recently someone told me “the hunger games is pretty much just a more glorified twilight.” i tried to keep my cool but i’m pretty sure i was noticeably angry…which is a little embarrassing. but really twilight sucks and the hunger games do not.

except people are entitled to their opinions and i guess they are written for the same demographic and blah blah blah.

BUT what i loved about the hunger games is that i felt like it really made you think…like how far away are we really from doing something this ugly? granted there’s a semi-cheesy love story involved and other teenager-y things but the story, in my opinion is pretty solid and has potential to really get kids thinking. 

i was already a pretty huge fan, but we are studying this book in my YA lit class and today i learned a couple things about the series which really makes me love them even more.

first, the books are loosely based on a story from Greek mythology. as punishment for displeasing Crete, Athens would have to send 7 boys and 7 girls to be thrown into a labyrinth with the Minotaur who would eventually kill/eat them. Suzanne Collins said she was really struck by the ruthlessness of Crete when she read this as a child and it stuck with her all through her life…the idea of people being that cruel for power.

also, the main idea for the story came one night while she was watching tv and noticed in America we can so easily change the channels from young people competing on reality and game shows, to footage of young people fighting overseas. and that this is just a part of life for us…because we feel we are not directly affected. but then she remembered when her father was fighting in vietnam during her childhood, just the mention of the war would terrify her…because someone she loved was there. she says “if there’s a real life tragedy unfolding, you should not be thinking of yourself as an audience member because those are real people on the screen and they’re not going away when the commercials start to roll” 

sorry to get so excited about it…i just really think they are wonderful books.