I have been hearing about The Hunger Games from friends of all ages for months now. Since the motion picture is about to come out, I thought I had better read the first book to see if it was worthwhile. Well, I was completely enthralled by the story. In fact, I read the entire trilogy in 2 and 1/2 days because I could not wait to see what was going to happen next.
The story takes place in post-Apocalyptic North America, sometime in the not-so-distant future. North America is now split up into 13 regions ruled by a dictator who resides in The Capital, a place of complete self-absorption, greed, graft and corruption- in other words, Washington, D.C. Anyway, the 13th district, which tried to revolt unsuccessfully and was destroyed (or was it?) by the rulers in The Capital, gave the government an excuse to start the Hunger Games, an annual televised event in which young people, selected by lottery, are pitted against one another in a to-the-death competition. Each district sends one girl and one boy as "tributes", and the murderous games end with last-man-or-woman standing.
The comparisons to reality television are deliberate and thought-provoking. The premise of the book is chillingly presented as a distinct possibility, given a culture consumed with entertainment and instant gratification. The young tributes range from heroes to murderous thugs. This is a cautionary tale that is well-written, action-packed and nerve-wracking. I highly recommend it to most everybody. That being said, this is NOT a children's book. Grim and graphic, at times, it would lead to nightmares for young readers.
Do not wait for the movie. The book is always better.
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