The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins - Review by Charlotte Zheng '29

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is arguably one of the best works of dystopian literature of all time—that is, decided by me and… you too, if you choose to read it after this splendid, amazing, fantastic, and honest book review.

The Hunger Games is quite literally what it sounds like. It is set in a nation, Panem, where many people starve or barely scrape together any food at all to survive. Within the aristocratic society, there’s a small group of wealthy elites known as the Capitol. Beneath the Capitol are the twelve Districts, each with separate roles and ranks, District 1 being the ‘highest’ and the bottom, District 12. Each year, Panem holds an event on July 4th in which two children between the ages 12 and 18, boy and girl, are chosen from each District to compete in a deadly arena to fight to the death, where pretty much all odds are against them—which is ironic, because as the saying goes, “may the odds be ever in your favor.” Welcome to the Hunger Games.

The story takes place prior to the 74th annual Hunger Games, centered around 16-year-old Katniss Everdeen from District 12. She’s been lucky enough to avoid being chosen, but this year, her odds are higher than ever with twenty entries due to the tesserae system. Despite that, Katniss has a more profound issue at large—her little sister Primrose has reached the first year of eligibility for the games. Katniss, once again, dodges the unruly fate, but Prim does not. Causing Katniss to volunteer as tribute in Prim’s place.

The male contender from District 12 is Peeta Mellark, also known as the bread boy—which is a niche reference you’ll understand once you indulge in this splendid, amazing, and fantastic book. Peeta and Katniss set forth on their journey, away from their District and to the Capitol, where they receive training and preparation. Sooner or later, the contrasts between the privileged and impoverished, reality and performance, and corruption of the government are revealed through a story of love, bravery, loss, and without fail, adversity.

The Hunger Games is more than just an epic story about a brooding 16-year-old girl and her experiences within a cruel society as she fights to survive. It reflects an adamant issue prominent in our own world—the wealthy elites which the media trains its attention on, whilst the marginalized remain tucked away. Sound familiar? The series has more than 100 million copies sold internationally and is a calling to an issue that must be addressed. And yet, nothing changes. Suzanne Collins’s message mustn’t be forgotten. She writes for a reason, with a purpose in mind. That’s what makes her writing the best of all time—it is more than just a book on the shelves, it is what our future could become if we don’t reverse the spiral our society is going down. We could become Panem. We could become the Hunger Games.