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lanikei's review
2.0
I've been on a kick of "Philosophy of...." books lately, or "critical analysis of pop fiction" books in this case. I read the Hunger Games recently and thought they were decent, and I suppose they have some interesting political parallels compared to books like, say, Twilight.
I enjoyed essays that addressed some of the real world parallels and encouraged critical thinking for readers that may have limited themselves to Team Peeta or Team Gale. But generally the analysis wasn't particularly stimulating, and I didn't feel like I got much more out of the essays than I did by reading the trilogy myself.
Apparently I spent a lot less time agonizing over who Katniss should end up with than many readers did, because the idea of a Team Anyone hadn't really occurred to me. But if this book gets readers thinking more critically about the books they read, then kudos.
I enjoyed essays that addressed some of the real world parallels and encouraged critical thinking for readers that may have limited themselves to Team Peeta or Team Gale. But generally the analysis wasn't particularly stimulating, and I didn't feel like I got much more out of the essays than I did by reading the trilogy myself.
Apparently I spent a lot less time agonizing over who Katniss should end up with than many readers did, because the idea of a Team Anyone hadn't really occurred to me. But if this book gets readers thinking more critically about the books they read, then kudos.
taschima's review
4.0
I reviewed this book on April 2011, when it was first brought into my attention. Recently though I received the new movie edition which includes 3 new essays that pretty much rocked my world. Here is my original review, along with the new paragraphs on the new content.
April, 2011:
These kinds of books are awesome, and specifically this one is amazing! The essays are so good! There are 13 essays (for 13 districts?) in total, some have to do with fashion, psychology, PSTD among the winners of The Hunger Games, Team Katniss, and so much more. Theres something for everybody.
When the people at Smart Pop contacted me about reviewing this one I was so psyched!!! Any fan of The Hunger Games would be. I first learned about Smart Pop when I bought their essays on A New Dawn, I was soo into Twilight and this book was a life saver. I read it before I got Breaking Dawn because it wasn't out yet. Anyways this book is as good as A New Dawn was, if not better (let me think about it... definitely better). The authors talk about various parts of The Hunger Games with such insight that it make you think "holly crap how did I not see it? Why wasn't this clear to me from the get go?"
After I reads this book I immediately picked up The Hunger Games and started re reading it. Cinna is by far one of my favorite characters in the book, before reading The Girl Who Was on Fire I didn't paid much attention to him, but after reading the essay on fashion I got to say that he is one of the bravest most creative characters ever. Also after re reading The Hunger Games (and reading an essay that talked about the love triangle thing in The Girl Who Was on Fire) is hard to see where anyone got the idea that Katniss could ever end up with Gale, Peeta is such a sweet heart and clearly the right choice. Oh and also, I'm Team Katniss, she is the best. You will understand if you read The Girl Who Was on Fire, it really is an eye opener. Not to say that that all the essays will appeal to just everybody, there was one heavily on the science part that didn't interest me at all, but for the most part is so good.
January 2012:
All that I have said above? Completely true. Nonetheless, I have to add a bit more due to the new essays that the Movie Edition brings.
The essays are written by Diana Peterfreud (author of the killer unicorn series Rampant), Brent Hartinger (author of Geography Club) and Jackson Pearce (author of Sisters Red, Sweetly and Purity).
The one written by Diana is about Game Theory, and how it applies to The Hunger Games. It is very informative and interesting that is for sure. Maybe if my teachers taught me about the Game Theory with Hunger Games examples I would have learned a bit more about it, or been more interested.
"Game Theory is not about games. It's about politics and psychology, war and strategy. For Katniss Everdeen, it is life and death, and in the end, everyone in Panem comes to learn that the only way to truly win the game is not to play at all."
Brent Hartinger's essay is basically on "does the Mockingjay book suck or not?". It is his personal belief that the book wasn't as good as the others, it is my personal belief that I loved it. So it was interesting reading the other side of the coin. Brent does a very fine job indeed. He not only puts forward why he beliefs the book sucked and where he thinks things could have been done better, but he also speaks up for the people who loved the book and gives various reasons on why he would understand why the book would be loved (something about cynicism in his essay struck a cord with me).
