Though it is Young Adult fiction, many adults have become big fans of The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins. In fact, the series was recommended to me by a colleague that just celebrated her 50th.
I have, so far, read the first two books of the trilogy, The Hunger Games and Catching Fire. Collins has done a great job of illustrating the post-apocalyptic dystopian future where North American society has been reduced to the Capitol and it's 12 subservient and impoverished districts that each produce or mine a specific resource or commodity, such as diamonds or coal. Each year the Capitol holds a draw in each district, choosing one male child and one female child, to compete to the death in the Hunger Games. The winner, is rewarded with a life time of wealth.
In her district, Katniss is chosen and makes her mark by winning the games and inadvertantly inciting a growing rebellion, represented by the Mockingay (hybrid bird) against the Capitol.
Collin's, herself, has written and produced the movie version that will come out on March 23, 2012. Hopefully, it will avoid the mistakes that many film adaptations tend to make and stay true to the original story. Katniss is played by Jennifer Lawrence, who you will recognize as the young Mystique in Xmen: First Class. From the previews, she looks like a pretty accurate Katniss, though, I never imaged the protagonist as having permanent superpout.
I recommend the books first, then the movie, but the decision is yours!
Other fight-to-the-death/survival-games type films and stories come to mind: Death Race 2000, The Running Man, and Gamer. Help me complete the list by posting other related movies or books in the comments section below.
As for Mockingjay, it is waiting on my shelf. As soon as I get a chance I'll dive into it. In the meantime, I'm going to list it on the Book Club page to, hopefully, get a discussion going in the comments section below!!!
Some discussion questions to start us off (assuming that you have read the first two books of the series):
I have, so far, read the first two books of the trilogy, The Hunger Games and Catching Fire. Collins has done a great job of illustrating the post-apocalyptic dystopian future where North American society has been reduced to the Capitol and it's 12 subservient and impoverished districts that each produce or mine a specific resource or commodity, such as diamonds or coal. Each year the Capitol holds a draw in each district, choosing one male child and one female child, to compete to the death in the Hunger Games. The winner, is rewarded with a life time of wealth.
In her district, Katniss is chosen and makes her mark by winning the games and inadvertantly inciting a growing rebellion, represented by the Mockingay (hybrid bird) against the Capitol.
Collin's, herself, has written and produced the movie version that will come out on March 23, 2012. Hopefully, it will avoid the mistakes that many film adaptations tend to make and stay true to the original story. Katniss is played by Jennifer Lawrence, who you will recognize as the young Mystique in Xmen: First Class. From the previews, she looks like a pretty accurate Katniss, though, I never imaged the protagonist as having permanent superpout.
I recommend the books first, then the movie, but the decision is yours!
As for Mockingjay, it is waiting on my shelf. As soon as I get a chance I'll dive into it. In the meantime, I'm going to list it on the Book Club page to, hopefully, get a discussion going in the comments section below!!!
Some discussion questions to start us off (assuming that you have read the first two books of the series):
- How well do you feel the title of this book fits with the content?
- District 13 is revealed in this book. How is it different from what you expected?
- Do you believe that Katniss was exploited as the figurehead of the war?
- How do you feel about Katniss' decision to end the war?
- Who were the ultimate victims of the story?
- What was the underlying message?
- Your thoughts on the upcoming movie version of the Hunger Games?
the hunger games...eh. Im hungry for ice and fire
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