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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
This is a great tie-in to the series. Both you and your teens will enjoy it!
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Not quite what I thought it would be - but interesting nonetheless.
A really cool collection of essays that analyse on Suzanne Collin’s Hunger Games series. Very thoughtful and insightful in their opinions on what the books are about in the world of Katniss, and what it says about our own. Would recommend this (but first read the Hunger Games Books of course) to those who believe that the Hunger Games is just about a love triangle, or a rip off of Battle Royale.
Like any book of essays from various sources, this is somewhat uneven - but that also probably means that there's something for almost any big fan of the Hunger Games. My favorites were the ones talking about the parallels between the books and real life reality TV. A few of these essays substitute plot summary for analysis, which is, of course, less interesting.
Ik ben normaal gesproken helemaal niet zo van essays en thema's uitwerken van boeken en al helemaal niet van het lezen daarvan, maar ik kon Panem gewoon niet loslaten en heb dit boek er dus toch maar bijgepakt. En daar was ik blij mee! Het was interessant en focuste op hele leuke, minder leuke, maar altijd superinteressante onderwerpen. Af en toe wetenschappelijk benaderd, af en toe literair, af en toe politiek. Het was in elk geval heel afwisselend en het lezen waard.
En nu is het tijd om de diepgang van Panem even los te laten en alleen nog maar bezig te zijn met hoe leuk, lief, schattig en hot Peeta wel niet is ;-) Want ook al gaat het niet om Team Peeta, Team Gale of zelfs Team Finnick. Af en toe is het fijn om het luchtig te houden!
En nu is het tijd om de diepgang van Panem even los te laten en alleen nog maar bezig te zijn met hoe leuk, lief, schattig en hot Peeta wel niet is ;-) Want ook al gaat het niet om Team Peeta, Team Gale of zelfs Team Finnick. Af en toe is het fijn om het luchtig te houden!
A light complement to the megasuccess that is the Hunger Games trilogy. Perfect for readers who want more about the characters, the world, the society, but who do not want to be mired in academic-speak or in-depth research. And, uh, I admit to wanting more academic-speak. A lot more academic-speak. This book is a decent addition to one's Hunger Games readings but doesn't really go in depth into what Collins' dystopic world has to offer us. Perhaps in the future we will see actually academic essays on this trilogy.
Any fan of The Hunger Games needs to read this. Wow. It's like having a conversation with friends who also love the series. Very intelligent, witty, and snarky friends.
The different essays are brilliantly written. They cover everything from the ridiculousness of Team Peeta vs Team Gale (Thank you for that, Jennifer Lynn Barnes), the fashions in comparison to real world pop culture fashion, the politics as compared to the Iraq war, and, of course, how awful Jersey Shore is.
Not one of these essays disappointed me. If these authors only participated to shill their personal novels, they succeeded. I plan to look up each of them, and read at least one novel by each. They have earned that respect.
The different essays are brilliantly written. They cover everything from the ridiculousness of Team Peeta vs Team Gale (Thank you for that, Jennifer Lynn Barnes), the fashions in comparison to real world pop culture fashion, the politics as compared to the Iraq war, and, of course, how awful Jersey Shore is.
Not one of these essays disappointed me. If these authors only participated to shill their personal novels, they succeeded. I plan to look up each of them, and read at least one novel by each. They have earned that respect.
Editor Leah Wilson has collected a series of thirteen essays from various young adult authors, each addressing a different aspect of The Hunger Games trilogy.
How do I put this? I'm not really a huge analyzer of books. Sure, I write plenty of reviews, but in those I just write what I liked (or not) and why. That's really about as far as I go. Back in my English class days, I could produce solid essays but since graduating, I've gotten to be a lazy reader. I'll occasionally think about the more obvious themes in a book, but then I pick up the next one and move on. This collection impressed me because of the amount of thought that went into each and every essay. I had mused briefly about some of the topics, I think my sister and I even discussed a few of them, but these authors all went above and beyond in their analyses.
