Hungry for more?

I have just finished reading The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. Before you point out that it is not exactly an adult book I would like to point out that reading should be for pleasure, and when my mind has been invaded by the UK constitution and about one thousand Cabinet members, I feel like reading a book that is not too challenging. So for two days I cast aside Anna Karenina (yes I am still reading it, I swear) and picked up The Hunger Games, and I do not regret it.

The novel follows the story of Katniss Everdeen who lives in the post-apocalyptic country of Panem, which is where North America used to stand, in the poorest of areas; District 12. The Hunger Games are an annual televised event shown in every district in Panem, organised by the omnipotent and cruel government in the Capitol, where one male and one female "tribute" from each  of the twelve Districts are put in an arena and forced to fight until only one victor remains alive. Think Big Brother but with killing rather than challenges and more intelligent contestants. Katniss volunteers to enter the Games in place of her younger sister and is forced to take part in the contest she had tried her whole life to avoid.

I think that part of the brilliance of the novel lies not only in the creativity of the idea but also in the way Collins creates a very real and understandable environment for the reader. Despite the entirely different world that the book is set in, it is not a place completely divorced from our lives in the 21st Century. Before the "tributes" take part in The Hunger Games they are put through rapid media training and have an image recreation, they are manipulated by those around them to project an image that is meant to gain them favour with the public. The same thing happens with celebrities today, especially the 'flash-in-the-pan' or '30 seconds of fame' type celebrities that are produced by reality TV shows, where your image is everything. Whilst reading it I felt appalled at all the people of Panem who just let this happen every year and sit back and watch children kill each other and themselves for enjoyment, but is that not just a few steps down the line from watching I'm a Celebrity...Get me out of here! ? Obviously I am aware there is a difference between eating bugs and eating a human because you are starving (an example from the book not my head!) but the passivity displayed by the spectators is definitely not alien to our modern times.

The Hunger Games is currently being made into a movie. It is being directed by Gary Ross (Seabiscuit, Pleasantville) and will star Jennifer Lawrence (yes the one who got an Oscar nomination for her first movie last year,) Josh Hutcherson (Little Manhattan, Bridge to Terabithia) and Liam Hemsworth (The Last Song, Miley Cyrus' ex.) If you have read this book then you will understand why I am incredibly excited about the movie, it has everything that could make a fantastic film, provided they don't deviate too much from the story itself.


Just an afterword:
I realise this post may have come across as a rant against reality TV, but let me assure you, I love many reality TV shows, especially X-Factor, The Bachelor and Shipwrecked. All three are balls of vacuous wonderfulness!

By Talia