The Hunger Games, or The Princess of Dystopia
As the mother of a teenage daughter, the arrival of The Hunger Games, was a welcome one. Our literary journey has been a mix of classic literature and the imaginary worlds of Hogwarts, Twilight and now, District 12 and Panem. Our home is filled with music and art and books. Our respite from comparing universities for my daughter, or my study of and advocacy for women in Sudan, Congo and elsewhere in Africa, centers around the written word and films. We have the strongest affinity for Jane Austen's prose, Herodotus' genius, Nathaniel Hawthorne's depth, and Ovidian's insight into character and moral choices.
The daughter of a journalist and an artist, my tastes are eclectic to be certain. My family placed Kipling in my hands at age three, and for my daughter, it has been much the same. When Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games came into our life last year much of the publicity painted it as a left wing imagining of a dystopian, post-Occupy Wall Street future.
What we found instead was remarkable. A young sixteen year old girl, Katniss Everdeen, struggles with poverty and emotional strife in the wake of her father's death. There are thousands of families in the US Armed Forces that relate quite directly to the loss. Every young person struggles with developing their self-worth and identity. It is a natural course of events.
Katniss is skilled in archery and an expert huntress. She is a creative cook, as are most folks with a small budget. She displays strong maternal feelings towards her fragile, younger sister. Katniss is without guile. She is innocent, just on the cusp of womanhood. Katniss is beautiful but unaware of her beauty. She possesses strong character and is willing to sacrifice herself for her sister, as well as for the greater good.
Katniss is a refreshing departure from the hypersexualized images and caricatures of young women in modern literature and entertainment. The lovely notion a girl can be smart, self-sufficient, a hunter, chaste and worthy of admiration and respect is a lesson worth teaching. Knowing. And living. Every day.
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Feb '12
Re: The Hunger Games, or The Princess of Dystopia
I'm just thrilled he has religion at all. Sci-fi generally assumes that all the "civilized" people are happy atheists and the only religious people left are the cave-dwelling primitives or superstitious peasants. Weber at least writes characters whose faith is a fundamental force in both their personal lives and the world around them.
I will say the moment when the "Second Reformation" Catholic priest and the "space Mormon" parson say the infant baptism can proceed because "there are no irreconcilable differences between the two faiths" did break my suspension of disbelief. Faster-than-light travel and telepathic cats seem so much more likely than Christianity actually reaching a peace about *that* issue, even 2000 years in the future. :D
Feb '11
Re: The Hunger Games, or The Princess of Dystopia
Faster-than-light travel and telepathic cats seem so much more likely than Christianity actually reaching a peace about *that* issue, even 2000 years in the future. :D
Funny!
Dec '11
Re: The Hunger Games, or The Princess of Dystopia
Amy Schley, Great suggestions for books! Thanks so much!
Feb '12
Re: The Hunger Games, or The Princess of Dystopia
Copperfield, I don't know if you have an e-reader (or even just a comfy computer chair) but if so, check out
http://baencd.thefifthimperium.com/22-MissionofHonorCD/MissionofHonorCD/Worlds%20of%20Honor/Worlds_of_Honor.htm
This is a link to one of the anthologies of short stories set in Weber's "Honorverse." (Baen releases these for free distribution, so you don't have to feel like a pirate.) It's a good taste of what kind of story Weber writes.
Jun '10
Re: The Hunger Games, or The Princess of Dystopia
If you're looking for book suggestions for YA's, Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia have sold millions for a reason. The Christian symbolism is obvious to adults, but kids can still read them for the stories. Some are better than others: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is still my favorite (and the movie made from it was quite good).
My kids loved the Roald Dahl books (especially The Witches, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory). Calling Dahl YA might be a bit of a stretch.
Finally my family has fallen in love with Brandon Mull's Fablehaven series (I haven't read them, but they swear by them).
Twilight (yukky!).
Feb '11
Re: The Hunger Games, or The Princess of Dystopia
Almost all of Brandon Sanderson's books that I have read are good for young but mature people. Elantris was lovely. The Mistborn series is pretty good, although it can be graphically violent and the theology is... pretty odd.
Orson Scott Card is a great writer, but some of his books, Songmaster comes to mind, and some others the names of which are escaping me, deal with sex in a way that might be very inappropriate for a 14 year old but ok for a 20 year old. Use your own judgement.