My favorite was "Team Katniss" by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. This was one essay that overlapped with a conversation my sister and I had. Why "Team Peeta" or "Team Gale"? Why not "Team Katniss"? Katniss is pretty freaking awesome on her own. Barnes presents her argument better than Rachel or I ever did. I just loved it.
I also really enjoyed "Community in the Face of Tyranny" by Bree Despain. I don't recall thinking much about the (lack of) community in the world of Panem. Despain argues that part of Katniss's magic comes from her ability to foster a sense of community wherever she goes. It's true, and I liked it.
At first, I thought entries by Cara Lockwood and Terri Clark were a little more light-hearted but even these surprised me with their depth. Lockwood writes about the "Not So Weird Science" of Panem and how these far-fetched "muttations" could become realities sooner than we think. She also addressed the need for science to look at the consequences of genetic engineering and not just "Can we do it?" Clark writes about a "Crime of Fashion" and the role that Katniss's looks, and Cinna's hand in them, played in the series. How far would Katniss have gotten without Cinna? Sure, we the readers love her, but she would probably have been largely overlooked if she'd first appeared in a humdrum coal mining outfit.
I feel the need to mention "The Politics of Mockingjay" by Sarah Darer Littman. It draws blatant parallels between the politics of the War on Terror and the politics of Panem. I enjoyed reading it, but I know it will completely turn off some readers with different political beliefs. I was surprised to read this in a book aimed at young adults, but we all need to be aware of what's going on in the world around us.
There's a sequence of essays that leads from reality vs unreality to reality tv to the power of the media and those all kind of blended together for me. I can't say that any were badly written, but I had, surprisingly enough, considered most of this while I was reading the trilogy. They started to overlap and get repetitive.
Fans who just can't get enough of The Hunger Games trilogy should enjoy reading this. It's thought-provoking and informative, and will probably leave you ready to re-read the books.
How do I put this? I'm not really a huge analyzer of books. Sure, I write plenty of reviews, but in those I just write what I liked (or not) and why. That's really about as far as I go. Back in my English class days, I could produce solid essays but since graduating, I've gotten to be a lazy reader. I'll occasionally think about the more obvious themes in a book, but then I pick up the next one and move on. This collection impressed me because of the amount of thought that went into each and every essay. I had mused briefly about some of the topics, I think my sister and I even discussed a few of them, but these authors all went above and beyond in their analyses.
My favorite was "Team Katniss" by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. This was one essay that overlapped with a conversation my sister and I had. Why "Team Peeta" or "Team Gale"? Why not "Team Katniss"? Katniss is pretty freaking awesome on her own. Barnes presents her argument better than Rachel or I ever did. I just loved it.
I also really enjoyed "Community in the Face of Tyranny" by Bree Despain. I don't recall thinking much about the (lack of) community in the world of Panem. Despain argues that part of Katniss's magic comes from her ability to foster a sense of community wherever she goes. It's true, and I liked it.
At first, I thought entries by Cara Lockwood and Terri Clark were a little more light-hearted but even these surprised me with their depth. Lockwood writes about the "Not So Weird Science" of Panem and how these far-fetched "muttations" could become realities sooner than we think. She also addressed the need for science to look at the consequences of genetic engineering and not just "Can we do it?" Clark writes about a "Crime of Fashion" and the role that Katniss's looks, and Cinna's hand in them, played in the series. How far would Katniss have gotten without Cinna? Sure, we the readers love her, but she would probably have been largely overlooked if she'd first appeared in a humdrum coal mining outfit.
I feel the need to mention "The Politics of Mockingjay" by Sarah Darer Littman. It draws blatant parallels between the politics of the War on Terror and the politics of Panem. I enjoyed reading it, but I know it will completely turn off some readers with different political beliefs. I was surprised to read this in a book aimed at young adults, but we all need to be aware of what's going on in the world around us.
There's a sequence of essays that leads from reality vs unreality to reality tv to the power of the media and those all kind of blended together for me. I can't say that any were badly written, but I had, surprisingly enough, considered most of this while I was reading the trilogy. They started to overlap and get repetitive.
Fans who just can't get enough of The Hunger Games trilogy should enjoy reading this. It's thought-provoking and informative, and will probably leave you ready to re-read the books.