Hunger Games, and Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

My fourteen year son read both of these books while away on holiday, and urged me to read them too as he thought they were great, despite the main character being a girl. So I thought I would give them a try. I’m so glad I did, as I can see why they are so popular with our teenagers.

America is no more and has been replaced by Panem, which is controlled by the Capitol.  Surrounding the Capitol are twelve Districts, the inhabitants of which  work to supply the Capitol with all their material needs, and are kept separate from the other districts via electrified fences.  To maintain their obedience, the Capitol ensure that food is in short supply for all but the merchant class, housing conditions are poor, and the population kept fearful by the vicious Peacekeepers who enforce the law with brutality. Once there were 13 districts, but a long time ago the districts rose up against the Capitol and paid a high price for losing. District 13 was annihilated and the annual Hunger Games were introduced. As part of the surrender agreement, each District must supply two teenage tributes, one boy and one girl, to participate in a contest of survival in an inhospitable terrain, where the objective is to be the last contestant alive.  All of which is shown on live TV as a form of entertainment for the residents of the Capitol. As my son would say, “sick, eh”.

Sixteen year old Katniss finds herself volunteering to replace her twelve year old sister, Prim, when Prim’s name is drawn as this year’s girl tribute from District 12. Katniss knows that it is virtually a death sentence as her District has only ever had one victor in the Games. However, Katniss has hidden talents – in order to survive and feed her family after her father was killed in a mining accident, she taught herself to hunt in the woods on the other side of the fence, a dangerous and illegal activity. The question is, will this be enough? In order to survive to the end, she will also need to attract gifts from sponsors, and to do that she will need to develop a persona that will appeal to the viewing public.

Hunger Games and it’s sequel, Catching Fire, are categorised as young adult fiction but I still found them a gripping and thought provoking read regarding our desensitisation to violence and the power of the media to influence our perceptions.  The Hunger Games are an interesting parallel with today’s fascination with reality TV, in particular, “Survivor”. What is it about this type of show that makes for such riveting viewing.  I read recently about the “Jone’s Generation”, my demographic cohort that grew up with the first sitcoms and drama series on TV. We are voyeurs, trying to keep up with our peers, and fascinated with everything “celebrity”. I don’t, personally, think this is restricted to my generation. Our young people are also growing up in a world where the media provides us with a large part of our entertainment. It is quite an easy jump to a place where the media is so powerful that it is no longer about winning rewards or obtaining immunity, it’s about your life.

The books have all the elements that appeal to today’s youth – plenty of action (the violence is reasonably tame despite the theme of killing), interesting and likeable characters, the dilemma of how to maintain your integrity in an environment designed to strip you of your humanity, good against evil, and, of course, a little romance. Although the setting is in the future, how far into the future is up to the reader as everything is very familiar – it could be set in 50 years time or 200 years and this makes the books appealing to a wider audience than just those who like the science fiction/fantasy genre. One note of caution - while the violence is not described in detail in the book it is certainly there and so I wouldn’t recommend these books for primary aged children, no matter how good a reader they are. The concepts are quite adult, and not just in the violent nature of the storyline, but the emotional development of the characters as well.

The third book in the series, “Mockingjay” is due for release in August 2010 and a film based on the series is in the pipeline. To check out the Hunger Games website, click here.