Book Review: The Girl Who Was On Fire: Your Favorite Authors on Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games Trilogy by Leah Wilson

Reading Level: Young Adult
Publication Date: April 5, 2011
Pages: 210
Series: no
Acquisition: received ARC for review

Summary:

Katniss Everdeen’s adventures may have come to an end, but her story continues to blaze in the hearts of millions worldwide.

In The Girl Who Was on Fire, thirteen YA authors take you back to Panem with moving, dark, and funny pieces on Katniss, the Games, Gale and Peeta, reality TV, survival, and more. From the trilogy's darker themes of violence and social control to fashion and weaponry, the collection's exploration of the Hunger Games reveals exactly how rich, and how perilous, protagonist Katniss’ world really is.

• How does the way the Games affect the brain explain Haymitch’s drinking, Annie’s distraction, and Wiress’ speech problems?

• What does the rebellion have in common with the War on Terror?

• Why isn’t the answer to “Peeta or Gale?” as interesting as the question itself?

• What should Panem have learned from the fates of other hedonistic societies throughout history and what can we?

The Girl Who Was On Fire covers all three books in the Hunger Games trilogy. (from Goodreads)

My thoughts:
This book was so very interesting. I know how I feel about the Hunger Games series but it was fascinating to see what authors thought of it. Authors whose brains are fine tuned to pick up on and analyze facts in such a wonderful way.

I thought I had the Hunger Games all figured out, but these great writers took it a step further for me. Made me see past the hype and really look into the books. Pulling out bit and pieces I overlooked or had forgotten.

It reads almost like a documentary would. Like, if the Hunger Games was real, this is how the world would interpret it. The part of me that loves to research and analyze things loved this aspect.

CAUTION: Do NOT read this book if you haven't read all three books in the Hunger Games Series -- EVERYTHING is discussed and there are major spoilers if you haven't finished the entire 3 books.

You might already know the authors but here are the full chapter names as well to give you a taste:

*Why So Hungry for The Hunger Games? Or, The Game of Making Readers Hungry for More, Why Readers' Imaginations Caught Fire, and My Sad Inability to Come Up with a Wordplay for Mockingjay by Sarah Rees Brennan

*Team Katniss by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

*Your Heart Is a Weapon the Size of Your Fist: Love as a Political Act in the Hunger Games by Mary Borsellino

*Smoke and Mirrors: Reality vs. Unreality in the Hunger Games by Elizabeth M. Rees

*Someone to Watch Over Me: Power and Surveillance in The Hunger Games by Lili Wilkinson

*Reality Hunger: Authenticity, Heroism, and Media in The Hunger Games by Ned Vizzini

*Panem et Circenses: The Myth of the Real in Reality TV by Carrie Ryan

*Not So Weird Science: Why Tracker Jackers and Other Mutts Might Be Coming Soon to a Lab Near You by Cara Lockwood

*Crime of Fashion by Terri Clark

*Bent, Shattered, and Mended: Wounded Minds in The Hunger Games by Blythe Woolston

*The Politics of Mockingjay by Sarah Darer Littman

*The Inevitable Decline of Decadence by Adrienne Kress

*Community in the Fact of Tyranny: How a Boy with a Loaf of Bread and a Girl with a Bow Toppled an Entire Nation by Bree Despain

A little heavy at times but, if you're a fan of the Hunger Games series, I highly recommend The Girl Who Was On Fire. An in depth look at this fascinating world that Suzanne Collins has created that might just lead you to re-read the series with a new frame of mind.

Overall Rating:

3.5 / 5 Stars

Linkage Love:
BenBella Books
Goodreads