Why I Wrote The Hunger Games Companion

I just wrote an email to somebody about the importance of Suzanne Collin's Hunger Games trilogy. Here's an excerpt:

Orwell's 1984 talks about repressive totalitarian regimes of the future with the aim of warning people about the present. When I first read the Hunger Games trilogy, I was struck by the fact that Collins' books also address the important political and social issues that we should all be thinking about now -- before it's too late.

The novels are beautifully written, as I note in various ways throughout The Companion - these are great works of fiction. As a novelist and short story author myself, I admire Suzanne Collins' work a great deal.

But the Hunger Games trilogy goes far beyond fiction, which is exactly why the books are so important.

They challenge readers to think about truth, about what's right and what's wrong. They challenge us to think about superficial attitudes versus getting up and doing something about what's wrong in our world. And there's an awful lot wrong in the world today.

I wrote The Hunger Games Companion to stimulate intellectual discussions about Suzanne Collins' brilliant trilogy. Hence, not only do I analyze characters and story, I include topics that are not covered elsewhere.