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gardenofedee's review
5.0
I really loved this book! it made me want to reread the series immediately. I've realized I read Mockingjay to quickly and might have taken some things" wrong" at the end of the book. I think I will like the ending more when I read it again.
it was really interesting to read all the different takes on the series and how it relates to so many different things. War, fashion, propaganda, science, etc...
Definitely a great read for anyone who enjoys The Hunger Games
it was really interesting to read all the different takes on the series and how it relates to so many different things. War, fashion, propaganda, science, etc...
Definitely a great read for anyone who enjoys The Hunger Games
shadyglade's review against another edition
I think this is the kind of book that's best read in spurts. I started out very interested in all the essays at the beginning, but by the end I was thinking "I've heard that argument already before". Still, there were a lot of interesting angles I hadn't thought about, and I especially loved the essay that focused on Mockingjay. I just wish I hadn't sat down and read it in one sitting.
chantaal's review
3.0
Some of the pieces were much better than others (and one or two were barely related and felt out of place in the book), but it was an interesting read and made me want to re-read the Hunger Games immediately.
shanbear16's review
4.0
There are a few themes that really stick out in the HG series; reality TV, televised warfare, PTSD. Several authors of YA lit take on the task of analyzing the HG series. There's nothing really groundbreaking in this book, but if you care at all about looking beyond the surface of a popular series then this book is worth a read. My eyes were even opened to a couple subtle intricacies that I missed (mostly how Collins alludes to how Coin and Snow are the same side of the...well...coin).
megan7673's review
3.0
meh. Not my type of "book". Basically it was like reading essays/book reports about the Hunger Games trilogy. Not terrible, but not my cup of tea.
rosepetals1984's review against another edition
4.0
Review to come. Oh wow, this was interesting. Good span of essays surrounding "The Hunger Games" in general. I'll try to break down each article when I get a chance, but collectively speaking - I liked it quite a bit.
tvancort's review against another edition
4.0
If you like overthinking stuff, you are in for such a treat! However, I think I got the abridged version of this book or something, or the Kindle version is missing some essays or something, because I went back and looked at the io9.com review of The Girl Who Was On Fire and sure enough, it mentions a few essays that aren't in the Kindle edition I read. (Annoyingly, some of those essays gave me added impetus to get ahold of this book after seeing it offered as a prize in The Mary Sue's Hunger Games contest, and now I guess I'm going to have to get in line for the NYPL's hardcover versions.... I mean, how am I not supposed to want to read the piece entitled "Does the Third Book Suck?") You get the idea. Overthinking FTW!
claudiaswisher's review
5.0
First of all, what a wonderful concept for a book! I haven't read the collection of essays on the Crank series, but I will after reading this book. 13 essays by 13 YA authors, some well-known, like Ned Vizzini and Carrie Ryan; but most are up-and-coming authors who really impressed me, both with their writing, but also with their insights. Each essay examines a different aspect of the Hunger Games series...fashion, notoriety,reality TV, rebellion, and my favorite essay, building a community.
I loved that each of these authors LOVED the books and found something different in them. I loved that each essay was a tight, well-written literary analysis essay, complete with citations. These could be great models for teachers working with students on senior-paper type research. Not a five-paragraph essay in the bunch, not a quote lump, not a false note. Everything comes from the authors' passion for the book and the clarity of their own prose.
I found some lines that resonate in today's troubling times: "The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so sure of themselves and wiser people are so full of doubts" -- Bertrand Russell. "Unthinking respect for authority is the greatest enemy of truth" -- Albert Einstein, and "[Indulgent] societies can actually convince themselves that this self-indulgence of the few based on the work of the many can actually be a good thing for everyone...In the Hunger Games, individual rights and freedoms are dangerous toys for a careless populace." -- Adrienne Kress.
I loved that each of these authors LOVED the books and found something different in them. I loved that each essay was a tight, well-written literary analysis essay, complete with citations. These could be great models for teachers working with students on senior-paper type research. Not a five-paragraph essay in the bunch, not a quote lump, not a false note. Everything comes from the authors' passion for the book and the clarity of their own prose.
I found some lines that resonate in today's troubling times: "The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so sure of themselves and wiser people are so full of doubts" -- Bertrand Russell. "Unthinking respect for authority is the greatest enemy of truth" -- Albert Einstein, and "[Indulgent] societies can actually convince themselves that this self-indulgence of the few based on the work of the many can actually be a good thing for everyone...In the Hunger Games, individual rights and freedoms are dangerous toys for a careless populace." -- Adrienne Kress.