'Hunger' appeals to many Tastes

Have you satisfied your “Hunger” yet? 

By that I mean, are you one of the millions of teens and adults who flocked to theaters this weekend to watch the movie adaptation of “The Hunger Games”?

If you’ve been living under a rock, or don’t have a child between the ages of 10-15, you might not be familiar with the premise of “The Hunger Games”.  Based on a trilogy of books by Suzanne Collins, the story follows the adventures of Katniss Everdeen, a 16-year old girl who lives in District 12, one of a dozen districts crushed under the thumb of The Capitol in the dystopian country of Panem (a thinly disguised North America sometime in the future).  In order to avoid rebellion, the Capitol forces each district to send a boy and girl to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a battle to the death played out on live television.  The winner earns extra food for their district for a year.

I have to give author Suzanne Collins credit for creating a book series that has such mass appeal.  The “Twilight” series appeals to tween and teen girls and their middle-aged moms.  I should know; I’ve read all the books several times and own all the films on DVD.  However, being the mother of two boys, I can attest to the fact that Twilight holds no interest for them.  “The Hunger Games”, however, has enough action and weaponry for boys, while incorporating a love triangle that appeals to young girls. 

At the risk of sounding sexist with that last comment, Katniss also provides young girls with a strong, capable role model.  As the story begins, Katniss is providing for her mother and sister with enviable hunting and trapping skills.  She is brave enough to volunteer as a Tribute in the Hunger Games when her sister is chosen.  She adapts her skill set as the games progress, yet maintains her integrity and moral compass throughout.  For those of you who devoured “The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo”, Katniss is a more wholesome, less angry version of Lisbeth Salander.  She’s resourceful, loyal, savvy and smart.

The book and film are not without controversy in that they still boil down to a story of kids being forced to kill other children at the hands of an oppressive government.  Though the books are geared towards the young adult demographic, children as young as seven are reading the series thanks to older siblings.   While a reader that young may be able to handle the more graphic portions in print, the onscreen violence might prove too intense for the under-12 crowd.  My 14-year old loved the film, but my 11-year old found some of the fight scenes to be a bit overwhelming at times.

The idea of hosting a televised battle to the death sounds barbaric, something you’d only find in futuristic, sci-fi novels.   But should we really just dismiss the idea out of hand?  I mean, think about the months of campaigning our politicians endure, slinging mud and sniping at each other.  Perhaps we should just throw them all into an arena with a few weapons, some basic camping supplies and see who emerges victorious.  And while we’re at it, since the games are broadcast on live television, let’s do a version of the Hunger Games with the Kardashian family.  Don’t tell me you wouldn’t love to see Kris Kardashian battling it out against her children.  We can see if it’s true that some animals really do eat their young.  I don’t know about Vegas odds, but my money’s on that big one, Khloe.

We may be years away from devolving into the kind of behavior exhibited in “The Hunger Games”.  At least I hope we are.  In the meantime, if I’ve piqued your curiosity, stop by the library and check out a copy of the first novel, or make it a point to see the film.

I’ll bet you’ll find yourself hungry for more.