This book is about what?

When I had first seen trailers about The Hunger Games I was utterly confused. I guess my prior thoughts concerning the plots of the book or movie were not even close to what the plots are. Seeing the trailer, I was left wondering, what is this series really about? It seems so dark! It seems so scary! I should read it. And then I luckily got pair with Lina, who chose it as her book for this blog. And thus my journey begins into understanding The Hunger Games.

I began as I always do, by looking at the book. What does the symbol on the cover mean? Will we be offered an explanation? Does it play a major role? Then I looked to the back of the book to read the synopsis. OMG! I had no idea that this was the plot of this book. Now, from Lina's posts and the synopsis, I am so ready to dive in and find out what is going to happen.

The first chapter was interesting in how it was set up. I found myself getting confused at times and having to go back to reread to make sure I was understanding. Was she talking about different points of time at once? It seemed like in one sentence she was discussing one moment and in another sentence she was talking about a past moment. Also, the way she introduced the notion of the actual Hunger Games was so interesting. I feel as if most authors introduce major plot points in the first few paragraphs. She used the whole first chapter to set up the stage for what the Hunger Games were, giving us ideas of it piece by piece, intertwined with other stories of Katniss's (interesting name) life. It was because of the intertwining story line, at least in my opinion, of the set up of the Hunger Games with the set up of this family's life, that I felt myself going back to make sure I was on board with what was happening.

Another major point that I noticed in chapter one was that the number 12 is important. Katniss, her family, and her friends live in District 12 in the country of Panem. You have to be 12 to participate (as if its a choice) in the Hunger Games. Why is 12 important? Lina mentioned some important events in her life that occurred when she was twelve and I too can relate to this age. The year I was 12 was a year of mixed emotions. It was a year of loss as well as the year I graduated elementary school. There was a lot going on in life and in this book, there is a lot going on in the lives of all of those turning 12 as they are now eligible to be participants in a game where they could ultimately lose their lives.

My Elementary School: Holy Rosary, Class of 2001

Ultimately I went back to reread the chapter because I felt there was so much involved that I wanted to make sure I understood the whole story. What was Panem? I now know it is a futuristic America. (That doesn't look promising for us, I guess). Why do they have these barbaric games? This is explained a little , I guess, but it still seems barbaric. The significance of twelve does not seem to be explained yet and I am hoping it will be at some point. I still have questions and I am sure the more I get into the book, the more questions I will have. But I am glad I was able to go back and reread it so I had a more competent grasp on the material before proceeding.