So begin the 74th annual Hunger Games, in the futuristic state of Panem.  Two representatives (Tributes), one boy and one girl from each of the twelve districts of the state, are chosen by lottery to compete to the death in an arena in the Capitol. The Games are televised throughout the entire country and it is mandatory that all citizens watch. The protagonist, 16-year-old Katniss Everdeen decides to stand in for her 12-year-old sister Primrose when Prim’s name comes up in the draw. Katniss, along with her co-competitor, Peeta Mellark, travel to the Capitol, where they are fed, primped and coached to compete in the Games. It is in the Capitol that Peeta finally reveals his life-long love for Katniss, and in doing so, the rules of the game are changed, such that in the end, (spoiler alert!) both Peeta and Katniss are allowed to survive and win the Game together.

It was apparent when the 11 of us arrived at Devereaux House that we were all eager to sit down and begin our discussion. There was very little preamble! The obvious first question was whether we liked the book. With a couple of exceptions, the consensus was overwhelmingly positive. Most of us found ourselves immediately drawn into the story and said the book was almost impossible to put down. We liked the action and adventure aspect, as well the fast pace of the first-person narrative. We also liked the romance with the twist of the love triangle. We were all moved by the writing when Rue, the youngest contestant, died, and Katniss decorated her body with flowers.

We talked about why Peeta joined with the Careers at the start of the Games after telling her and the world that he loved her. Was it to stay close to his enemies in order to try to protect Katniss? Or could it have been that the Careers needed him in order to take Katniss out of the Game quickly? Did we think that Katniss really did love Peeta, or was she confused by her feelings for him, and her feelings for Gale?

The romance between Katniss and Peeta, and the relationship between Gale and Katniss provided an interesting counterpoint to the violence in the story, and we thought this was a way to engage female readers. Those of us with daughters who had read the book said the girls loved the romantic elements of the book, whereas those of us with sons, said the boys enjoyed the action, adventure and rapid pace. Indeed, there is something for everyone!

We were a group of women and mothers discussing the book, however, this is a novel written primarily for a Young Adult audience (grade 7 and up). We all know, or know of, readers as young as Grade 4 who have read the book. We discussed whether a book with this subject matter was appropriate for kids, and if so, for what ages.  Most of us recalled reading William Golding’s “Lord of the Flies”, but seemed to remember being slightly older – late middle school or high school – when we read the book.  It must have made an impression on us because so many of us remember it so vividly. As such, we wondered whether younger kids would have the capability for analysis in “Hunger Games”, especially given the dark themes in this trilogy of books. There was no question that “Hunger Games” is a disturbing book, but is there a chance for hope and redemption within it to offset those themes? Would Good vs Evil play out in a way that kids would be able to recognise it, and question it, when it seemed like Good was not winning the battle?

With the exception of a few, we felt there is redemption, and for that reason, many of us said it is a book that we would allow, or encourage our kids to read.  Katniss, after all, makes a compelling female role model. She sacrifices herself without hesitation for her younger sister. She is strong and smart, confident and capable. She captures the hearts of not one, but two boys, and never panders, or plays second fiddle to either. She tries very hard throughout the horrors of the Games, to remain true to her values, and to herself. Peeta declares his love for Katniss and tries at all costs to himself to protect her. Haymitch becomes and ally rather than an enemy, and Katniss finds a surprising friend ship with Cinna, and then with the Avox girl. Some of us however, depending on our feelings about the book, and the ages or temperments of our kids, felt strongly that we did not want our kids to read it.

We all heartily agreed though, that this is a book that should be discussed with our kids if they read it. The issues addressed – the politics, the violence and murder, the reality-tv aspects, and the parallels to our modern society are very often morally complex, and more explanation might be needed for kids who are reading this book and just beginning to expand and explore their understanding of the world.

As the evening wound down, those of us who hadn’t read the other two books in the trilogy were strongly encouraged to do so. We were told that many explanations are given in the following books to questions left dangling in the first.

I have a strong feeling we’re not done with these books yet – we may just need to have a follow-up evening to this series.  In any case, details for a dinner-and-a-movie night will come next month. We’re all anxious to see Katniss on the big screen!

  “Be excellent to each other.”  Bill and Ted, from Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure