The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
These books took me a little by surprise.  I stay away from popular literature that is made into films pretty much as a rule.  I've never read Harry Potter for instance, and I will not be reading any Veronica Roth books.  I saw the Hunger Games movie a couple of times and went to see Catching Fire - and it was after seeing that film that I thought reading these books might be a worthwhile experience.  The relationship between the two lead characters, Katniss and Peeta, seemed interesting.  

Apparently, these books are somewhat based on the Greek myth of Theseus who saves children who are being sacrificed to a monster living in a labrynth.  So are the children of Panem meant to be sacrificial lambs in the Hunger Games.  

Also, as a rule, I am reluctant to read young adult literature for any meaningful philosophical thought/social commentary.  It's not that I'm being snobby, some young adult fiction I've read has been great at presenting the realities of coming of age as well as some ways of thinking that help make sense of life's difficulties (I'm thinking of books like A Tree Grows In Brooklyn, The Giver, Great Expectations, Greek and Roman myths among others).  The Hunger Games is not a book I would turn to or recommend as a good coming of age story nor do I think of it as a unique look at our society.  The world of Panem as Suzanne Collins has made it obviously raises the question - how did this world turn out like this?  Why does this society sacrifice its children in such a grandiose spectacle?  Is the author trying to say something about where our culture is headed?  

As tempting as these questions are while reading this book - I think it wise to avoid thinking of them too much.  I think Panem is probably just another fictional world created by an author who wishes to be able to construct an entirely different universe (as with Hogwart's or Narnia) - just because this serves the author's purposes doesn't mean this parallel world has much to teach us about our own.  

Instead I think the best of this book is Katniss and her story.  Second to that is Peeta and the difficulties he experiences trying to become a part of Katniss' life.  Katniss is a strong, young female character.  From the first page she is the dominant figure in her family which includes only a mother and a younger sister.  Her mother is bereft with grief after the loss of her husband and so is of no help in doing what is necessary to keep them all alive.  Katniss hunts for their food, barters at the market for goods that they need, cooks meals, and cares for the family animals that help keep them alive.  Her strength is something I always enjoyed in characters I read of as a youth.  It's encouraging to have an example of a younger person who is capable of doing many things and gives you a look into what being an adult is like.  Sometimes your own life doesn't require that you carry that much responsibility but it is important that you begin to understand what responsibility is.  Katniss is a good example of that type of character.  

Given all that is demanded of her - Katniss is not a very sensitive person mostly towards herself and her own needs.  She is more interested in taking care of those she loves and what it is going to take in order to accomplish that.  Peeta approaches her as if both things are important.  He supports how she does whatever is necessary to care for her family, but he wants to know if she has more than that to offer.  His purpose is oblique through much of the novel.  They work together but it's not clear if they will end up having to fight one another so they are very impersonal towards one another.  Katniss seems alright with this because she is a distant person and the circumstances dictate it.  Peeta seems to obey the rules of the games, but unlike Katniss he has some hidden purpose that for most of this novel is unrevealed.  

Finally, though I think Katniss is the most interesting reason to read this trilogy, this book does illustrate one social issue well: the effect of pointing a camera at something.  The people of this book have serious problems - starvation, dictatorship, fear, violence, and lack of opportunity.  As in our world, we don't effectively turn cameras on what matters and thereby make them the most powerful tools they could be.  Rather, we turn the cameras away from our worst blemishes and towards gratification of our fantasies.  Panem and the Hunger Games are a horror-show version of this very real and familiar aspect of our own society.  I suppose this would be an understandable situation - feeding fantasy is not necessarily a bad thing.  But it has gotten out of control in our society I think as it did in Panem. 

I would recommend this book to someone looking for a fast read, who likes books with young protagonists, and has an interest in science-fiction/fantasy books.