100 Days of Mockingjay - Amber's THG Story

Week 1 of our "100 Days of Mockingjay" celebration is all about Your THG Story. Read about how to contribute yours and enter our giveaway here.

Amber is one of the writers here at PanemPropaganda and one of the contributors to our Facebook page. Here's Amber's THG Story:
 

So you guys remember that book Twilight everybody loved a few years ago? I am going to totally out myself here, but I came to THG Fandom via (gasp!) The Twilight fandom. I know, I know. Everybody hates Twilight. The thing is the author of the Twilight series highly recommended The Hunger Games on her Web page and well, Twilight kinda was my reawakening to the fact that I loved to read. Flash back to 2009, here I am, a stay-at-home mom skulking around the YA section desperate for something to make me want to read like Twilight did. I didn't want to read "another book like Twilight" and I gave into Mrs. Meyer's suggestion and purchased THG......and I was absolutely amazed.  It was unlike anything I ever read.  Every chapter was a cliffhanger. I purchased Catching Fire and tore through it only to find out that I had to wait over half a year for Mockingjay (can you imagine the torture of waiting that long?!). 

After finally reading Mockingjay I can remember just sitting there not knowing how to feel. I am a "happy ending" kind of girl and this was such a departure for me. A few months later I reread the series in its entirety and everything just clicked. Katniss was just a girl thrown into this crazy situation. She was selfish at times, but she became selfless. She was real. Peeta was an example of the type of person I would like to strive to be. Kind, compassionate and loving, despite hardships. Their story is possibly one of the most powerful stories I have ever read. These books about "kids killing kids" serves as a possible warning and a lesson....a lesson about HOPE.

 

When they announced they were making them into movies, I was thrilled. I started to push everyone I know into reading the books, including my husband (who doesn't like to read for fun). Behold, he read them and enjoyed them ( babe, I told you so!)!  It was so cool to sit down and discuss them with him. Something we hadn't done before.

I went to the midnight premieres, I watched multiple times at the theaters, I even started to host DVD parties as the movies came out. There truly is something different about THG fandom, it reaches so many people, from all walks of life.

 

I am kind of an introvert and it has given me a way to start talking to more people. A common ground I didn't feel I had before. So, even though I came from the Twilight fandom (and I still love Twilight, shhhh), I feel like The Hunger Games series is one of the most powerful, thought provoking things I have ever read. It's true, I have become obsessed. And when you are obsessed you totally reach out to the coolest fandom page and tell them how obsessed you are.....and then that fandom page asks if you want to help, and you pass out. :-)

 

They say (whoever "they" are) a great story stays with you.....The Hunger Games will always be a part of me. For me it will always be a symbol of hope. 

You can follow Amber on twitter @AmberHRailey. Check out Amber's art at MommyPaints. 

Comments

[Laura Botschi]

#MyTHGstory starts one day when I was 11 in the summer holidays.
This day I went to my friends house in my village. They were watching The Hunger Games, but the movie was started. I saw it, but it didn't liked me a lot because I didn't know anything about it and it was already begun, I don't understand anything. When it finished I forgotten it.
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It was not until the holidays are over and I started 6° grade I know about the trilogy.
One day of november I went to the library for do homework. Later a friend appears in the library, I asked her some book to read. She told me about @TheHungerGames trilogy and I decided to read it.
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I read it in five days. I STARTED TO LOVE IT IMMEDIATELY😍 On the next days I read Catching Fire. Catching Fire liked me even more than The Hunger Games😍😍 I began to love Finnick💘 my fave character. When I finished it I immediately started to read Mockingjay. Mockingjay liked me a lot 😍 and when I finished it I was so sad because there aren't more books of the trilogy, and for all the deaths of characters that I loved a lot 😭 , but I was so happy too.
After I finished the books I watched the two first movies. I loved them too❤ Since I watched the movies I start to wait for #MockingjayPart1 on November.
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When I was in 7° grade, on November I went to buy the tickets for Part1 one week before the release with two friends.
On 21th of November I went to see Part 1 with five friends; Maya, Montse, Silvia, Alma and Emma. This day was one of the best of the year.😍🎉👏
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This was my second fandom (after HarryPotter) and I started to follow a lot of Hunger Games Instagram accounts. One day I think "why not" and I create my own first Hunger Games account (thirteenrebels). Now I changed the name to @godrichallows77 and I create an other acc with two friends, called @thirteenrebels
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This books taught me to appreciate the courage and bravery. The characters, the story, the love between persons of diferents ages, districts and personalitys make me love this books.❤
And that's all for now.😉
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#myTHGstory #100daysofMJ

[Erika G.]

I love Twilight too! I still do.