The Hunger Games

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).

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

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.

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.

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!!!

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.

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

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.

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.