I jumped on the bandwagon and read “The Hunger Games” series before the movie comes out on Friday.
The first book, “The Hunger Games” is based in the future of the United States, and the Capitol is in charge of each area- also known as districts.
The book reminds me a lot of “The Uglies” by Scott Westerfield. The majority of the population is alone and has to be under the thumb of the thriving leaders. Many people have to break laws to survive.
Each district in “The Hunger Games” has a 12- to 18-years-old boy and girl tribute to compete in the annual Hunger Games.
The Capitol leaders makes the participates- or forced tributes- feel like it’s an honor to compete in these games, but in reality there can be only winner, and the rest have to die. While it’s an “honor,” no one can protests the games publicly. The tributes families, especially in the poorer districts, know there is a very slight chance they ever will see their child, sibling or loved one ever again. But it is such an honor for their family, or so the Capitol says.
The people who live around the Capitol are ever ignorant of how the other districts live. There is no concern for food for Capitol people. They are more worried about what color to dye their skin- yes, their skin.
The book is centered on Katniss, the tribute girl from District 12. She volunteered to replace her 12-year-old sister. Most people do not volunteer to replace anyone because the likelihood of surviving is one out of 24.
Each tribute has training available to them to prepare for death in most cases. By death, I mean the other tributes from try and kill each other or evade everyone until they kill each other off.
Peeta, the boy from District 12, is also a focus of the book because he announces he is in love with Katniss before the games start. In order for him to win and survive, she must die.
Katniss is all about survival. She made a promise to her sister that she would try to win. She knew Peeta, but they grew up in different worlds in their small district. She is unsure of what Peeta’s motives are throughout the book, she is just focused on herself and the promise to her sister.
Every year every district watches the Hunger Game live. If a tribute says or does something the Capitol does not like, the people who made the arena can dictate what the audience can watch.
The author, Suzanne Collins, paints a vivid description of the arena. I can picture everything that goes on. She leaves enough detail out to where I can picture things myself. Because I jumped on after the trailers for the movie came about, I knew what the majority of the main characters looked like. But I still mixed some up and pictured them differently than the movie.
The book seemed to beg me to keep reading. I read all three books during Spring Break. Although, the two following did not make as much as an impression, I needed to finish them. I’m not afraid to say, I’m hooked. This girl has more balls than most guys I know.
Across several different social networks, I see others announcing “The Hunger Games” as their current read, T-shirts designed, quotes popping up as statuses and items made for the book. I debated about getting a T-shirt, but a friend pointed out that I might hate the movie.
Collins contributed to the screenplay, so I’m interested in how the movie turns out. I am picturing the worst because the book is always better. But I secretly hope I can be surprised.
According to IMDB.com, four weeks ago tickets went on sale for the movie and 83 percent of the movie tickets bought on that day was for “The Hunger Games.”
Also, I hope “The Hunger Games” midnight premiere kills any of the “Twilight” premieres opening. Cross your fingers.