“THE HUNGER GAMES” BY SUZANNE COLLINS: A COMPELLING AND TERRIFYING VISION OF THE FUTURE

 

RATING GUIDE:

 

5 – A keeper!   

4 – Very good

3 –  Passable

2 –  I’d rather read a telephone book

1 – An absolute bomb.  Read at your own risk!

“The Hunger Games” is the first book in Suzanne Collins’ trilogy.  The story is told from the point of view of Katniss, a young lady from the future.  Unlike the teenagers we once were, or the teenagers we now see, Katniss isn’t concerned about the latest in fashion, gadgets or cuteness.  Katniss is focused on survival.  A product of post-apocalyptic North America, Katniss lives in a society that has begun to pay for its excesses. 

Katniss lives in post-apocalyptic North America, now called Panem.  It is nothing like the North America we are familiar with, for it is a country whose resources have been greatly depleted.  It is a country where democracy has been replaced by totalitarianism, and except for those who live in the Capitol, the rest live in abject poverty.  The prices of basic necessities have sky-rocketed beyond everyone’s reach.  To survive, people use the barter system of exchange or hunt down their own food.  Not exactly a fun sort of environment for a young lady like Katniss to grow up in. 

As a youngster who has been forced to take on the role of breadwinner following the death of her father and her mother’s subsequent breakdown, Katniss eventually develops exceptional hunting and wilderness survival skills, as well as a tough heart.  But nothing is tougher than Katniss’ love for her family, which manifests itself when she volunteers to take the place of her younger sister, Primrose, as a “tribute” in the 74^th Hunger Games.

The Hunger Games is an annual event hosted by the Capitol.  Though it’s presented as a form of entertainment, it’s actually a sadistic game which pits the “tributes” of each district, teenagers aged 12 to 16, in a fight to the death that is broadcast on television.  Think gladiator sport combined with reality TV.

Katniss joins Peeta, the baker’s son and the male tribute of her district.  Unlike Katniss,  whose hunting skills include killing a squirrel with an arrow with laser-like precision, Peeta’s survival skills are extremely wanting … unless you can count designing cakes as a survival skill.  With their mentor, Haymitch Abernathy, a paunchy middle-aged alcoholic as their mentor, it appears that Katniss and Peeta’s chances of survival are slim.  But Haymitch, once a Hunger Games victor, gets reasonably sober to coach Katniss and Peeta, it looks like the two  might have a fighting chance, after all.

Just like the reality TV series Survivor, Katniss is forced to use her skills, her brains and even her feminine wiles in order to keep herself from being killed and generate enough goodies for herself, her family and her district.  At first, Katniss uses her head and initiates alliances with some of her fellow competitors.  But her alliances quickly turn into actual friendships.  Katniss learns to open her heart to people other than her immediate family, which is a big problem, for an open heart has no place when one’s life is at stake.

While The Hunger Games is a highly-entertaining book (I finished this book in one sitting, it’s that compelling), it’s also a cautionary tale about man’s selfishness and his inhumanity to his fellowmen.  Collins’ vision of the future is terrifying.  It’s a world where people are driven to kill each other for basic necessities, where the life of a child has no value other than disposable entertainment, where science has turned into a factory for mutant monsters, and media has turned into a tool for manipulation rather than a reflection of truth. 

Considering how many of these things are already happening, we certainly face a very, very bleak future ahead.  If there’s anything the book makes clear, it’s that we’re very close to creating a world just like Panem, unless we do something about it.

RATING:  5