained. It was lovely when they did. Did you see where that happened?? Did ya? Just checkin...

rml_16

I just used to be against twilight until i ended up reading the books and they were so addictive. I might read these too just to see whether or not they are as crappy as the movie sounds The Twilight movies suck by the way. But the books are plain awesomeness.

I'm still against Twilight on the principle that Stephanie Meyer is a lousy writer. The content doesn't bother me. :-)

megteg

catfish9

And then I'll be looking forward to Finnick in part 2.

^^^ THIS! Finnick is one of my favorite characters!

These books are excellent! It's hard to explain why they're so good without ruining important parts of the plot, though. Even if you don't like the first one, try the second; the style and mood of the story changes drastically.

I am so excited to see how they translate Hunger Games into a movie. I'm not thrilled with some of the casting choices (mainly Gale, Peeta, and President Snow) but some of the others are just how I had imagined them. It always makes me happy when they turn a book into a movie, because it will inspire people who haven't read the book to do so, and reading is awesome.

craziedazie

My first reaction was the same as yours. I am currently studying to be a teacher and some of my classmates (who are already teachers) talked about having their 8th/9th graders read it. I was completely thrown off by the thought of children reading about children killing children, but they had a lot of reasons why they wanted the kids to read this series. I haven't read the books and I still don't know if I want to. Definitely won't be seeing the movie.