LTRP Note: This is a review of the book, Hunger Games. The movie, Hunger Games, will be coming out on March 23rd. We hope this book review by Berit Kjos will help parents realize they should not allow their pre-teens or teens to read this book or see this movie.
By Berit Kjos
Kjos Ministries
The setting for this trendy teenage tale is an oppressive nation called Panem that occupies what once was America. From its well-protected Capitol, it controls its 12 regional Districts using sophisticated surveillance and communication technology.
The main character, sixteen-year-old Katniss, lives with her mother and twelve-year-old sister, Prim, in District 12, the poorest in the land. Since her father died in a coal-mine disaster, Katniss has been the family’s sole provider. Day after day, she and her friend Gale hunt rabbits and gather herbs and berries on forbidden government land.
As George Orwell and our globalist leaders knew well, common enemies and celebrations inspire solidarity. The rulers of Panem seem to agree. Their catalyst for oneness is the annual “Hunger Games,” which bear an ominous resemblance to the deadly but popular battles in the ancient Roman Coliseum.
Each of the 12 Districts must offer a yearly contribution to the Capitol in the form of two chosen “Tributes”: a boy and a girl (ages twelve through eighteen). According to standard government rules, those twenty-four Tributes will kill each other until only one is left. And while the teenagers fight for their lives, the eyes of every household across the land are glued to the televised battlegrounds. That’s the law.
Somehow the Capitol is able to film every dramatic scene. The agonizing fear of the hunted, the cruel plots of the strong, the miserable hiding places, the horrible injuries, the freezing night-time temperature, the manufactured rain… everything is visible to the families across the land. Their tears or cheers would depend on the fate of their own two Tributes — and on the success of the pre-game promotion of popular contenders.
The Tributes are chosen through a lottery. In District 12, the lot falls on sweet little Prim, who screams out in terror. So big sister Katniss rushes forward to take her place.
Perhaps the author was inspired by the old Greek myth about Theseus, son of the sea god Poseidon. You may remember the story. A monstrous Minotaur inhabits a labyrinth under the magnificent palace of King Minos. Half man and half bull, it feeds only on human flesh. Periodically, seven maidens and seven young men were sacrificed to the menacing beast. Click here to continue reading.
