Well, I’m about two weeks late for the movie release and too late to bother trying to figure out weeks for the book release, but I figured I might as well post my review of “The Hunger Games” anyway. Partially because I’m having a lot of trouble finishing IQ84 and had this book in reserve and partially because I don’t want to feel left out. What makes this book so amazing to me isn’t the book itself. Yes, the book is pretty fantastic and a very fun (very quick) read, but there’s more to it than that. If you’ve been following my blog you know I’m student-teaching a class of Freshman English. These kids don’t agree on anything , they have those adolescent attitudes we all remember, and they are all completely and totally different. The one thing they all agree on? The Hunger Games is fantastic. Knowing this and listening to my students talk about these books endlessly I decided it was time to pull my ‘over the summer’ book up to the front of the list and finally get this read. I can see why they love it.
This book reminds me of why I love reading YA literature. No, it’s not great “literature” by itself, it’s no IQ84 or Bleak House but if all books were like Bleak House how many of us would
The first person narration does take some getting used to, not because it’s bad or poorly done, just because it’s different. If you’re an avid reader you’ll pick up on it immediately and it takes some time to adjust, but it’s well worth it. Katniss has quickly become one of my favorite book heroines and she truly earns that title. Thrown into an arena with 24 other tributes she is forced to fight for her life. I won’t give anything away, but she’s the perfect example of a strong female character. The world Collins creates in the Hunger Games is very unique, filled with the usual dystopian characteristics, Collins also manages to put her own unique spin on things which keeps it from feeling like more of the same. It is YA, so don’t expect “literature” here, the language is simplistic and the book is a very quick read but that’s no reason to pass it up.
The Hunger Games creates an unbelievable and horrific society, then places you right in the middle of it. This book lives up to the hype, if you haven’t read it yet, what are you waiting for! It’ll take you a day and it’s well worth the time.
