I still remember when my good friend Kelsey told me about today’s #ThrowbackThursdayBookstagram feature! “I think you’ll like THE HUNGER GAMES by Suzanne Collins, but it is, shall we say, a little disturbing.”

Why yes, a book that asks, “Could you survive on your own in the wild, with everyone out to make sure you don’t live to see the morning?” does sound a little disturbing. But almost eight million people on Goodreads have enjoyed this novel, and I’m one of them.

At the time of its release, my four children were still young (one just a baby), and I asked myself, “When will I allow my kids to read this?” But soon enough, after I read the book and a few years had passed, I handed it over, and it provided a good discussion about a lot of themes: compassion, empathy, power, wealth, poverty, government control, family, and sacrifice, oppression, revolution, and more.

The original series has two more books—CATCHING FIRE and MOCKINGJAY—and a prequel, THE BALLAD OF SONGBIRDS AND SNAKES, released in 2020.

If you’re one of the few who perhaps haven’t read the books, my guess is you’ve seen the movies. As I am wont to do, I enjoyed the books more than the movies. While the themes are heavy, they are easy to read, so do yourself a favor this winter season and curl up with the first book, and then, if you have time, keep going. I think you’ll enjoy the story.

Oh, and what is that story (in case you don’t know from that vague question above)? “The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.”

See why she said it was disturbing?

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