Book Review: The Hunger Games and Teenage Female Expectation

My friend Geronimo and I have started a book club. Since we're the only members, we alternate book choices. This time around, I chose The Hunger Games, the first in a three part young adult series written by Suzanne Collins (told you I was a little kid at heart). The reviews were glowing and it seemed like something that I'd enjoy, so I gave it a shot. While I'm still kind of on the fence because I haven't finished the series, my initial reaction is that it's pretty slick.

The Hunger Games is an American version of Battle Royale, with the main difference being that it's set in post-apocalyptic America, and the names of every child from the ages of twelve to eighteen are chosen from lottery-style. There are twelve districts with a girl and boy chosen from each, and they must fight until only one has survived. The protagonist, Katniss, is a sixteen year old girl who becomes one of "tributes" when she offers to take the place of her twelve year old sister, Prim, after her name is drawn.

Katniss is a very likeable character. She has a ton of integrity and is as loyal as they come. Her devotion to her sister is touching and she's also very smart. At the beginning of the novel, she's just this regular girl who's trying to help her family survive during very tough times. Katniss and her best friend Gale, a boy she has known since childhood, regularly break the rules and hunt outside of their district. Katniss is more inclined to do what is right than she is to follow the rules. She also doesn't adhere to gender roles.

As the story progresses, Katniss becomes more and more flighty, mostly because of her relationship with Peeta, the male tribute from her district. After I finished the book, I found this a little disappointing. The recommended reading age is grades seven through nine, and I'm not sure if any pre-teen or young teenage girls need their heads filled with any more of the stereotypical gender roles that Katniss begins to fall into as the relationship develops. Not to give too much away, but there are times when I shook my head at this smart, strong teenage girl.

I think that a good story should be transformative for the reader, and I think that Collins may have missed her opportunity to give young women a new type of heroine. Katniss drastically changes from the beginning of the novel to the end, although I did try to take into account that she did experience something very traumatic and that her decisions may have been based on the the stress of being in the arena, fighting to survive. I am very interested to see where Collins take Katniss next - I certainly believe that she has a lot of potential, and I hope that she becomes the kind of heroine that makes the girls who read this realize that it's ok to be strong.

Overall, I think that this is a pretty solidly written book. It moves along at a good pace and there is a sense of profluence throughout. There were times where I couldn't put it down because I had to know what happened next. The style is a little juvenille, but it is from the viewpoint of a sixteen year old and it's written for thirteen year olds, so I couldn't expect much there. Even though I was slightly disappointed at the end of the first book, Collins has hooked me and I need to keep reading, which says a lot.