"...there are two sides to the question of whether or not the book sucks. But there's also a third point of view to be considered: that there is some truth to both arguments. That Mockingjay might be flawed in some respects, but it's a bold and challenging work of fiction in others, specially the ending."
Last but not least is Jackson Pearce's essay. Her essay has to do with Gale, surprisingly. It has to do with how Gale is the knight, or cowboy if you prefer the men with boots and hats, of the series. He is willing to do whatever is necessary for the greater good, even if it interferes with what he wants the most as an individual (in this case this would be Katniss' love). To some degree I would agree with Jackson. Gale was never going to end with Katniss, we all knew that deep inside. Why? Well, you will have to read the essay to figure that out.
"All this time, Gale has been fighting not just for Katniss' heart, but for her safety, to create a world in which she and everyone else can be happy. And he wins -only he can't live in that world with her, because she can't forgive him for what he has done, things she has deemed to be evil."
This book is as close to the Hunger Games inner workings as you are going to get. It's like getting together with your friends and discussing the Hunger Games in great detail- only your friends in this case are inside the pages. You will enjoy every single second of the conversation, and after it is finished you will ask for seconds. That's when you get up, go to your best friend, and put this book in their hands. Only then will they be able to understand this love we have deep inside for The Hunger Games and why we keep trying to keep the world alive even though the series as long ended.
Long live The Hunger Games.
April, 2011:
These kinds of books are awesome, and specifically this one is amazing! The essays are so good! There are 13 essays (for 13 districts?) in total, some have to do with fashion, psychology, PSTD among the winners of The Hunger Games, Team Katniss, and so much more. Theres something for everybody.
When the people at Smart Pop contacted me about reviewing this one I was so psyched!!! Any fan of The Hunger Games would be. I first learned about Smart Pop when I bought their essays on A New Dawn, I was soo into Twilight and this book was a life saver. I read it before I got Breaking Dawn because it wasn't out yet. Anyways this book is as good as A New Dawn was, if not better (let me think about it... definitely better). The authors talk about various parts of The Hunger Games with such insight that it make you think "holly crap how did I not see it? Why wasn't this clear to me from the get go?"
After I reads this book I immediately picked up The Hunger Games and started re reading it. Cinna is by far one of my favorite characters in the book, before reading The Girl Who Was on Fire I didn't paid much attention to him, but after reading the essay on fashion I got to say that he is one of the bravest most creative characters ever. Also after re reading The Hunger Games (and reading an essay that talked about the love triangle thing in The Girl Who Was on Fire) is hard to see where anyone got the idea that Katniss could ever end up with Gale, Peeta is such a sweet heart and clearly the right choice. Oh and also, I'm Team Katniss, she is the best. You will understand if you read The Girl Who Was on Fire, it really is an eye opener. Not to say that that all the essays will appeal to just everybody, there was one heavily on the science part that didn't interest me at all, but for the most part is so good.
January 2012:
All that I have said above? Completely true. Nonetheless, I have to add a bit more due to the new essays that the Movie Edition brings.
The essays are written by Diana Peterfreud (author of the killer unicorn series Rampant), Brent Hartinger (author of Geography Club) and Jackson Pearce (author of Sisters Red, Sweetly and Purity).
The one written by Diana is about Game Theory, and how it applies to The Hunger Games. It is very informative and interesting that is for sure. Maybe if my teachers taught me about the Game Theory with Hunger Games examples I would have learned a bit more about it, or been more interested.
"Game Theory is not about games. It's about politics and psychology, war and strategy. For Katniss Everdeen, it is life and death, and in the end, everyone in Panem comes to learn that the only way to truly win the game is not to play at all."
Brent Hartinger's essay is basically on "does the Mockingjay book suck or not?". It is his personal belief that the book wasn't as good as the others, it is my personal belief that I loved it. So it was interesting reading the other side of the coin. Brent does a very fine job indeed. He not only puts forward why he beliefs the book sucked and where he thinks things could have been done better, but he also speaks up for the people who loved the book and gives various reasons on why he would understand why the book would be loved (something about cynicism in his essay struck a cord with me).
"...there are two sides to the question of whether or not the book sucks. But there's also a third point of view to be considered: that there is some truth to both arguments. That Mockingjay might be flawed in some respects, but it's a bold and challenging work of fiction in others, specially the ending."
