The Hunger Games | By Suzanne Collins

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      The Hunger Games, a trilogy written by Suzanne Collins, explores the dark side of human nature in a post-apocalyptic time period where our forefather’s ideals have been completely forgotten by humanity. The story takes place in the nation of “Panem”, once known as North America. Panem is composed of twelve districts, each specializing in their own craft such as coal mining or hunting. The people of the districts live in poverty. They eat what they hunt, or what food they can get from trade. Their government doesn’t do anything to help. Instead they live in the high-tech city of The Capitol, where poverty is something that most have never seen, or simply choose to ignore. Each year The Capitol puts on a televised game show known as The Hunger Games. One boy and one girl from each district are chosen by lottery to compete in the brutal arena wired with lethal traps and poisonous animals. The goal of the games is to stay alive, and eliminate all other contestants. One of district twelve’s citizens, Katniss Everdeen, escapes the lottery. Her twelve year old sister however, doesn’t.  Katniss steps in to take her sister’s place, hoping that despite her district’s dismal reputation, she will earn the winning title that district twelve hasn’t seen in thirty years. Along the way, Katniss will have to learn to de-sensitize herself against life itself.  Little does she know that her participation in the Hunger Games will give hope to a failing nation in need of someone willing to defy The Capitol once and for all.