Pop Culture Journalism Class Blog

By Zohra Alnoor

The latest science-fiction phenomenon since Harry Potter and Twilight is set in a post-apocalyptic world that, unfortunately, none of today’s tech-savvy and spoon-fed youth would probably ever survive in. Suzanne Collins created the world of The Hunger Games, and has since written two more wildly popular books in the series following the life of 16-year-old, Katniss Everdeen.

The book is written in first-person, from Katniss’s perspective. She explains how brutal the people within The Capitol are, which is the country of Panem’s only modern and wealthy metropolis.  The rest of the country is made up of 12 states known as “Districts” that are extremely poor.

Once every year, The Capitol holds a competition called the Hunger Games, where one boy and one girl from every District between the ages of 12 and 18 are randomly selected and forced to participate. They’re then placed in a large outdoor arena where their every move is filmed and televised to all of Panem. Once in the arena, they must fight to the death. Whoever lives, wins. But there can only be one winner. No exceptions.

The book’s pace begins to quicken once Katniss’s 12-year-old sister Primrose is selected in what The Capitol disgustingly calls the annual “lottery.” Without hesitation, Katniss volunteers herself as a tribute, otherwise known as a ‘participant,’ for the Hunger Games in her sister’s place.
“I cried reading that part. I swear, it feels as if you’re Katniss when you’re reading that chapter,” said Madina Zamani, 21, a junior majoring in Biology at George Mason University. Zamani has a large group of female friends that sit on campus together and talk about The Hunger Games constantly.
“We were obsessed with Harry Potter in middle school, with Twilight in high school, and now The Hunger Games in college,” said Hanaa Garad, 20, a junior majoring in Health Systems & Management at GMU.

The book takes you through the dangers that Katniss must face in the Hunger Games arena, from booby traps, to venomous insects, and of course, the 23 other tributes that she must defeat, including the male tribute from District 12, who has a romantic interest in her. Can she trust him and fall for someone that must ultimately kill her? This question is just one of the many mysteries in the book.

The excitement you will feel while the story unfolds is unexplainable. Collins has created strong characters with great character development throughout the story. You become so attached to Katniss’s character as you progress through the story and feel as if you’re in her shoes through every step of the Games. The book was extremely entrancing and had one of the most compelling plot lines that I’ve read in quite a while. The creative, futuristic world of Panem amazes me and the concept of The Hunger Games grabbed my attention. It was a thrill while it lasted, but now it’s on to the second book for me. I’m more than ready to get lost in the world of the Hunger Games once again.

If you’re looking for a good read with in-depth characters, amazingly detailed writing, something that will tug at your heart strings, make you laugh and have you at the edge of your seat all at the same time, then pick up The Hunger Games and you can finally rid yourself of that sparkly fairy and what’s-her-face.

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