The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games #1) by Suzanne Collins

District Twelve, the coal district. The least prestigious, poorest and most ridiculed district in Panem, the country that rose from the ashes of what was once called North America. District Twelve  lacks nearly everything, from electricity to most importantly, food. Sixteen year old Katniss Everdeen takes care of her mother and little sister, Primrose, ever since her father died 5 years ago. She hunts for game and knows of the plants in the forest and knows how to do business at the Hob, the local black Market.

We meet Katniss at the day of the Reaping, the day when two children between the age of 12 and 18 from each District are selected for the Hunger Games. The Hunger Games were introduced by the Capitol after the last rebellion. They are designed to keep the Districts in check. The goal of the Hunger Games? Be the last one standing by killing all other participants, called “tributes”.

The Hunger Games has a slight “1984“ feel to it, combined with the Japanese gory movie “Battle Royale”. An oppressing government that tries to control their people by making them enjoy each other’s blood, sweat and tears – the Hunger Games are broadcasted all over the country and it is mandatory for every citizen to watch.

Young adult
Often, I have seen this book tagged with the “young adult” tag. Honestly, a book revolving around teenagers doesn’t automatically make it “young adult”. I wouldn’t let my young kids read this book, if I ever got kids. It has a lot of detailed gore in it, which more than once made my stomach turn. Unless that is what kids like these days.

The big success
Suzanne Collins has done a great job at writing this page turner that pulls you in from page one. Even if we can’t relate exactly to the characters’ problems, the characters are very easy to identify with and are enjoyable to read about.

I was actually upset when the book ended, just because I wanted to read more. I’m glad to inform you that The Hunger Games is not a standalone novel: book two ( “Catching Fire”) and three (“Mockingjay”) of the trilogy have already been released.

In just 14 months, 1.5 million copies of The Hunger Games were printed in North America alone and the book has been on the New York Bestseller list for more than sixty weeks in a row. Time Magazine has named Suzanne Collins as one of the most influential people of 2010 and she has won all sorts of prestigious prizes for the book.

Lions Gate Entertainment has bought the rights to produce a film adaptation of this book, which is planned for 2013, according to IMDb. What’s awesome about this is that Suzanne Collins started out her career as a screenwriter and consequently, she will adapt the book for the film herself.

Why you should read this book
If you have a spare couple of days, and don’t know how to fill them, get this book. Because if you don’t have spare time, you are going to procrastinate like no one ever has. This book pulls you in, and will not let you go. If I didn’t have to sleep, I would have finished this book within one day, and I’m a slow reader.

I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in a good story. This is most certainly a must-read as this is going to be the next big hype.

(PS: If you’re interested, you can play The Hunger Games-based games here)

Manon Eileen is a twentysomething-year-old with a passion for the written word. She loves to read and write; so much, in fact, that she has decided to make it her career. She writes in the SF/F genre and is an avid blogger (seriously, check it out). Meanwhile, she's working on getting a bachelor's degree in Clinical Psychology and Criminology.

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