The Hunger Games

I usually have enough self-control to put down a book and get some sleep, but this was not the case with The Hunger Games by Suzanna Collins. In fact, my rest was the last thing on my mind through the gripping story of survival and love. The book begins in a post-apocalypse type of world in North America. There is the Capital, the ruling and ruthless center of the remaining world which hold dominion over the twelve districts that surround it by not only forcing them to live in poverty thus showing how much power and control the Capital has, but by forcing each district to participate in the Hunger Games. The games are an annual event in which each district sends one boy and one girl to be 'tributes' and fight the other chosen children until there is only one left alive. This tribute will gain wealth and comfort for themselves and their family for the rest of their lives.

This story revolves around Katniss, a young girl struggling to support her sister and mother after her father passed away in a coal-mining accident. She took what she learned from her father and hunts in the woods outside of her district, District 12, risking her life every day by breaking the law in order to support her family. When the day comes to choose tributes, her sister is chosen and, in order to save her, Katniss offers to have herself to go instead. This is allowed and Katniss, along with the boy tribute Peeta, begin a journey to the Capital and are forced to go through all the formalities of the games, and then are put into an arena where they must fight to survive.

That's as much as I am willing to divulge on the storyline since it is a book I would highly suggest everyone to read. It was a gripping story even before the games begun as Katniss struggles with her fear and tries to understand the motives behind everyones actions. Once the games begun though, I could not put the book down. The story moved from action to survival to relationship in such a way that not one subject was overdone. Each chapter held some new development and I had to keep reading in order to find out what happens next. Even now that I am done, I feel the need to go buy the next book (so far there are three). I could relate to the main character, which I always think makes a book more interesting, and I lost myself completely in the story.

Also, this book should definitely be made into a movie. It would be incredible.

Go read it.

Now.