The Hunger Games PDF review Ebook
by Suzanne Collins
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The novel takes place in a post-apocalyptic world in the nation of Panem, a shining
Capitol surrounded by twelve poorer districts. Long ago the districts waged war on the
Capitol and were defeated by disease and famine. As part of the surrender terms, each
district agreed to send one boy and one girl between the ages of 12 and 18 to appear in an
annual televised event called, "The Hunger Games," a fight to the death on live TV.
Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, a girl from District 12, regards it as a death sentence
when she is forced to represent her district in the Games. The terrain, rules, and level of
audience participation may change but one thing is constant: kill or be killed.
Also participating from District 12 is Peeta Mellark, a baker's son whom Katniss knows
from school and who once gave her bread when her family was starving.
Katniss and Peeta are taken to the Capitol, where their mentor, Haymitch Abernathy, a
former Hunger Games victor, instructs them to learn about the other tributes. They are
then publicly displayed to the Capitol audience. During this time, Peeta reveals on-air his
long-time unrequited love for Katniss. Katniss believes this to be a ploy to gain audience
support for the Games, which can be crucial for survival, as audience members are
encouraged to send gifts like food, medicine, and tools to favored tributes during the
Games. The Games begin with eleven of the 24 tributes dying in the first day, while Katniss
relies on her well-practiced hunting and outdoor skills to survive. As the games continue,
the tribute death toll increases. Days later, Katniss develops a short alliance with a twelve
year-old girl from District 11, Rue, who reminds Katniss of her sister Prim. When Rue is
killed by another tribute, Katniss shoots him through the side of the neck with one of her
arrows and comforts dying Rue. She sings to her, and then spreads flowers all over her
body as a sign of disgust towards the Capitol.
Supposedly due to Katniss and Peeta's beloved image in the minds of the audience as
"star-crossed lovers," a rule change is announced midway through the games, stating that
two tributes from the same district can win the Hunger Games as a pair. Upon hearing
this, Katniss searches for Peeta and finds him wounded. She nurses him back to health and
acts the part of a young girl falling in love to gain more favor with the audience and,
consequently, gifts from her sponsors. When the couple are finally the last two tributes,
the Gamemakers suddenly reverse the rule change and try to force them into a dramatic
finale, where one must kill the other to win. Katniss, in the hopes that the Gamemakers
would rather have two victors than none, retrieves the poison berries called “nightlock”
from her pouch and offers some to Peeta. Upon realizing that Katniss and Peeta mean to
commit suicide, the Gamemakers announce that both will be the victors of the 74th
Hunger Games.
Though she survives the ordeal in the arena and is treated to a hero's welcome in the
Capitol, Katniss is warned by Haymitch that she has now become a political target after
defying her society's authoritarian leaders so publicly. Afterwards, Peeta is heartbroken to
learn that their relationship was at least partially a calculated ploy to earn sympathy from
the audience, although Katniss remains unsure of her own feelings.
What I liked most about the book is its premise: in a maybe-distant-not-distinguishable
future, Katniss, our heroine, finds herself participating in the ultimate reality TV show--a
fight to the death. With a little romance, humor among the carnage, and an interesting
new future set up, Collins' first book of the Hunger Games series is unforgettable. The
language was fluid and engaging. The target audience is teenagers or young adults. I
certainly couldn't put the book down from beginning to end. This is one of the better
books that I've read in a while, and it certainly deserved all the press and awards that it's
received.
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