Thank You For The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins

Today we've got a guest post from Tracee Orman, one of the first people I followed when I joined The Hunger Games fandom, who also happens to be a teacher using THG in her classroom (lucky students). Since we're honoring the books this week, I couldn't think of a better person to write an ode to the woman who started it all, Suzanne Collins.  

I want to take a moment to thank Suzanne Collins for writing The Hunger Games trilogy.  I’m not sure my words here will be able to express the amount of gratitude I feel for what reading her books have done for myself, for my students, and for the thousands of students who read them each year, but I will try.

The first time I had heard of Suzanne Collins' novel The Hunger Games was in September of 2008. Stephen King wrote a review of it in Entertainment Weekly, which immediately caught my attention since I both respect King's opinion and thought it was interesting he was reviewing young adult lit. So I ordered the book on Amazon based on his review and it sat on my nightstand for nearly a year collecting dust with other books I wanted to read but never had the time. 

Of course, I’ve been kicking myself for not reading it sooner ever since.

Suzanne Collins helped me renew my love for teaching during a time where I didn’t think I would last in the profession another year. In 2009 I had a difficult group of students–mostly boys–in a remedial freshmen English class. I had lost all hope of ever finding any material they would even attempt to read. All my old stand-byes had been exhausted.

But then I remembered the book on my nightstand. Since my students were mostly into hunting, I thought perhaps I could at least read a little more about that world since it was foreign to me. Honestly, the description of The Hunger Games didn’t appeal to me at all.  But by the time I read the first few pages, I started to care about this sad futuristic world that was a result of our present-day abuse of the planet and of each other.

Collins drew me into the story because I was truly interested in how our actions today will affect future generations. But when I shared the novel with my students, I learned that her story-telling is so much deeper, richer than I had realized.

While I was initially interested in the world of Panem, some students were immediately drawn to Katniss and her survival skills. Some were enthralled with the concept of the Games, and some wanted to know everything there was to know about the Capitol and all its modern conveniences and gadgets. And many girls loved the idea of two good-looking boys vying for Katniss’s attention. There is literally something included in the novel to appeal to practically everyone. Nature-lovers, hunters, miners, gear-heads, techies, fashionistas, make-up and tattoo artists...everyone.

And it isn’t just the content of Collins’ novels that appeals to all readers. It is the way she tells the story. Her style of writing has a way of drawing the reader in using humor and suspense while keeping the reader engrossed with sarcastic dialogue and heart-wrenching moments. (Seriously heart-wrenching moments.)

At a time when I thought it could be my last year teaching, teaching Collins’ novels gave me hope for the future of my students and for my career as a teacher. The first time I shared The Hunger Games with students who absolutely hated to read (and vowed they wouldn’t read anything I assigned), I watched them transform into students who couldn’t wait to read the next chapter. It wasn’t a slow transformation, either. By the second day of reading in class, they fell in love with the story as I had. And I looked forward to class as much as they did. Teaching was no longer a chore or something I dreaded and wanted to stop doing. It was a passion again. For that, and so much more, thank you, Ms. Collins.

 

 

Tracee Orman

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Liam Hemsworth Says ‘Mockingjay Part 2’ Is The Best ‘Hunger Games’ Yet

Liam Hemsworth tells MTV's Josh Horowitz what he thinks of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 while promoting his new film The Dressmaker at the Toronto International Film Festival. 

“I’ve seen it. I saw it,” he told MTV News. “It’s great. I think it might be the best one. It’s more action-packed for sure. I think start to finish it just doesn’t give up. The whole time you feel like anyone could be killed at any moment. It’s like that in all of them but I feel like this is, the stakes are a little higher.”

When asked if he was emotional watching the film, Liam was more grateful than sad. 

“No, it wasn’t emotional,” he said. “It’s definitely the end of a journey, but to have made friends like Jen [Lawrence] and Josh [Hutcherson], I couldn’t have asked for more. Such a fun time we’ve had together, and I’ll always look back at is as being a great time.”

Mockingjay World Tour Dates Announced!

The Mockingjay World tour is coming! Lionsgate has announced the Mockingjay World Tour aka the Mockingjay Part 2 worldwide red carpet premiere stops. We will update this post as more details, locations and confirmed cast appearances are announced! 

And look - new stills! 

First stop: Berlin on Wed Nov 4, 2015! Berlin gets the Mockingjay Part 2 World Premiere this time around! Congrats, Berlin! This is especially poignant since the filming wrapped in Berlin.  

UK Premere is set for November 5th. According to Digital Spy and a Lionsgate UK press release, this will be held at Odeon Leicester Square in London. 

The Paris Mockingjay Part 2 premiere is November 9th.

