*Spoiler Alert: I'm going to talk about all three of the novels,
so if you haven't finished them yet, don't read any further! I also ruin
a couple other novels, so be careful.*
I'm not
one to give into trends just because everyone else is doing them. Just
because something is popular doesn't necessarily mean that it is good,
so before I read a trendy book or shell out the money to see a big-name
film, I check to see what critics are saying about it and how friends
with similar tastes feel. I put off reading Eat, Pray, Love because every Oprah-watching soccer mom I ever met swore by it, and I don't usually have the same tastes in books as they do; but after seeing the author speak in a TED talk, I gave the book a chance and loved it. I was anxious to read The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,
especially after a movie adaptation was announced, but after the advice
of a similar-minded friend who said "don't waste your time," I chose
not to read it.
So when everyone and their mother started talking about The Hunger Games,
I was only somewhat interested. Another YA trilogy about a teenage
girl? There are a million of those out right now, filling up the
somewhat depressing "Supernatural Romance" shelf in the teen section at
Barnes & Noble. Not worth my time. But then people started telling
me I needed to read it - people I majored in English with at college,
well-read people studying to be teachers, basically everyone who loved
the same books I did. So I decided to give it a chance, picked up a copy
at the bookstore - and read the first book in less than two days. I was
hooked.
I described the first novel to my sister as a cross between Harry Potter and The Giver.
Suzanne Collins writes much like J.K. Rowling, with simple fluid words,
captivating characters, and forward-marching plots that leave you
telling yourself, just one more chapter, then I'll stop for a while. And much like when I read Rowling's books, I couldn't put them down and devoured them almost all in one sitting. The Harry Potter series, The Giver, and The Hunger Games
trilogy have one pivotal thing in common: they are using the
experiences of a single character in order to teach the reader a much
larger lesson about life. Potter is about friendship, loyalty, doing what's right in the face of adversity. The Giver is about remembering your past, gaining knowledge, learning what it means to be human. The Hunger Games is about protecting the innocent, ending senseless wars, and doing what is right for your community.
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