Inspiration for the Story:

The Hunger Games was inspired by the Greek myth of Theseus and the Minotaur, the Roman gladiator games, reality TV shows and current day TV war footage. Very significantly, Suzanne Collins was informed by her experiences of having a father who was an Air Force Officer in the Vietnam War and who grew up in the Great Depression. She learned a tremendous amount from him about the ravages of war, the poverty, starvation and the cruel, ruthless social/political extremes it creates. In the Greek Myth of Theseus, Minos forces Athens to sacrifice seven youths and seven maidens to the Minotaur as a punishment for past crimes.

The Hunger Games: The Story – Book One in the Trilogy

The first book in the trilogy The Hunger Games, is set in a futuristic, post-apocalyptic world in Panem, which is old North America. Each year the Hunger Games are held as a punishment for a rebellion that occurred. One Boy and One Girl between the ages of 12 and 18 are chosen by lottery from each of 12 districts around The Capitol to compete in a televised battle to the death. Every citizen must watch the Hunger Games, a very dangerous fight to the death in an outdoor arena. Sponsors pay money to support contestants during the course of the battles to influence the outcome.

Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) is 16 and from District 12, one of the poorest and most scarcely populated districts dependent upon mining. She volunteers for the Hunger Games in place of her younger sister Primrose (Willow Shields). Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) another contestant is also from District 12 but comes from a wealthier family than Katniss and has never faced the hardships that she and her family have. Katniss and Peeta battle the other ‘tributes’ as a team and try to gain the sympathy of the audience by pretending to be in love. Peeta is really in love with Katnissand has been since childhood. Katniss and Peeta have a very complicated relationship since the intensity of the love is on Peeta’s side. Katniss is not willing to deal with her emotional attachments to either Peeta or Gale (Liam Helmsworth), another young man from District 12 with a similar background to Katniss.  Gale is also in love with Katniss. Katniss becomes the face of the District’s Rebellion after she unwittingly embarrasses The Capitol at the end of the Hunger Games. Woody Harrelson stars in the movie as Haymitch Abernathy, a former Hunger Games winner, now an alcoholic whose job it is to train the new recruits or tribunes.