The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games, #1) in Random books

Aug 25, 2012 kyendwarrior rated it really liked it

Re-read 10/19/19 for the first time since I read this back in middle school, which was roughly when the book came out. Wow. Ten years later, I'm blown away by how much I missed back then. Decided to pick it up this weekend just for kicks (and also because I heard the prequel is coming!!!!), and I am shaken by the themes of this book, especially in light of how the world is today.

Some notes/thoughts- not a formal review at all and will definitely be messy.
- Katniss is an unreliable narrator and Re-read 10/19/19 for the first time since I read this back in middle school, which was roughly when the book came out. Wow. Ten years later, I'm blown away by how much I missed back then. Decided to pick it up this weekend just for kicks (and also because I heard the prequel is coming!!!!), and I am shaken by the themes of this book, especially in light of how the world is today.

Some notes/thoughts- not a formal review at all and will definitely be messy.
- Katniss is an unreliable narrator and realizing that has changed my view of this book/ series forever.
- Minor details I missed in the book, like Madge giving Katniss the pin and the connection between the two (I'm currently in the midst of re-reading Catching Fire)... and among others. I regret not immediately writing down other minor details, but I do remember the shivers when I realized how these details helped give clues into the reality of what was happening outside of Katniss's limited view.
- Katniss is very... passive??? This struck me a lot because when I first read this book years ago, that was not the impression I got from her. But reading it now, and comparing her to the hordes of YA characters I've read over the past years (and even just comparing her to the protagonists of Collins' other series), she's not very... driven?? That's not the word I'm looking for, nor is passive, but as I read the book I realized, how so much of the things she is experiencing is all just sort of coming to her?? Like I'm having trouble putting it in words, but Katniss seems to just happen to be in the wrong place at the right time (or maybe the right place at the right time) and just gets involved in everything. There are very few (if any) things that she actively does for the events of the first book to get propelled forward??? Will revisit this section to add more thoughts because I'm having trouble finding the right words to put it. She's not very action driven, and is only moved to action when the circumstances around her forces her too, like when she volunteered for her sister. And a lot of things just happen to her, like she doesn't actively seek it out... like her becoming the Mockingjay... or even surviving in the Hunger Games for that matter.
- In regards to the previous thought, actually, yea that makes sense, and I'm sure it was intentional. I always thought Katniss sort of fell into the "chosen one" trope, but not really. I mean yes she was chosen, but to be honest, she was nothing special. It really didn't have to be her. It could have been anyone. And maybe that's what Collins was getting at. If there are already things brewing, it doesn't take much for things to catch fire and explode. Katniss just happened to be that sacrifice, that spark...
- Because this book is in the perspective of Katniss, there are so many things we as the audience are missing out on. I have so many questions that I didn't have the first time I was reading, like who is Cinna? Why did he specifically request District 12? I'm sure I'll pick up more things as I continue my re-read of the series... Also, man, I'm excited for this prequel, but I also wish it was a prequel that would explain some of these characters and their motives.
- Also was Haymitch from the start, as well as Peeta, in some know how about the rebellion or the role Katniss was going to play?? How about Madge?? Her giving that pin seemed very intentional, and not just because it belonged to her aunt who had been killed in the arena. If it was intentional, why her??
- Another thing is I remember I really knocked on Katniss for being so sappy and broody about the two guys she liked, and being all self-righteous at the love triangle.... but re-reading this series now, 1) this is her perspective so it makes sense for us to constantly be in her head 2)I totally understand her, and she really isn't as broody/sappy about the two guys as I thought she did back then. I guess what I'm getting at is, I was too harsh on Katniss for a love triangle that wasn't even half bad and way too hyped up by real-life media...
- Which leads into my next point- how ironic that real-life media completely distorted and buried the actual themes of this book with their Team Gale/Team Peeta mess- which was what the Capitol did in the book (using Katniss and Peeta's relationship) as a way to bury the rebellion...

Perhaps these are all revelations that others caught the first time, but for me... I am totally blown away at the depth of this book. ...more

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