The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of The Hunger Games
Book Review: Post-Apocalyptic Teen Fiction At It's Best!!
Summary: 5 Stars
This book was one of the first ones in a long time that I could not put down! As soon as I started reading I had to devour every word as soon as I could! I haven't felt this way about a book series since Harry Potter. The writing style of Suzanne Collins is very easy to follow, yet she puts in the right amount of details for me. Closing your eyes, you could see the people and action that was taking place. But, alas, you have to open you eyes to be able to finish!
At certain points of the book I could feel my heart beating, actually scared for the characters. I laughed, I cried, I hungered for more after the first book of the series was over. I NEEDED to know how it ended. I felt tense for the next two days until the next in the series arrived. I have loaned out my copy to 5 people, all ages, that have loved it just as much as me. This book will be loved by everyone from 13 to 100!
Love!!
Book Review: Powerful and Exciting Read
Summary: 5 Stars
I have read this book 3 times now and I still keep find new depth every single time. You will absolutey get lost in the drama and feel every twist and turn. The characters are so real and you want to follow each and every one of them. Hunger Games is my most favorite read to date.Book Review: Pretty good reading
Summary: 4 Stars
This story got very interesting later in the book. It did draw me to purchase the next two in the series. Can't wait for book 3.Book Review: Profoundly disturbing and profoundly wonderful
Summary: 5 Stars
The Hunger Games is a book that seized me by the throat and didn't even let me go, even when I read the last word on the page. It is the kind of book that I had to force myself to put down so that I could go to sleep, and that I immediately picked up again upon waking. It is the kind of book that demanded that I sit down and read and read and read until I finally discovered what had become of the characters. It is vividly and masterfully written, the kind of book that is guaranteed to stick with me for quite some time, the kind of book I am sure to read again and again.
Though I had been aware of the book's popularity before I read it, I didn't really know anything about the premise--and I'm actually glad that I didn't. The brutality of it shocked me in a very visceral way. I was horrified by its depiction of such a grim future, and by the very thought of a society that would pit children against one another in a fight to the death. Needless to say, this is a very intense book and one that is very violent as well. I don't think that it's a reason to prevent a mature child from reading it, but I do think it's a reason for a parent to read it as well. This is a book that needs to be discussed, whose themes need to be explored.
Yes, The Hunger Games is a work of fiction, but it does contain many elements of truth that are relevant to our world today. The brutal regime that controls Panem is not that different from the brutal regimes that control many parts of the globe even as I type these words. I think it is only natural to want to shelter our children from this kind of violence, but I feel the book provides a very good jumping off point for such discussions. If the plight of those who are oppressed and whose human rights are violated by their own government isn't an issue important for children are aware of, I'm not sure what is.
The book also has a lot of important themes about compassion and complicity. In a world like Panem, compassion might seem like a very dangerous emotion, as it may distract a person from their fight for survival at any cost. But is the moments of compassion and grace in the book that underscore our capacity as human beings. Even in the face of a world gone mad, compassion is the one emotion that guarantees there will be some light, some hope in that world. As the book shows, the act of complying is far more dangerous because it removes something essentially human from us, leading us down the path toward indifference to the suffering of others. As children enter their difficult teen years, these are extremely important themes. It is at this age that children are first beginning to learn that, while it may be easier to comply, the only way in which to be able to live with one's actions is to live with compassion.
As powerful as the novel's themes are the novel's main characters. Though Katniss is the embodiment of the survivalist and Peeta is the embodiment of compassion, they are both more than that. Katniss especially is extremely complex. She is neither a hero nor a villain, but a very human character trying to cope in a brutal, heartless world. Her actions are sometimes selfless and sometimes selfish, but she is always someone with whom the reader can identify. How could anyone possibly know what is truly in their heart when dealing with the sort of reality with which Katniss has been forced to deal?
I was simply blown away by this novel. It deals with so many important issues without being at all preachy. Instead, by making the world in which Katniss and Peeta live so violently, disturbingly real, the reader can do little else than think deeply about the issues central to the book's themes. By allowing the reader to live vicariously through Katniss and Peeta, it enables us to form a deeper, more profound understanding of what it means to be a human being, and what it means to be truly courageous.
Book Review: Quick and entertaining read!
Summary: 5 Stars
Very much a "Running Man" or "Death Race" knock-off, but well done! I was surprised to find out that it's a supposed trilogy. Can't wait for the next one! Katniss is a bad you know what!