A review by reads2cope
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

5.0

"’What is to prevent, say, an uprising? …Do you have any idea what that would mean? How many people would die? What conditions those left would have to face? Whatever problems anyone may have with the Capitol, believe me when I say that if it released its grip on the districts for even a short time, the entire system would collapse." 
I'm taken aback by the directness and even the sincerity of this speech. As if his primary concern is the welfare of the citizens of Panem, when nothing could be further from the truth. 
I don't know how I dare to say the next words, but I do. "It must be very fragile, if a handful of berries can bring it down.’"

Shocked at how much Collins fit into this small book. I wish I could remember how it impacted me when I read it as a kid. I went to protests against the Iraq war with my mother, knowing more about the world and watching everything happening in Palestine, the DRCongo, Sudan, and more - and seeing the brutal response to protests from the USA,  Europe,  Japan, and beyond - this series has been a difficult but amazing reread.