Hunger Games Review

Rebecca asked me to read Hunger Games for her and give her a review before she finished reading it, due to some concerns from friends over the book, so here it is:

Hunger Games, in my opinion, is a great book for debate and discussions with teens and adults. There are some very good parallels in the book to our world and our society. It is also disturbing, concerning, and quite horrid in some ways. It is NOT something I would want to see in a movie, though I can see how it could be used to illustrate the underlying principles therein. They would have to take out and alter some things to make it appropriate as a movie and it kind of re-enforces some of the points as to what I think the author might be trying to portray. It is definitely a teen and older book and really should be discussed with an adult if a teen is reading it.
Suzanne Collins is a writer whom I think has a lot to say about war and the effects it has on those coming of age. No matter how you cut it, war is awful. The physical and mental horror that is seen on a daily basis in countries in the midst of war can only be understood by those who have lived it. The decisions and actions one takes out of fear, hunger, and survival can only be judged by a higher power than we have here on earth.
Some of the things I got from the book ( I've only read the first one so far) are:

1. Hunger- Do any of us really know what hunger is to the extent in this book? In our country, probably not the majority. We are like the Capitol in the book in this area. We are well-fed, have an abundance, are blessed with the latest technology and entertainment venues. We are ignorant of nations that are malnourished and fighting hunger on a daily basis. If we plucked one of them up and put them in our home, they would be astounded by the luxury and wealth we have.
2. The effects of oppressive governments and lack of freedom on people. Rebellion seems insurmountable after years and years of being ruled by fear and depravity. Atrocity is tolerated out of fear. There is great danger in going against authority. This principle of authority can be seen in all cultures. We are taught from the time we are little to respect and follow authority. Those that have the authority, often misuse it. We can see this in our society in government and in our medical industry for examples. If a doctor tells you that have something, do you question it? Do you question the treatment? Most don't. If you do, you are labeled as a rebel or an extremist. This is true for any action of going against authority. We need to learn to recognize what is righteous authority and what is not and be willing to fight against things that would take away our basic human rights.
3.The desensitization towards violence and immoral behaviors in our society. Guess what the biggest industry is that has brought about our desensitization? The entertainment industry. It's all about the ratings and what the audience wants, no matter the human degradation involved. You can flip on the TV or go to a movie theater at any given time or day and see horrific violence and immorality. Rewind 50 years and you would see a whole different picture. We have reality TV programs now and some of them are not so nice. Hunger Games is like a Survivor season gone horribly wrong. Ask yourself, if an actual, literal Hunger Games was televised on TV, and it wouldn't affect you (we're the Capitol, remember) then would you watch it? Do you know people who would? I personally would be horrified, but I know many who would watch it, if just to see how horrible it was. If we were taught for 70 years about how this needed to be done in order to maintain the peace of the society and keep the rebellious factions under control, would we accept it and even cheer and endorse it? If we were one of the hungry participants who were forced to survive in the games, would we fight for our families and town to have food and rewards? or would we lay down our life and refuse to participate? If we were the only one refusing, would it make a difference? Would it bring more deprivation and horror down upon our family? How do you fight such oppression?
The state of our entertainment industry says a lot about our society and where it is heading. 
4. The Hunger Games touched on sponsors and the unfair advantages that certain districts had over others. This is also seen in our society and world. Even though, district 12 was seen as the worst and they were unsure of getting any sponsors, I saw a clear advantage that Katniss had in that she knew how to hunt, pick edible plants, and was used to hunger and survival. If someone were to pluck me up and put me in a starving war-torn nation, how long do you think I'd survive? We need to be prepared and learn basic survival skills. One thing Hunger Games showed that was positive was that even the worst, the outcast, the underdog, can rise above and prevail.
5. The last thing I can think of that stood out to me as I read it was the lengths that one can go in order to survive. Sometimes, it's not pretty, but if you have a purpose you can go far. Whether it be a promise to a loved one or a mission you have to fulfill, if you have a purpose you will fight to survive. Read Man's Search for Meaning if you want a good example.
6. There was also the classic struggle of a teen not knowing what love was or if/who she loved. Her focus was always survival and doing what it took to stay alive. I think I would be just as conflicted. Like she made mention of, why get married and have kids that you might have to watch get killed in the games some day? She shielded herself from having to make a strong connection with someone. I don't blame her.

As a wrap-up, I think the book is a great discussion piece. There is no sex and the violence is tame compared to some. There was one scene that was atrocious to me, but comparing it to books like Twilight, it was pretty tame. In fact, if you were to read actual accounts of wars, particularly the atrocities performed in WWII and how they treated the Jews, you would find this extremely tame, especially considering that this is fiction and that wasn't. We know humans are capable of great atrocity. Take the Romans and the practice of crucifixion for example. There is always going to be good and evil in the world and we need to learn how to navigate it and choose the better part.  We need to learn how to prevent similar things happening in our world and our society as was depicted in this book and maybe even help where we can with the things that are already here in our society and world. If we do not educate ourselves, how can we be anything but ignorant. How can we expect to be a solution if we do not know the problem?
That said, it still comes down to what I always say, you have to follow your own spirit and what it is sensitive to. If you are lucky enough to not have been de-sensitized by the media, then you will be more attune to what is good and what is bad, for you personally. It takes a lot more work to get something out of your head than it does to put it in.
What I always tell my children: If something you read, watch, or listen to makes you uncomfortable or gives you a bad feeling deep inside, then STOP what you are doing!

Just some musings

Prosperity comes with education but not necessarily with what society deems as education, aka college degrees. Some of the most prosperous individuals did not have a college education. Free enterprise, inventiveness, creativity, experience, mentorships, studying/learning from the masters, are education and are needed in our society. Everyone has a talent. Everyone has a purpose. Everyone is unique and can contribute to society. What I see a lot of are people numb to the spirit and those stirrings that urge them to do good and share and multiply their talents. They are gliding through life wanting, and in America especially, expecting an easy path, a free ride, with the smallest work possible. Socialism therefore looks good to them. They have no idea the loss of freedom it entails. You can be "poor" by societies standards and still be happy and fulfilled in life. Prosperity does not only equate to money. The problem comes when you are not happy in your situation and seek to drag others down with you. Another large part of the problem is those who are not educated as to the government, the reasons why we have our freedom, the understanding of the constitution, history, and the different forms of government and how they are instituted and incorporated into a society. They don't teach this stuff anymore in public education- they do the general but not the depth and understanding. A lot of kids think we live in a democracy, which we don't or at least it was not intended to be. We are a republic. Our children are lucky if they can even say the pledge of allegiance in school anymore. A lot of teens don't even know the definition of socialism or communism. Our education system is falling apart and it doesn't require more money to reform it. It requires good leaders and a new method of presentation. We need to switch from training a working class to training good leaders and individuals who know how to think and create, and follow those feelings within them that lead them to do what they were intended to do in their life, whether it be delivering mail, baking cakes, healing others, or leading a country. :)