Books - Project

Dear T,

I've always loved to read. My mom always read me books when I was little, and not always children's books. She read me Harry Potter when I was only three. I read as many books as I can, and I read them fast. So, T, I've decided to start writing book reviews. Okay, that sounds too professional. I'm going to write what I think of all the books I've read ( or almost ), one book at a time, and even though you're not as big a reader as me, I figure there will be some books you'll like on the list. So here I go with the first one, it's recently become very famous, and is my newest favorite.

I hope you find something of interest,

F

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Readers of all ages can thoroughly enjoy the Hunger Games trilogy. It can be read simply for fun, as it does not require any deep thought or intense concentration to understand and enjoy. It's a real page-turner. Others might read it one chapter at a time, trying to fully grasp the underlying message.

    The Hunger Games is a negative utopia. It takes place in a post-apocalyptic future. The apocalypse began with the melting of the polar ice caps, and ended with the remaining humans fighting over the remaining land. In the newly formed country of Panem, the populations of the twelve districts work so the people of the Capitol can enjoy themselves. The districts lead a failed revolution 74 years previously, and as punishment, the Capitol leaders created the Hunger Games, where twenty-four district tributes fight to the death in an arena to survive. The protagonist, Katniss Everdeen, volunteers for the Hunger Games in place of her sister who is chosen as tribute. But Katniss has a close relationship with her fellow tribute Peeta Mellark. One of them must die. Together, they will set in motion events of which they never even dreamed.

    One can make several comparisons here, including that of Roman society. The emperors satisfied their people with bread and circuses. In the Hunger Games, president Snow is the emperor, the citizens of the Capitol are the "people", the citizens of the districts work hard to provide the bread for the citizens of the Capitol, and instead of gladiators, the district tributes provide the entertainment in the arena. The citizens of the Capitol live with everything they could want at their disposal, at the expense of the districts. In the third book, Mockingjay, Collins makes a clear reference to the negative utopia novel Farenheit 451 when she assigns Katniss to squad #451 in the military. The conditions the Capitol forces on the people of the districts make them want to rebel, just as the protagonist in Farenheit 451 wants to rebel against the absolute control his government has over the American people.The Hunger Games is right up there with Farenheit 451 and 1984, but with a little more action and thrill. Really, it's an amazing novel. Collins makes her characters real and her message too. The Hunger Games is a must-read.

    If you have read The Hunger Games trilogy and are interested in understanding more than the overlying story, check out this book, available on Amazon and other bookstores ( it's not an ad, I really do recommend it ): The Hunger Games Companion: the Unauthorized Guide to the Series by Lois H. Gresh. 

If you really don't like reading, go see the movie coming to theaters in March 2012. 

Thank you!