The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is a dystopian novel written for young adults. Even with that being the main audience target, the book has appealed to parents as well and has been a best seller since it came out. The book is set in a time where North America has been destroyed and divided into 12 districts; the 13th has been destroyed due to a rebellion, and it’s all run by the powerful Capital. In district 12 lives Katniss Everdeen, a 16 year old girl, who hunts to provide for herself, her younger sister Prim and their widowed mother. In order to keep the 12 districts aware of who runs the county, the Capital arranges a game to the death each year in an elaborate arena. Each district holds a drawing of one boy and one girl to go as tributes. When her sister Prim is picked, Katniss exercises her option to volunteer for the games. Along with Katniss comes also Peeta, the baker’s son, who grew up with her. Katniss and Peeta must fend for themselves against natural elements, the Gamemakers and the other contestants whose only option is to kill or be killed. I can certainly see why the book was such a hit. The novel struck many chords and many themes like teenage anguish, love, work, poverty and more and was an easy and quick read, as well as full of action. Ms. Collins built a fantastical and believable world where the United States is no more and instead the country is now called Panem, which is run from “The Capital” and divided into 12 districts. The story progresses quickly and fluently with well defined characters that just so happen to have names that are relevant to who they are. The way Ms. Collins wrote it is efficient in a no-nonsense style filled with humor which causes the book to become addictive. Like any good story, you are immersed in the universe built around you, yet you know it is not real but you can’t stop reading. I enjoyed the constant suspense of this book and imagination of Ms. Collins that transported you to a