If you look through the halls of Hewitt, you can find fans of popular Young Adult series Twilight or Harry Potter – but who is missing? Fans of The Hunger Games.
The Hunger Games, a science-fiction trilogy by Suzanne Collins, takes place in Panem, a chilling dystopian version of America. Panem consists of twelve districts and the Capitol, the wealthy area where select citizens (such as the President) live. Every year in Panem, two young competitors, one boy and one girl, from each of the twelve districts are chosen by lot to compete in The Hunger Games. These Games are a reality show gone wrong, where the object of the game is to survive – literally. Even worse, the Games exist for two reasons alone: to serve as both entertainment for the wealthier denizens of Panem and to serve as a warning to the districts to discourage them from banding together and overthrowing the Capitol. Katniss Everdeen, the story’s protagonist and narrator, finds herself thrust into the world of the Games; it is from her viewpoint that the reader learns of the monstrosities and bloodshed that the Capitol lives to see.
The series, currently developing a devoted following for its masterful, taut storytelling, is easy to fall in love with. After coming upon the first and second books (The Hunger Games and Catching Fire) at a Hewitt book fair in 2009, I became utterly and completely obsessed. I was even fortunate enough to accomplish any fan’s dream: to meet the series’ author herself at a book event. Ms. Collins graciously gave me a fitting autograph: “Dear Zoe, may the odds be ever in your favor. From Suzanne Collins.” (The phrase “may the odds be ever in your favor” is a common saying in Panem, as luck alone determines your future in the Games.)
However, there was one more book in the trilogy that was not scheduled to come out until August 24, 2010. This meant that I would have to wait nine months to find out how the series would end! Desperate to know the outcome of the books I’d grown to love, I took to making up my own endings to the trilogy. I even began to memorize quotes from the books and talk incessantly about them to anyone who was willing (or unwilling…) to listen. Finally, August 24th arrived, and I was able to read the conclusion to this marvelous trilogy.
Unfortunately for me, there are few at Hewitt who have read these fantastic books, which is quite a shame. If there is enough interest this coming fall, I intend to start a fan club at Hewitt for discussion of the series. Seeing as the production studio Lionsgate is currently producing a film adaptation of the novels, slated for release in 2013, there has never been a better time to introduce yourself to The Hunger Games.