Hunger Games, The
Collins, SuzanneEvery year, the twelve districts of Panem (the remains of North America) hold the 'Hunger Games', a reality TV show like no other. Pitted against one another, the tributes, twelve girls and twelve boys, compete to determine the future prosperity of their regions. But the price is high; it is a fight to the death. Katniss Everdeen has the dubious honour of representing District 12 in this year's games…This deceptively simple and accessible story immerses you in a future that is all too possible. The story is fast-paced, populated with dynamic characters and overflowing with complex and sophisticated moral questions. As gripping as it is thought-provoking. [Larger font]
Comments from Groups
Good book enjoyed by all. Good discussion regarding ethnic cleansing, revisiting a "holocaust", racial domination by one group, sect or religion. Auckland 183 Very good easy quick read. Many read the next two books in series. A recommended read. Feilding 003 We all thoroughly enjoyed the book. Lots of suspense. Probably the most discussion we have had so far. Ohope 005 Excellent adolescent fiction. Whangarei 008 Great read, enjoyed more than expected! Auckland 160
Pages
454
454
Year
2008
2008
Reviews
28-11-2023
This one took us by surprise. Several members were reluctant to read it because they thought it would be grim or childish, but several reported once they started they couldn't put it down. Wish there had been books like this around when we'd been teens.
28-11-2023
Great trepidation about reading this book but we were glad we had. The violence was not as bad as in 'Lord of The Flies'! Much discussion about why characters acted as they did and parallels drawn between events in Roman times, World War II and Cambodia.
23-11-2023
The group in general, didn't particularly enjoy reading the book but found they were drawn in by the storyline and had to keep reading!! Most of us would like to read the second book to see what happens next.
23-11-2023
Everyone in our group loved The Hunger Games - many thought it was the best book of the year.
23-11-2023
Book was enjoyed, and is recommended. Lots of discussion.
23-11-2023
Only half the group read this - the others found the topic too distasteful to spend emotional energy on. Those who read it were very impressed by the quality of the writing and by how engaging and relatable the characters were.
05-07-2019
Mixed reviews on this book from members. Some of us enjoyed the book and found it an easy, quick read. Others found it too gruesome and some were unable to finish the book. We can see how it is very popular with teenage readers.
05-07-2019
A very enjoyable book and group discussion. A few were uncomfortable with this dystopian story forcing young people to fight to the death. Bot overall a multi-layered story, with a stinging relevance to today's world of celebrity and reality TV etc.
05-07-2019
We were all surprised how much we enjoyed this book. A real page-turner! There are so many layers to the story. It holds a mirror up to our modern society, and reflects how the 1st world countries treat the 3rd world countries, as well as how we treat/use our fellow human beings.
05-07-2019
Contrary to our expectations we all enjoyed this book!! We wondered what genre it fitted into. It provoked a lot of discussion about the callousness of actual societies, and actual events, both historical and current.
05-07-2019
Thoroughly enjoyed by all. Excellent discussion.
05-07-2019
We all loved the book and had to go on and read books 2 and 3! Very compelling reading and all the richer for being psychologically believable too. The best book we've read as a group since 'Burial Rites' by Hannah Kent.
05-07-2019
Most of the group loved it. Challenging content, but very engaging. Un-put-downable.
05-07-2019
Mixed feedback. Some enjoyed it immensely, others found the style and/or subject matter irritating or challenging. The first person style was particularly disliked by some. Good discussion about the applicability of the themes to current and past times. Many of us have young adult children who have read the book, and we enjoyed discussion about their perspectives.