For the younger set, 7-14, the Redwall series by the late Brian Jacques are outstanding. Strong characters, righteousness rewarded, fun riddles and word games, and lots and lots of good eating.
Jun '10
Re: The Hunger Games, or The Princess of Dystopia
Mama Toad:
For the younger set, 7-14, the Redwall series by the late Brian Jacques are outstanding. Strong characters, righteousness rewarded, fun riddles and word games, and lots and lots of good eating. · 31 minutes ago
Two of my sons loved the Redwall series.
Sep '11
Re: The Hunger Games, or The Princess of Dystopia
Another thought provoking book is The Giver by Lois Lowry. It is the first of a trilogy, and my favorite of the three. I try to read it once a year (which is easy since its only about 160 pages.) Not much action, no bloody fights, but definitely pro-individuality and pro-life. What's it really like to live in (supposed) Utopia?
Nov '10
Re: The Hunger Games, or The Princess of Dystopia
Can someone look through this long and attractive list of books and let me know which might be appropriate for a nine-year-old with advanced reading skills? My daughter and I got a long list of such books from a friend, but most didn't seem to resonate with her. I'll look at the Redwall books that someone specifically mentioned for the 7-14 set. We've recently found a writer named Diana Wynne Jones and enjoyed a few of her books, and naturally we know Narnia well.
Aug '10
Re: The Hunger Games, or The Princess of Dystopia
Sorry, but I didn't think of the Graysons as 'Japanese Space Mormons' largely because of their insistence on the personal relationship with God. Yes, they practice polygamy - but I they don't seem to disdain caffeine or alcohol and they don't seem to be preachy.
Concentrate on the values - not bad there, especially the preaching when it comes to duty - extremely valuable.
Edited on April 13, 2012 at 3:57amAug '10
Re: The Hunger Games, or The Princess of Dystopia
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Edited on April 13, 2012 at 3:59amAug '10
Re: The Hunger Games, or The Princess of Dystopia
Lucy, I will be in the same boat when it comes to my daughter shortly. She is 2 and teaching herself to read already - I can see the time coming when I will have to find challenging, yet emotionally and thematically appropriate stories for her.
While you are searching for quality, go for the quantity of teen girl stories - Nancy Drew comes to mind. By 9 I had read the entirety of Sherlock Holmes without recognizing the problems associated with Holmes drug addiction or desiring them for myself. I wouldn't worry about that. The Twilight novels will be out of bounds for my Charlotte.
May '10
Re: The Hunger Games, or The Princess of Dystopia
I read the books on your original recco TR and completely agree. Add to that the economy is completely totalitarian -- dictated by the Capitol with no capitalism to be found.
Aug '11
Re: The Hunger Games, or The Princess of Dystopia
A Beautiful Friendship by David Weber
Edited on April 13, 2012 at 2:02pmDiscworld Young Adult series by Terry Pratchett (beginning with The Wee Free Men)
The Bromeliad Trilogy by Terry Pratchett (beginning with Truckers)
Redwall series by Brian Jacques
Let me know what else your daughter has enjoyed and I'll be glad to recommend additional books that would suit her tastes.
Nov '10
Re: The Hunger Games, or The Princess of Dystopia
Daniel Turner
A Beautiful Friendshipby David Weber
Discworld Young Adult series by Terry Pratchett (beginning with The Wee Free Men)
The Bromeliad Trilogy by Terry Pratchett (beginning with Truckers)
Redwall series by Brian Jacques
Let me know what else your daughter has enjoyed and I'll be glad to recommend additional books that would suit her tastes.
Thank you very much. She loves Harry Potter and has enjoyed the Rick Riordan Greek mythology series, but hasn't gotten into the Egyptian ones. She seems to like relatively fast moving stories, so some of the classics that I loved as a child leave her cold. We recently tried Swallows and Amazons, for example, and she gave up quickly. I'm afraid she has had a tendency to fall back into books that are not challenging, like this Goddess Girls series. It's okay, we all read fluff now and then, but I'd like her to be stretched a bit, and she herself sometimes gets bored with the easy stuff.
Feb '12
Re: The Hunger Games, or The Princess of Dystopia
Instugator
Sorry, but I didn't think of the Graysons as 'Japanese Space Mormons' largely because of their insistence on the personal relationship with God. Yes, they practice polygamy - but I they don't seem to disdain caffeine or alcohol and they don't seem to be preachy.
