I wasn’t expecting much from a teen targeted, mass-marketed series (call me cynical, whatever). But I must say I was pleasantly surprised by the substance of Collins’s novels. All three books consider heavy and dark themes such as the role/treatment of children in society, the idea of oppression and revolution, and the circular nature of cruelty. All these topics are heavy and challenge the reader to imagine a different world and rethink our society.

No doubt, these books are plot-driven but they are also well-written and with a damn good plot. And who ever said, plot-driven books were bad? Screw the guy whoever said that. Every book I read in a matter of hours because every chapter propels you to read the next. Though I will admit, a lot of the plot is predictable and repetitive. For example, as smart as Katniss is about understanding encoded messages, I have no idea how she didn’t know Plutarch was a rebel in Catching Fire. She understands clearly that the mockingjay is the symbol of the rebellion but doesn’t put two-and-two together when he shows her the mockingjay in his watch. I know this was a clue for the reader to figure out but it was too obvious. But nevertheless, Catching Fire was my favourite book out of the series. As for repetition, a lot of the same events happen over and over like finding water in the Hunger Games and I don’t know how many times Katniss ends up in the hospital in Mockingjay.  However, major repetition in the larger plot, like the Hunger Games motif, is not tedious because Collins makes the situation completely different.

As I said before, Catching Fire was my favourite book out of the series because it evolves from the Hunger Games and drives an arrow (yes that was a pun) into the final book. The problem with the middle novel of a trilogy is that it has no real beginning or end, but Collins doesn’t find this a problem at all.

Even though, some of the plot is overly predictable, the books are still exciting, intriguing and thoughtful all at once. There is more to these books then just the plot and the classic love-triangle (which really becomes unimportant by the end), and I think its science fiction angle of the trilogy that makes these novels especially interesting.

I think it’s easy to forget that this trilogy belongs to the science fiction genre (partly because of the marketing of the series). All the action takes place in a post-western society, in a world with cross genetics, super plastic surgery, and questionable fashion statements. Collins seamless blends the unfamiliar with the familiar. And like all good science fiction, the novels provided messages about the world we live in today. In my reading of the books, I viewed the political system of Panem as a parable for the income inequality and wealth distribution of our society, or in other words, the 1% vs. 99% and subsequently the occupy movement. But hey, that’s just my take.

I’ve called this series both predictable and repetitive, which often is a bad thing but somehow I still recommend this series.  It’s a story of oppression, revolution, war, rebellion, defiance, survival, and confusion but, for a younger audience. It has real comments on the state of our world and the cost of revolution. If you are skeptical like I was, give it a try. It did not blow my 21-year old mind but it has meaning and substance. It has the ability to make you think.

Hunger Games – 3/5 Stars

Catching Fire – 3.5/Stars

Mockingjay – 3/5 Stars

For a long time, I was under the impression that as an English major and lover of books, there were certain writers l just had to read and be inspired by their words.  I had a long list of “must-reads” though I had no real interest in reading them except for the fact that these books were literary masterpieces.

Over the years, I’ve been told by various teachers and professors to develop a taste for James Joyce. And I’ve tried. But truthfully, I find him so daunting to read that it’s not enjoyable. I just think of Joyce as he is going blind, working on one sentence for hours and hours. I feel like I should take one day to read just one of his sentences to get the full impact. It’s daunting. Honestly, I never finished any of Joyce’s books because of the above reason and truthfully, I just didn’t connect to what he was writing. I never developed a taste for James Joyce as my literary teachers suggested. You know what? The fact that I don’t read James Joyce doesn’t affect me in any major way.

I slugged through many books that I really didn’t like or enjoyed just because they were books that I should read to grow as a reader and writer. I can appreciate the works for what they are (I have no doubt that Joyce is a brilliant writer) but these books were not for me. And you know what? That’s perfectly fine. As a lover of literature, it’s okay not to like every writer in the literary cannon. 

What I’m saying here is find writers, books, and genres that you want to read. You’ll waste a lot of your time on books people tell you to read. Read books you want to read.  To all those English majors out there, you don’t have to like everything. You don’t have to be inspired by everything. You don’t have to read everything. You can appreciate all literature but you don’t have to like it all. Liking all literature is like a musician liking every genre of music. A filmmaker loving every movie made. An architect every building ever built.

There are times in our academic careers where we will have to slug through books we don’t like. But recognizing you don’t like something only pushes you to find what you do like. If you don’t like a book or writer, find someone that you do like. Find a writer that inspires you, no matter if the literary community acclaims them or condemns them. I gave up on my list of “must-reads” a long time ago now and only read books that I enjoy. I’ve found that I love American Literature. Kurt Vonnegut is a personal obsession while the Beat generation owns my heart.

The point of this post is overly simple but I think is forgotten by a lot of literature lovers.  It perfectly fine and even admirable to admit you don’t like Joyce or Shakespeare or Austen or Conrad, as long as you can say what you do like.

So read what you want to read. Don’t let someone dictate to you what you should read. Find the most obscure author that you can find and say you like him/her more than anyone else in the literary cannon. Piss off the pretentious fellows with their copies of Chaucer and tell them with defiance you like Harry Potter more than any other book.  Read what you want to read. Love what you love. And don’t let anyone convince you otherwise.

All the time, I hear people say they trust no one or continually question who they can trust in this world. Truth is trust is involuntary most of the time. Every time you get on a bus, go to a doctor, or use paypal, you trust that someone knows what they are fucking doing. Trust is not something you think about most of the time. All the time, we trust people with our lives. And you know what? That’s completely fine to trust people so easily. The fact that we put so much trust into people we barely know is a sign of humanity. It’s an unspoken bond between humans that we can and will trust each other.

It’s only when we concern ourselves with matters of the heart that trust becomes a big issue. Trust and love; love and trust; we are most hurt by the people we thought we could trust. We can trust people with our lives every day but with our hearts and emotions– well that’s a different story. But as much as it hurts sometimes to trust people, we shouldn’t stop trusting. It is a sign of our faith in humanity. I rather someone stab me in the back a hundred times than never trust anyone ever again. We end up learning more about ourselves and others when trust is broken. If we guard ourselves too much, we will never live. And I would hate to come to the end of my life to find out that I never really lived.