To Read or Not to Read: The Hunger Games
Christian Fiction seems to be synonymous with Amish stories. Most Christian bookstores are filled with women in bonnets and stories about romance. You see little of swords, fantasy, monsters, dragons, blood, or action.
Yes, I know. The stores probably have C.S Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, Donita K. Paul, Ted Dekker, Bryan Davis, and Frank Peretti. But all of those examples can be sorted into two categories.The books they write are for younger children or middle school. The authors have been around for a while. Why haven’t there been more authors lately in the Christian arena that are producing great – or even good – fantasy or sci-fi?
This is one reason why I decided to write YA fantasy. I wanted to give Christian teens something better to read than the secular world. In case you didn’t know, there are some great YA novels out there – great story lines, great characters, great writing. Yet, many of them are filled with ungodly themes and ideals.
I thought I’d write something edgy. I wrote a fantasy set in a different world with evil, sword fights, chases, monsters, and...yikes...black magic that works. I thought this would be the edgy aspect. When I pitched it to editors, I saw panic in their eyes when I mentioned magic. I researched magic in the Bible and prepared defenses for when people grew wary. Yet, I’ve sold over 1,800 copies, and no one has even commented on the use of magic.
So, if I compare Toxic to Amish fiction, it’s edgy. But when people are buying it, they don’t find it that offensive. This makes me wonder what the general Christian population thinks is edgy.
Unless you’ve been living under a mountain, you’ve probably heard of The Hunger Games. The popular book series was turned into an even more popular movie. In my opinion, it is one of the best book-to-movie adaptations (The book is still better, though).
For those who don’t know, The Hunger Games takes place in the future after an unknown apocalyptic event. Now there is a wealthy Capital and twelve poorer districts. As punishment for a rebellion against the Capital, one boy and one girl between the ages of 12 and 18 from each district are selected by annual lottery to participate in the Hunger Games, an event in which the participants must fight in an arena until only one individual remains. The victor not only gets to live, but the district he or she is from gets food, something every poor district desperately needs.
I read it and saw the movie. It didn’t capture my heart the way Narnia or The Lord of the Rings did. However, I had a hard time putting the book done even with watching the movie first and knowing what was going to happen.
While I do not relish the idea of young teens killing each other, there was little else I found to protest about. There was a little romance and a bit of kissing, but that was it.
However, I have run across a large number of people who won’t let their kids read the book or watch the movie. I am well aware that I might be missing something, so I wanted to ask you...
What’s your opinion? As a Christian, is The Hunger Games a book we should shun or embrace? Why?
Yes, I know. The stores probably have C.S Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, Donita K. Paul, Ted Dekker, Bryan Davis, and Frank Peretti. But all of those examples can be sorted into two categories.The books they write are for younger children or middle school. The authors have been around for a while. Why haven’t there been more authors lately in the Christian arena that are producing great – or even good – fantasy or sci-fi?
This is one reason why I decided to write YA fantasy. I wanted to give Christian teens something better to read than the secular world. In case you didn’t know, there are some great YA novels out there – great story lines, great characters, great writing. Yet, many of them are filled with ungodly themes and ideals.
I thought I’d write something edgy. I wrote a fantasy set in a different world with evil, sword fights, chases, monsters, and...yikes...black magic that works. I thought this would be the edgy aspect. When I pitched it to editors, I saw panic in their eyes when I mentioned magic. I researched magic in the Bible and prepared defenses for when people grew wary. Yet, I’ve sold over 1,800 copies, and no one has even commented on the use of magic.
So, if I compare Toxic to Amish fiction, it’s edgy. But when people are buying it, they don’t find it that offensive. This makes me wonder what the general Christian population thinks is edgy.
Unless you’ve been living under a mountain, you’ve probably heard of The Hunger Games. The popular book series was turned into an even more popular movie. In my opinion, it is one of the best book-to-movie adaptations (The book is still better, though).
For those who don’t know, The Hunger Games takes place in the future after an unknown apocalyptic event. Now there is a wealthy Capital and twelve poorer districts. As punishment for a rebellion against the Capital, one boy and one girl between the ages of 12 and 18 from each district are selected by annual lottery to participate in the Hunger Games, an event in which the participants must fight in an arena until only one individual remains. The victor not only gets to live, but the district he or she is from gets food, something every poor district desperately needs.
I read it and saw the movie. It didn’t capture my heart the way Narnia or The Lord of the Rings did. However, I had a hard time putting the book done even with watching the movie first and knowing what was going to happen.
While I do not relish the idea of young teens killing each other, there was little else I found to protest about. There was a little romance and a bit of kissing, but that was it.
However, I have run across a large number of people who won’t let their kids read the book or watch the movie. I am well aware that I might be missing something, so I wanted to ask you...
What’s your opinion? As a Christian, is The Hunger Games a book we should shun or embrace? Why?
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