The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Here are five principles of writing that I have been working on and look for when reading a new book.

1. Point of View - Is in the view of Katniss Everdeen, a sixteen year old girl from the 12^th district of the land known as Panem (formerly known as North America). The 12^th district is what was once known as the Appalachian mountains. She is a fighter and an underdog, two of my most favorite qualities, especially in a female character. She’s very intelligent, which is taken for granted because of where she comes from, the coal-mining district. I found her thought process and problem solving a little too articulate. Even if I was as good a hunter as she is, I‘m not sure I‘d be able to consistently break down each situation the way she does and see it for what it is and not what it appears to be. The fact that there is one aspect that completely alludes her--the affection of her fellow “Tribute” Peeta Mellark, balances that perfection.

2. Show vs. Tell -- Let me just say one thing. If you are needing a good example of what it is to SHOW instead of TELL. THIS IS THE BOOK FOR YOU! I usually try to give a book at least the first 3 chapters before giving up. If I can’t relate to the story by then, I don’t finish it. Well… Suzanne Collins did it. She had me hooked from the first page. I wanted to know what happened next with every turn of the page. I wanted to know more about the mangy cat and the goat cheese, the love for a young sister and the struggle for trust with a mother, the electric fence and the hidden bow and arrow. Suzanne made parsnips sound good to eat… and I don’t even like parsnips. I was on the edge of my seat through the entire book, and almost fell off at how it ended.

3. Bookisms -- I don’t think I’m going to find many of these in published books, and if there were any in this one, it was so freakingly well written I didn’t pick up on a one of them. That’s all I have to say about that.

4. Passive Voice -- I think I covered this already. THERE WAS NOTHING PASSIVE ABOUT THIS BOOK.

5. Life Lessons -- Be true to yourself and always aware of your surroundings. Persecution will be found in any society. There is nothing more satisfying than to see someone stand for liberty in the face of oppression and win in spite of the establishment.

It was also a refreshing end to the traditional Greek tragedy… you know where the hero is mortally wounded, but lives long enough to defeat the evil overlord… although, I would have understood if it had been ended that way, but then again there wouldn’t be a 2^nd or 3^rd book if it had… or would there…

Let me put it this way, when I finished this book, I was left wondering what I would do or how I would handle it, if I had been thrown into the middle of these Hunger Games. I would like to think I’d survive… better yet, I’d like to think I would find a way to dig the transponder thing out of my arm and make a run for it. Not very realistic, but the desire for freedom rarely is.

On a scale of 1 to 10, this book is a 10 and 2 thumbs up.