The Hunger Games

I have been hearing a lot about the book The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins for quite awhile now. I have also been ignoring the good things I have heard--the same noise was made about the Twilight series and in my opinion they were not even worth bothering with ( I did make it through 1/2 of the first book before I gave up). Well yesterday at the dance company bake sale one of Marissa's friends told us The Hunger Games was very good ( I trust this friends opinion) and since Marissa has been asking to read it I looked into it. The book was not what I expected and I thought it might be ok so I bought the ebook and let her go to it. Then I decided I would read it with her, so here I am 3 chapters into it and glad that I am.

A few years ago I read both The Giver and Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry both books very well done and among my favorites. So far The Hunger Games is very similar to both of these stories (I personally think that Suzanne Collins doesn't write as well as Lois Lowry however). All three talk of a time in the future when things have gone very wrong and the children suffer for it very much.

Today The Hunger Games is haunting me. We live in a time right now when these stories of dystopian society could begin and sometimes I feel a little sad, frustrated, angry at my inability to DO anything about it. "A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have." this quote often attributed to Thomas Jefferson really came from Gerald Ford in an address to a joint session of Congress on August 12, 1974. Regardless of where it came from I think it is true. Big Government is what keeps the Hunger Games going in this story and it isn't a government that is giving very much anymore. The Hunger Games are just a way for the ruling class to remind the lower classes of WHO IS IN CHARGE and they are using THE CHILDREN to do it. It just makes me think and at a time when our government, Republicans and Democrats alike will not give us what we need because it is counterproductive to their own power grabs. I think it could be worse then the stories portray because of the technology available to those that wish to rule. I don't know maybe I think too much.

Marissa and I have some interesting discussions coming up on this story and maybe we will explore a few more stories like it (I am thinking Animal Farm). I am sure happy that she is a good reader. We have a lot of stories to get going on. As for The Hunger Games I will let you know when I finish it what my final opinion about it is.