The Hunger Games

I just finished The Hunger Games series, and in the words of the legendary news anchor Ron Burgandy, “I’m in a glass case of emotions!” Seriously guys, I do not know what to do with my emotions. The first thought to run through my mind was, “How are these books classifies as ‘Young Adult?’” Young adult, correct me if I am wrong, leads me to believe these books are for 12-16 year olds. Can someone fill me in on the “Young Adult” age? These books deal with a lot of mature, deep themes. As a 23 year old (well, almost anyways), I am having trouble sorting out my feelings for these books. Let me try to put into words what I mean, without giving anything away from the series, which I highly recommend you read. Yes you! It doesn’t matter if you are a girl or a boy, young or old, there is something to be taken away from The Hunger Games.

The main themes, I believe, of the series are war as well as peace. Is war productive or counter-productive? Does it really solve anything? Can there ever be peace in a war torn country? Can one ever really be at peace? These are interesting topics, considering as much as we might not realize it, the United States is currently involved in quite a few wars. The author, Suzanne Collins attributes her interest in the topic of war to her late father, Michael Collins. In the acknowledgments section of the last book of the series, Mockingjay, Ms. Collins shares that her father laid the foundation of the series for her growing up, “With his deep commitment to educating his children on war, and peace…” I thought the author must have some connection, or must have been deeply intrigued with war. I wonder if she hunts or shoots a bow and arrow, like the main character Katniss Everdeen. I would bet she does.

I would love to sit down with Suzanne Collins and pick her brain. The whole time I was reading this series I was wondering what she was thinking about as she was writing. Was she thinking about reality television and trying to warn us of the dangers? Was she trying to comment on the way we glamorize celebrities? Are we all just pieces of a game? There are so many different topics this series touches upon… I can’t even begin to write them all down. For fear of coming across as a complete nerd, I will end my post here. But I do have a few questions for you. Have you read The Hunger Games? What do you think about the series? Did you think the same things as me or do I have too much time on my hands? Let me know!!

PS- I purposely did not mention The Hunger Games being turned into a movie in this post. Look for a new post about the casting choices (specifically Peeta and Gale) coming soon!