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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
I decided to download this since I loved the Hunger Games series so much, and I wanted some further insight. A few of these essays are solid, decent write-ups of the themes. There wasn't anything here quite new or surprising, but I really enjoyed some of the essays on reality tv, the media representation the Iraqi war in context to the Hunger Games, and the one about Team Katniss (because the love triangle is the least priority in these books...).
There were some really boring essays included as well. They felt off the mark or excessively corny and pandering to teenage readers.
Enjoyable if you REALLY enjoy the Hunger Games, but not necessary reading.
There were some really boring essays included as well. They felt off the mark or excessively corny and pandering to teenage readers.
Enjoyable if you REALLY enjoy the Hunger Games, but not necessary reading.
3.5 stars
I received a free digital copy from the author/publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest feedback.
I actually didn't know this was a selection of essays discussing different themes in The Hunger Games. For some reason I always thought it was a selection of fan fiction written by other YA authors about THG. While I would have definitely loved some fan fiction, I did mostly enjoy reading other author's thoughts on the trilogy. I loved some more than others, in particular Sarah Rees Brennan's Why So Hungry for The Hunger Games?, Mary Borsellino's Your Heart Is a Weapon the Size of Your Fist which looks at how love is used as a political weapon throughout the series and also Gale: Knight, Cowboy, Badass by Jackson Pearce.
Not So Weird Science by Cara Lockwood and Bent, Shattered and Mended by Blythe Woolston were both interesting in the fact they were more studies into the realities of genetic engineering in our world today and then the real symptoms of PTSD and how it's portrayed in the book and which characters show the classic signs. Others like Ned Vizzini's Reality Hunger didn't click with me because, particularly with this one, the author ended up talking about stuff in their own life and I didn't really care. I think Vizzini could have talked about Katniss's media training without constantly mentioning his own experience of being through it.
Overall, it was an interesting read for the most part. I just felt a bit drawn out in some parts when some of the essays started mirroring each other slightly but it was a fantastic insight into how other authors can look and dissect a trilogy that became a phenomenon.
I received a free digital copy from the author/publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest feedback.
I actually didn't know this was a selection of essays discussing different themes in The Hunger Games. For some reason I always thought it was a selection of fan fiction written by other YA authors about THG. While I would have definitely loved some fan fiction, I did mostly enjoy reading other author's thoughts on the trilogy. I loved some more than others, in particular Sarah Rees Brennan's Why So Hungry for The Hunger Games?, Mary Borsellino's Your Heart Is a Weapon the Size of Your Fist which looks at how love is used as a political weapon throughout the series and also Gale: Knight, Cowboy, Badass by Jackson Pearce.
Not So Weird Science by Cara Lockwood and Bent, Shattered and Mended by Blythe Woolston were both interesting in the fact they were more studies into the realities of genetic engineering in our world today and then the real symptoms of PTSD and how it's portrayed in the book and which characters show the classic signs. Others like Ned Vizzini's Reality Hunger didn't click with me because, particularly with this one, the author ended up talking about stuff in their own life and I didn't really care. I think Vizzini could have talked about Katniss's media training without constantly mentioning his own experience of being through it.
Overall, it was an interesting read for the most part. I just felt a bit drawn out in some parts when some of the essays started mirroring each other slightly but it was a fantastic insight into how other authors can look and dissect a trilogy that became a phenomenon.
Great!!!! Fantistic and well written commentaries!
There are several articles on "reality" to the point where some ideas seemed to be a bit repetitive, but there are lots of interesting ideas. Good for fans of the series (of course).
These essays were great! None in particular, because they all kind of blended together, but there were some good point of views about different themes in The Hunger Games trilogy, and now I have more appreciation to Mockingjay. I don't hate it anymore, and I'm interested to read it again with a new mindset. I definiely recommend this book if you're at all a fan of the series.
If there is a book that deserves to have an anthology filled with authors' thoughts written for it, then that book is definitely the Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins. The Girl Who Was One Fire is exactly that: authors' take on the YA phenomenon that is the Hunger Games and what, according to them, made it such a huge success.
Personally I liked all the essays. Some were longer than others and they dragged just a little bit, giving me the impression that they were more of an analysis on the books rather than an expression of opinion on them.
Apart from that though, I was thrilled to see(it really showed)that the authors chosen are indeed huge fans of the HG and were not just doing it because they "had to", because it was just another job. I liked that they were very opinionated and passionate about the books. Sometimes I found myself thinking "Oh yeah.Hm I haven't thought of that, she's right!", and I was affected by what I read, discovering new perspectives on the matter I never thought about. There were times that I disagreed of course, because that's just me! I objected to the love triangle right from the start because I think that it's completely unnecessary to books like the HG which has such an important and deep story to tell. Also, I have my objections about Katniss's absolute selflessness but I'm not gonna dwell on this now. This book doesn't have a story so I can express my opinion about, it's a bundle of opinions ON a story. So judging other people's opinion is not the purpose of this review.