Last but not least is Jackson Pearce's essay. Her essay has to do with Gale, surprisingly. It has to do with how Gale is the knight, or cowboy if you prefer the men with boots and hats, of the series. He is willing to do whatever is necessary for the greater good, even if it interferes with what he wants the most as an individual (in this case this would be Katniss' love). To some degree I would agree with Jackson. Gale was never going to end with Katniss, we all knew that deep inside. Why? Well, you will have to read the essay to figure that out.
"All this time, Gale has been fighting not just for Katniss' heart, but for her safety, to create a world in which she and everyone else can be happy. And he wins -only he can't live in that world with her, because she can't forgive him for what he has done, things she has deemed to be evil."
This book is as close to the Hunger Games inner workings as you are going to get. It's like getting together with your friends and discussing the Hunger Games in great detail- only your friends in this case are inside the pages. You will enjoy every single second of the conversation, and after it is finished you will ask for seconds. That's when you get up, go to your best friend, and put this book in their hands. Only then will they be able to understand this love we have deep inside for The Hunger Games and why we keep trying to keep the world alive even though the series as long ended.
Long live The Hunger Games.
mugoika's review
3.0
I guess this is a nice anthology of essays for those who want to think about The Hunger Games a bit more in detail, but it is actually not that useful for someone who wants to write a paper. So, for my purposes it wasn't quite right, but it is still pleasant to read.
My favourite essays were Bent, Shattered, and Mended by Blythe Woolston and Hunger Game Theory by Diana Peterfreund.
My favourite essays were Bent, Shattered, and Mended by Blythe Woolston and Hunger Game Theory by Diana Peterfreund.
serenitymoon's review
4.0
This is probably the first non-fiction book I've read willingly, and I'm glad to say I really enjoyed it. It covers a lot of things; science, politics, even fashion, and every single one of them was really interesting for me to learn. It makes us think more about the series and realize some things we may have missed before or simply didn't notice about it. It makes me feel less disappointed with the final book and admit that regardless of the plot choices there this series is really quite something and brought up some really great questions to ponder. Dissecting books is something I wish I could do more, and to hear from other authors what they thought about the Hunger Games was extremely interesting. I definitely want to read more essays like these about other books I have read.
autistic_dragon's review against another edition
3.0
Averagre rating: 3.425 stars. After experiencing the wildly varying quality of the essays in Game of Thrones and Philosophy, I decided to rate each essay in this book individually, and put as the star rating the rounded average.
Why So Hungry for the Hunger Games?: 5 stars.
Team Katniss: 4.5 stars.
Your Heart is a Weapon the Size of Your Fist: 4 stars
Smoke and Mirrors: 3.5 stars
Someone to Watch Over Me: 3.2
Reality Hunger: 3.4 stars
Panem et Circenes: 3.9 stars
Not So Weird Science: 1 star
Hunger Game Theory: 3.9 stars
Crime of Fashion: 4.2 stars
Bent, Shattered, and Mended: 4.6 stars
Did the Third Book Suck?: 1.3 stars
The Politics of [b:Mockingjay|7260188|Mockingjay (The Hunger Games, #3)|Suzanne Collins|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1358275419s/7260188.jpg|8812783]: 5 stars
Gale: Knight. Cowboy. Badass.: 2.9 stars
The Inevitable Decline of Decadence: 4.3 stars
Community in the Face of Tyranny: 5 stars
Why So Hungry for the Hunger Games?: 5 stars.
Team Katniss: 4.5 stars.
Your Heart is a Weapon the Size of Your Fist: 4 stars
Smoke and Mirrors: 3.5 stars
Someone to Watch Over Me: 3.2
Reality Hunger: 3.4 stars
Panem et Circenes: 3.9 stars
Not So Weird Science: 1 star
Hunger Game Theory: 3.9 stars
Crime of Fashion: 4.2 stars
Bent, Shattered, and Mended: 4.6 stars
Did the Third Book Suck?: 1.3 stars
The Politics of [b:Mockingjay|7260188|Mockingjay (The Hunger Games, #3)|Suzanne Collins|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1358275419s/7260188.jpg|8812783]: 5 stars
Gale: Knight. Cowboy. Badass.: 2.9 stars
The Inevitable Decline of Decadence: 4.3 stars
Community in the Face of Tyranny: 5 stars
teamstarburger's review against another edition
3.0
Essays analyzing different aspects of the Hunger Games trilogy. It was comforting to return to the world of Panem and make new connections based on the essayists' points of view. There were a few essays I didn't care for (including the writer who referred to Katniss as 'Kat') but overall I felt the ideas were varied and thoughtful.
