I have to be honest. I’m sort of a book snob. I prefer Charlotte Bronte over Jodi Picoult. I’d rather read about great characters than ramble around a ridiculously stitched plot. I like Shakespeare. I have NO interest in Twilight. And although my daughter has invested the last four years reading, rereading, collecting and watching all things Harry Potter, I have not jumped on that wagon with her. I’m sure I sound like an irritating literary type. And I realize that I’ve missed out on a wide variety of excellent reads based on my quirky selectivity. My loss.
That brings me to The Hunger Games. Unless you are living under a rock, you know that the movie adaptation was released this past weekend.
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A friend of mine read it more than a year ago and begged me to pick it up. I smiled and declined. I might have even done an unintentional eye roll. (I hope not.)
A young adult book? Not me. Not ever.
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If you’ve ever seen the YA section of the library or Barnes and Nobles, you’ll understand my hesitance. The majority of best sellers are about vampires and zombies. The stories have a lot of sci-fi lite and magical elements, neither of which I am a huge fan of. And because I’m always hunting for strong female characters I am always disappointed with the offerings. It seems most of the YA books with a female protagonist type her as either a bully or a victim, sexy or meek, with cover art that would make Joan Collins blush. All I can think is, how did this get published?
A voracious reader, my daughter prepared to gobble up the Hunger Games series. I knew of the plot, vaguely. I knew there was violence involving children. And I knew I was going to have to read it to see what she was reading.
What took me so long?
It’s no The Handmaid’s Tale (Margaret Atwood). It is a dystopian post-war future that leans heavily on pop culture like American Idol, The Running Man (Stephen King) and Lord of the Flies (William Golding). But all books are built on the backs of other books, the gift is in telling and timing. The Hunger Games has both.
One of The Hunger Games biggest attributes is that it is always moving forward. Especially in this first of the trilogy, there is barely time to catch your breath. There are a few literary hurdles in the plot that feel misplaced but you gladly leap over them. It is, after all, written for a demographic with less reading history than an adult. It is very satisfying.
If I was taking an exit poll on Hunger Games readers, I would bet good money on the fact that Katniss Everdeen, the heroine, is the single remarkable character that makes this book and its following so massive. She is tough, smart, skilled, brave, tender, and 15. She is all the confusing, wonderful things a 15-year-old is. And a girl. Hallelujah!
If I was a teenager, boy or girl, I would swoon. She fights for her own survival. She fights to help her family and community. She even saves the boy. Though Katniss must come to terms with the fact that she is the spark of a budding revolution that will end disparity between the haves and have-nots, she never loses sight of the fact that the "Games" deaths are, of course, not a game. Not to her or to the families who have sacrificed children to serve. Ironically, the odds are never in their favor.
The parallels of politics and wealth distribution between Panem and America are easily connected. Tears came to my eyes more than once at the thought that these kids are sent off to fight to the death. Some critics have complained that the plot is too violent. I would argue that sadly, it is part of our world everyday. How have we not yet lost our stomach for war?
These erie similarities make The Hunger Games an easily digestible parable of current events. It opens a door to talk to kids about things happening in their own non-fictional world. A good book makes good discussion.
How happy I am that Suzanne Collins wrote Katniss into existence? Very happy. I'm glad my daughters can imagine someone like Katniss who stands her ground and makes tough choices. There is a love plotline, but Katniss does not wither away thinking about it. That's a nice plus.
The world may not change because of a YA novel and there will be a vacuum that replaces The Hunger Games noise within a week. It is, after all, only fiction. But we can hope that some seeds have been planted.
Courage. Righteousness. Heart.
For future reference, my bracelet will read "WWKD."