Each essay had a different "subject". There are essays on how love was used as a weapon, on specific characters (Katniss), on how media affected the games, on how Panem may seem fictional but with the progress of science everything is possible etc.
If I had to choose a favourite, it will have to be Carrie Ryan's essay(I kinda love Carrie Ryan so it's only natural) in which she makes an eye-opening connection between the HG and reality television. She claims that reality TV exists basically because of us, the viewers, because we're watching and by doing so we "increase the ratings, and as our interest wanes the shows must become "more" to recapture our attention-". She compares Survivor to Hunger Games and how the former became more brutal along the years. Since I'm a huge Survivor fan and have watched every season I have to say the comparison is perfectly accurate but in all honesty, I have never thought about it that way till Ryan pointed it out.
She concluded her essay with something sad but also very true:
"In the end, if there is one truth that can be taken away from the Hunger Games it is this: we, the reader tuned in and boosted its rating. Even while Katniss rails against the Games as disgusting and barbaric, we the readers turn the pages in order to watch them. We become the citizens in the Capitol, glued to the television, ensuring there will be another Game the following year. Thanks to us, the ratings are just too high to cancel the show."
This also goes hand in hand with what Sarah Rees Brennan says about the Romans "liking for bread and circuses-for instant gratification that would distract them from the harsher realities of life."
Overall, I liked The Girl Who Was On Fire and felt like I was discussing the Hunger Games with friends all over again. The moving and thought-provoking essays are a definite must-read for every Hunger Games fan!
Personally I liked all the essays. Some were longer than others and they dragged just a little bit, giving me the impression that they were more of an analysis on the books rather than an expression of opinion on them.
Apart from that though, I was thrilled to see(it really showed)that the authors chosen are indeed huge fans of the HG and were not just doing it because they "had to", because it was just another job. I liked that they were very opinionated and passionate about the books. Sometimes I found myself thinking "Oh yeah.Hm I haven't thought of that, she's right!", and I was affected by what I read, discovering new perspectives on the matter I never thought about. There were times that I disagreed of course, because that's just me! I objected to the love triangle right from the start because I think that it's completely unnecessary to books like the HG which has such an important and deep story to tell. Also, I have my objections about Katniss's absolute selflessness but I'm not gonna dwell on this now. This book doesn't have a story so I can express my opinion about, it's a bundle of opinions ON a story. So judging other people's opinion is not the purpose of this review.
Each essay had a different "subject". There are essays on how love was used as a weapon, on specific characters (Katniss), on how media affected the games, on how Panem may seem fictional but with the progress of science everything is possible etc.
If I had to choose a favourite, it will have to be Carrie Ryan's essay(I kinda love Carrie Ryan so it's only natural) in which she makes an eye-opening connection between the HG and reality television. She claims that reality TV exists basically because of us, the viewers, because we're watching and by doing so we "increase the ratings, and as our interest wanes the shows must become "more" to recapture our attention-". She compares Survivor to Hunger Games and how the former became more brutal along the years. Since I'm a huge Survivor fan and have watched every season I have to say the comparison is perfectly accurate but in all honesty, I have never thought about it that way till Ryan pointed it out.
She concluded her essay with something sad but also very true:
"In the end, if there is one truth that can be taken away from the Hunger Games it is this: we, the reader tuned in and boosted its rating. Even while Katniss rails against the Games as disgusting and barbaric, we the readers turn the pages in order to watch them. We become the citizens in the Capitol, glued to the television, ensuring there will be another Game the following year. Thanks to us, the ratings are just too high to cancel the show."
This also goes hand in hand with what Sarah Rees Brennan says about the Romans "liking for bread and circuses-for instant gratification that would distract them from the harsher realities of life."
Overall, I liked The Girl Who Was On Fire and felt like I was discussing the Hunger Games with friends all over again. The moving and thought-provoking essays are a definite must-read for every Hunger Games fan!
If you read my reviews of The Hunger Games books, you'll see that I did not read the series with any sort of scholarly thought. I just immersed myself in the story and read to the end. The authors who wrote these essays really thought about the concepts and the characters. Their essays reminded me of critical analysis papers I used to have to write in high school. But they were very interesting to read! Some were a bit repetitive, although I'm sure they didn't know what the others were going to write about. I enjoyed some more than others, but overall, I found these to be well-written and well-considered essays about a great series!
I particularly enjoyed the essays about the media (Reality Hunger by Ned Vizzini), Reality TV (Panem et Circensus by Carrie Ryan), science (Not so Weird Science by Cara Lockwood), fashion (Crime of Fashion by Terri Clark), and PTSD and the brain (Bent, Shattered, and Mended by Blythe Woolston). But, as I said, they were all interesting to read.
