The Hunger Games

 

"We’re fickle, stupid beings with poor memories and a great gift for self-destruction." mockingjay

I do not remember the exact reason why I started reading the Hunger Games trilogy, but I do remember that once I did all I heard from friends was how much I was going to love the books and the characters, how hooked I was going to become, and how depressed I would be when I finished. I've never really been a fan of young-adult science-fiction fantasy, such as harry potter and twilight. Never read the books and never even felt a tiny urge to read them, I saw one of the twilight movies and that’s about it. So I began hunger games not sure if I was really going to get into it, or be bored and drop the series. I have to say I was completely blown away and the trilogy surpassed every single expectation I had. You begin reading Hunger Games and you are immediately thrown into the suffering and barely surviving world of district 12, the poorest of all the districts. Its the time of the annual reaping, the reaping is an annual event that takes place in every district before each Hunger Games. This is when the tributes of the upcoming Games are chosen. The tributes are one male and one female from each district ages 12 to 18. The second I finished the chapter about the reaping I knew I was not going to be able to put this book down until I finished, and for the most part I didn’t. The books are gruesome, sad, and violent, but genuine and a real story of what could be the consequences of war. I could not help but think throughout the series how kids in high school were reading these books? Yes, it’s that violent. It’s definitely nothing I would have read when I was in high school. I mean the books gave me nightmares; I can’t imagine the effect they would have had on me if I would have read them at 16. Behind the sadness, the violence, and the frustration you feel while reading about how the capital is making children kill each other for entertainment there’s a love story. Well a love triangle, and the beautiful story of Katniss. Katniss, the girl on fire, this 16 year old had to become the sole protector and provider for her family, basically raising her little sister by herself, while her mom was suffering through deep depression. I don’t want to give too much away, but it is a trilogy and every trilogy has its main star, it’s very obvious that star is Katniss. You have to know she is going to survive the 74th Annual Hunger Games before you even start reading the book. What you don’t know is everything else that is going to happen. Everything else this young girl is going to change for the rest of time, most of it without even meaning to. How her actions and her way of surviving are going to change the entire post-apocalyptic world that she lives in, known as Panem.

Katniss’s story really touched me and this is because it’s a story of survival. It is a story about fighting back against the all powerful, and the very wealthy, to make a better life yourself, and your family. Even if you are only a young adult and think you can’t better yourself, this character makes you realize that you can. The books in my opinion have been so successful because they revolve around themes that we can all familiarize with, from war, to loyalty, to love, to survival. It's a book that I think anyone of any age can relate to, from high school to adult. The first movie of three has already starting filming and is set to premiere March 23, 2012. For me personally this feels so far away. I completely fell in love with the characters of Katniss, Peeta, and even buttercup. I’ve been online trying to find a new book to start reading since last week and I just feel as though nothing is going to compare. This is the beauty of reading, and I know I will find another book and more characters to love. For now, at least I have the movies to look forward to, and please please please leave everything as it is in the books. I can’t express how disappointed I will be if that doesn’t happen.

"Katniss will pick whoever she thinks she can't survive without." mockingjay

This Sunday the first very small clip of the Hunger Games was released and you can see it here for yourself (its very short! too short!):

http://www.mtv.com/videos/movie-trailers/686022/the-hunger-games.jhtml#id=1669822

I also frequently visit http://www.myhungergames.com/ for all up to the moment upcoming news regarding the movies. It is where i found out what actors were casted, they also have possible official movie posters, and all the places you can check out interviews with the cast of  The Hunger Games.