crtney's review against another edition
3.0
Not very acedemically rigorous if that is what you are looking for in a book of essays, but a fun and often interesting read. Occasionally I wanted to remind the authors that The Hunger Games is just a work of fiction--a little silly (I think) to use real-life issues to prove the aucurateness of The Huner Games and even worse, the reverse, using The Hunger Games to prove real-life issues.
everydayreading's review against another edition
4.0
This made me want to go back and read the whole series again - really thought-provoking and fantastic essays. I love the Hunger Games. See my full review: http://everydayreading.blogspot.com/2011/03/girl-who-was-on-fire-edited-by-leah.html
theresidentbookworm's review against another edition
4.0
*I received a copy through Netgalley for an honest review.
I love analysis. It's probably why I always loved English class. I like to pick things apart and know the deeper meaning, and I like having a lot of difference points of view given to me on a piece of literature. I haven't really read much literary analysis before, not like this, but I definitely would if they have one of these books for each YA serious and great book. Seriously, can someone get started on a series of essays on all of John Green's novels? I feel that is necessary. Nerdfighters, let's get started!
The essays were more than I thought it would be. I wasn't expecting such serious commentary connecting back to the world. These authors related the Hunger Games to themes of community, war, scientific advancement, and plenty of others. I actually learned about things I wouldn't have connected to Hunger Games: game theory, genetic engineering, the Bush administration and the Iraq war, and how the brain works. The essays were both informative, interesting, and easy to read.
Recommended to Hunger Games fans. There are spoilers for the books in here so I would read the series first.
I love analysis. It's probably why I always loved English class. I like to pick things apart and know the deeper meaning, and I like having a lot of difference points of view given to me on a piece of literature. I haven't really read much literary analysis before, not like this, but I definitely would if they have one of these books for each YA serious and great book. Seriously, can someone get started on a series of essays on all of John Green's novels? I feel that is necessary. Nerdfighters, let's get started!
The essays were more than I thought it would be. I wasn't expecting such serious commentary connecting back to the world. These authors related the Hunger Games to themes of community, war, scientific advancement, and plenty of others. I actually learned about things I wouldn't have connected to Hunger Games: game theory, genetic engineering, the Bush administration and the Iraq war, and how the brain works. The essays were both informative, interesting, and easy to read.
Recommended to Hunger Games fans. There are spoilers for the books in here so I would read the series first.
anastaciaknits's review against another edition
3.0
Overall, this book was greatly disappointing.
A lot of the writers in this volume didn't seem to read "get" the Hunger Games trilogy, of which i am a HUGE fan. It seemed some of them might have just skimmed the books or watched parts of the movie, and then decided to preach about it.
I thought I was going to get insights about the trilogy, or maybe actually read something that was going to make me "think" - I quote that the book is supposed to include:
"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?"
and in one way, yes, these subjects are covered, but in such a way it makes you scream at the book in frustration.
So why am I giving it 3 stars? Well, because a few of the authors here actually do a good job with their essay, and though I disagree with most of it, I didn't actually hate it & everyone has a right to disagree. I was just very disappointed, that the authors weren't as passionate about the Hunger Games as I am.
A lot of the writers in this volume didn't seem to read "get" the Hunger Games trilogy, of which i am a HUGE fan. It seemed some of them might have just skimmed the books or watched parts of the movie, and then decided to preach about it.
I thought I was going to get insights about the trilogy, or maybe actually read something that was going to make me "think" - I quote that the book is supposed to include:
"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?"
and in one way, yes, these subjects are covered, but in such a way it makes you scream at the book in frustration.
So why am I giving it 3 stars? Well, because a few of the authors here actually do a good job with their essay, and though I disagree with most of it, I didn't actually hate it & everyone has a right to disagree. I was just very disappointed, that the authors weren't as passionate about the Hunger Games as I am.