Now I need to reread the Hunger Games series! Although I bet the story will just grab me up again. I don't know how these authors did it! I'm impressed.
I particularly enjoyed the essays about the media (Reality Hunger by Ned Vizzini), Reality TV (Panem et Circensus by Carrie Ryan), science (Not so Weird Science by Cara Lockwood), fashion (Crime of Fashion by Terri Clark), and PTSD and the brain (Bent, Shattered, and Mended by Blythe Woolston). But, as I said, they were all interesting to read.
Now I need to reread the Hunger Games series! Although I bet the story will just grab me up again. I don't know how these authors did it! I'm impressed.
There are two parts to this collection.
The first part is the actual collection of essays. They're thoughtful, thought-provoking, and many cite works outside the Hunger Games trilogy, from Orwell to Greek historians. It's obvious that the subjects are something each author cares about and carefully researched, and not just a thrown-together gushing and spewing of tween catchphrases like Team Peeta! or Down with the Capitol!
My two favorites are "Team Katniss", which rightfully puts the Peeta v Gale issue as a tertiary--if not final--priority; and "The Politics of Mockingjay", which blatantly draws comparison between the downright heinous political acts of the Capitol and the very real, similar politics that have been happening in the past decade.
The second part of this book is the editorial foreword and short intros before each essay. Remember how I said I liked the essays because they were more than the ramblings of some daft teen whose main concern isn't the characters' survival or the frightening societal similarities, but who Katniss chooses as a boyfriend? The foreword can be boiled down to this: OMG, the Hunger Games is like, really popular, just like Harry Potter and Twilight!
Um. Seriously? You're writing the foreword for a collection of a dozen essays about how complex and important The Hunger Games is, including one that blatantly says the love triangle should, under no circumstances, be in the top concerns for Katniss, and you're comparing it to f***ing Twilight?
In the editorial intro to "Team Katniss", we're told that, for some readers, who Katniss chooses to be with is THE most important part of the story. But you know what? Those readers aren't interested in reading a collection of essays about The Hunger Games. Not unless it's a collection of Team Peeta and Team Gale debates.
The fact that these intros continue to sound like excerpts from Teen Beat undermines what the essays are trying to do: get people thinking about the major themes of the books and relate them to real-world problems with far-reaching consequences throughout history, for us, and for our future. To dumb down each essay into a short synopsis of monosyllabic words (ostensibly for those readers for whom the bf choice is MOST important), is to disrespect the authors, the story, Collins herself, and YA literature as a whole.
Am I reaching a little? Possibly. But to write about this series like it's a teen fad, when the essays are written to prove the opposite, is unforgivable to me.
Read the essays; avoid all editorial comments, foreword, and intros.
The first part is the actual collection of essays. They're thoughtful, thought-provoking, and many cite works outside the Hunger Games trilogy, from Orwell to Greek historians. It's obvious that the subjects are something each author cares about and carefully researched, and not just a thrown-together gushing and spewing of tween catchphrases like Team Peeta! or Down with the Capitol!
My two favorites are "Team Katniss", which rightfully puts the Peeta v Gale issue as a tertiary--if not final--priority; and "The Politics of Mockingjay", which blatantly draws comparison between the downright heinous political acts of the Capitol and the very real, similar politics that have been happening in the past decade.
The second part of this book is the editorial foreword and short intros before each essay. Remember how I said I liked the essays because they were more than the ramblings of some daft teen whose main concern isn't the characters' survival or the frightening societal similarities, but who Katniss chooses as a boyfriend? The foreword can be boiled down to this: OMG, the Hunger Games is like, really popular, just like Harry Potter and Twilight!
Um. Seriously? You're writing the foreword for a collection of a dozen essays about how complex and important The Hunger Games is, including one that blatantly says the love triangle should, under no circumstances, be in the top concerns for Katniss, and you're comparing it to f***ing Twilight?
In the editorial intro to "Team Katniss", we're told that, for some readers, who Katniss chooses to be with is THE most important part of the story. But you know what? Those readers aren't interested in reading a collection of essays about The Hunger Games. Not unless it's a collection of Team Peeta and Team Gale debates.
The fact that these intros continue to sound like excerpts from Teen Beat undermines what the essays are trying to do: get people thinking about the major themes of the books and relate them to real-world problems with far-reaching consequences throughout history, for us, and for our future. To dumb down each essay into a short synopsis of monosyllabic words (ostensibly for those readers for whom the bf choice is MOST important), is to disrespect the authors, the story, Collins herself, and YA literature as a whole.
Am I reaching a little? Possibly. But to write about this series like it's a teen fad, when the essays are written to prove the opposite, is unforgivable to me.
Read the essays; avoid all editorial comments, foreword, and intros.
Not the best Pop Smart book I've read, but certainly filled with some compelling and interesting essays. More than anything, it made me want to re-read The Hunger Games trilogy.