There's more to Mormonism than caffeine abstention and preaching. (Disclaimer: I'm Reorganized LDS or "Community of Christ" as we renamed ourselves recently. Think the Shiite to the LDS Sunni as an analogy.)
A charismatic American preacher [Joseph Smith & Brigham Young/Austen Grayson] begins a new faith, emphasizing man's ongoing process of learning about God and trying to get "back to basics" [living in apostolic communalism/rejecting technology]. He leads his many followers to a new settlement beyond the frontier [Deseret/Grayson], only to realize that the new settlement is extremely hostile. In response, the community organizes itself as a strong patriarchy to survive. As conditions change, the church's doctrine changes in response, prompting a schism between hard-liners [FLDS/Masadans] and moderates [LDS/Graysons].
To be fair, the parallels do break down, as FLDS compounds aren't threatening to nuke Salt Lake City.
Feb '12
Re: The Hunger Games, or The Princess of Dystopia
If you try the Terry Pratchet YA stuff and she likes it (and it's both well-written and oftentimes hilarious), don't be too afraid to try his adult fiction. It's not really for kids, but not in the R-rated (sex, language, violence) way. It just asks and prompts serious questions in the reader. (E.g. Carpe Jugulum has a major character arc of a preacher who has gone to seminary, been taught to believe in ecumenism, but is having a crisis of faith. Hogfather concludes that we teach kids about Santa Claus and get them to believe in the little things that have no tangible existence, so that when they grow up they can believe in the big things that have no tangible existence like justice and mercy.)
It's not the stuff of nightmares or of words you don't want repeated, but it may be meat she can't quite chew yet.
Nov '10
Re: The Hunger Games, or The Princess of Dystopia
Amy Schley
There's more to Mormonism than caffeine abstention and preaching. (Disclaimer: I'm Reorganized LDS or "Community of Christ" as we renamed ourselves recently. Think the Shiite to the LDS Sunni as an analogy.)
Oh, how interesting! I knew one Reorganized LDS person when I was growing up, but have no idea what they believe. Would you like to tell us more?
Also, can you clarify for me which of these books might have a Mormon philosophical outlook? I'd like to read them and get a sense of what that means before I give them to my daughter, since we're not Mormon.
Edited on April 14, 2012 at 12:22amFeb '12
Re: The Hunger Games, or The Princess of Dystopia
The short history of RLDS is that when Joseph Smith was killed, the majority of the LDS church followed Brigham Young out to Utah, while many other groups split off to Michigan and other states. In the 1860s, most of these groups came together under the leadership of Joseph Smith's son, forming the "Reorganized" LDS. RLDS rejected many of the changes to church doctrine that happened in the last six months of Joseph's life and that Brigham Young had continued to develop in Utah -- polygamy, celestial marriage, baptism of the dead, sacramental clothing, temple rites, etc. (i.e. most of the things that people find strange about Mormonism). I actually teach Sunday School class with Joseph's great-grandson, our superannuated president-prophet.
The biggest part of "Restoration" (LDS & RLDS) philosophy that comes through Weber's books is the emphasis on God continuing to teach mankind even in the present day. In the fictional universe, the Graysons teach that the Tester (God the father) presents his people with challenges that they must at least attempt, even if they fail, and that this test can sometimes be to challenge their own assumptions and status. (continued)
Feb '12
Re: The Hunger Games, or The Princess of Dystopia
Both branches of the Restoration believe in ongoing revelation and collate the revelations of their respective prophets into books called "The Doctrine and Covenants"; as my computer programmer husband likes to put it, they are the "patch notes" for the Bible to adjust for the changes in the world in the last 2000 years. This is reflected in the Graysons as well, though their founder called it "The Book of the New Way."
The Graysons hold that each person has to work out his own faith and that the church cannot dictate the conscience of its members. RLDS (not sure about LDS) is somewhat perversely proud of the fact that we are a no-creed church. The church does not insist that members *must* affirm any set of beliefs before becoming a confirmed member. (Though if push came to shove, 99% would agree with the Nicene creed.)
Something to keep in mind: Weber is not a Mormon himself; he's a lay Methodist preacher. I'm not nearly as familiar with Methodism, but it's quite possible that many of the aspects that I see as "Restoration" are actually drawn from his Methodist experiences.