The Hunger Games

This Friday, March 23, 2012, is a very important day.  It's the day The Hunger Games hits theaters! Adapted from one of our favorite books, my daughter and I have been waiting for this day for a long time, and we can hardly wait to see the movie!

Last summer, my daughter was given a copy of the book as a reward for her volunteer work at the public library. She is a lover of books, as am I, and kept commenting about how awesome the story was. She didn't tell me what it was about, just said I absolutely HAD to read it when she was done! I think she read it in just a couple of days, then brought it to me.

"Here, Mom, read this!!"

"What's it about?"

"Just READ IT, MOM!!"

"OK, OK..."

So, I started reading, and was instantly HOOKED!

If you have not read this book, I highly recommend it. Actually, The Hunger Games is the first in a trilogy. It's followed by Catching Fire and Mockingjay. To get the full story, you've got to read all three books. My daughter and I completely inhaled them!

I don't really know for sure what it is about this story that is so appealing. To describe what it's about, admittedly, it sounds horrible. My mother will not read it because she knows the barest basics of the plot. But she is really missing out, in my opinion! While the conditions are very harsh, I think people love this story because it really speaks of our need to survive. To love, and be loved, and be willing to give our own lives to protect those we love. To be driven to find a way to make our world a better place for our families. I think the author, Suzanne Collins, captures through her writing what hardship, oppression, and war does to the human spirit, but there is also HOPE. And that is something we all identify with, and cling to.