The Mockingjay Part 2 US premiere in Los Angeles will be November 16th.

As of now, Lionsgate hasn't confirmed any details other than the general locations. 

For those asking about tickets to these premiere events, no matter what you read out there, there hasn't been any concrete fan access information announced at this point. In the past, the only way to get access to the red carpet premieres was by winning a contest, attending a fan camp (for THG and CF only), or by queueing up at the premiere location and obtaining one of a limited number of first-come, first-served wristbands (with the exception of the Paris premiere which we hear you could actually purchase tickets for). 

We will update you with ANY and ALL information we get the minute we get it!

Sit In On A College Class About 'The Hunger Games'

Think about anything else that day? Fat chance.

I’d been waiting for this for over six months.

Before I left college for summer, I enrolled in a Young Adult Literature class for the fall semester. The title is all I needed to hook me. What made it better? The book list we were required to read.

Number four on that list? The Hunger Games.

The day of class arrived. Barely keeping calm, I poked my Mockingjay earrings into my ears. I braided my hair (well, the best braid I can manage with hair that is as thin as tissue paper and only shoulder-length). I grabbed my bag, making sure a notebook and functioning pen came with me.

When I made my way to campus, I passed a few people. I caught them looking at me a second longer than they probably should have. “Who invited Katniss Everdeen?” The question reflected in their eyes; pride reflected in mine.

I was the first to get to class. I carefully placed my supplies on my desk, waiting for the company of my best friend, who turned me on to the novels in the first place. Soon, she was seated beside me half-shaking her head at my eagerness, half-fangirling over it. As others began to file in, I could not keep the smile off my face. A few who knew me better than the others asked me, “You’ve been waiting for this, haven’t you?” Ha, waiting. More like living for it. 

My professor made his way to the front of the class, cranking up the computer and old, semi-haunted projector. Finally, it was time to kick this into high gear.

“So,” my professor began. “The Hunger Games.” He paused. “Thumbs-up, thumbs-down? So-so?”

Every thumb in the room shot up to the ceiling. Soon, a three-finger salute went up and a Mockingjay whistle broke the silence from behind me.

This was going to be great.

We began with our professor giving us general information he had researched about the series. Soon, we broke off into groups, with a list of discussion topics we'd formulated as a class. Later, we came together as a whole and went over the discussion topics even deeper.

I never volunteered (ooh, puns!) so much in a class. Throughout the class, I was able to provide my professor and classmates with additional information about the events in the book series, Suzanne Collins, her inspiration for the novels, the movie franchise, and even the theme park. (Yep, that’s still a thing.)

Those two and a half hours were some of the best ones I spent at college. I could feel how much I belonged in that room, with those people. The love I had for this series only burned brighter upon my exit.

Since you couldn't be there with me, I'm sharing the notes I took in the class. First is the general information my professor brought to our attention. Second are the discussion topics that took up the meat of the class. What would you want to talk about in a class session completely dedicated to The Hunger Games? Sound off in the comments.

Click to read more ...

From Hunger Games Fangirl to YA Author - A Tribute's Journey To Recovery + Win a Signed Copy of Her Book!

My name is Jolene Buchheit, and I'm the author of Best Foot Forward, a book about a Hunger Games fangirl. The HUNGER GAMES series helped me through one of the most difficult experiences of my life. This is the story of why I wrote my book.

I was addicted to drugs.

To be clear, they were prescriptions drugs for narcolepsy, but they were the dreaded Benzodiazepines, and they were ruining my life. I was in bed exhausted or sleeping more hours per day than I was out of it. I also had short-term memory problems so bad that I couldn't remember the end of my sentence once I'd started speaking the beginning of it. By the time I decided to stop taking the addictive medications and suffer through the withdrawal symptoms, it was one week before HUNGER GAMES was due to release in theaters. I have a rule about reading books before I watch the adaptations, and I had not read the book yet. One of my teenage friends had begged me to read the book, and I promised I would before I took her to see the movie on opening day. Time was running short, but I couldn't read anything the way my memory was malfunctioning.

By Tuesday, the effects of withdrawal were taking over. Since I stopped taking the medications that my body was dependent on to help me sleep, I wasn't able to sleep at all. I was exhausted, but my mind was healing. I could say what was on my mind, and most importantly I could READ!! My goal was to finish reading the HUNGER GAMES before Friday. What happened was I finished it before the sun rose on Wednesday morning. I never one-click purchased a book so fast as I did CATCHING FIRE.

By Wednesday night, it had been several days since I had slept for more than an hour or so at a time, and then only when my body would shut down from weariness. I couldn't stop shaking, but I also couldn't stop reading. I was deep into CATCHING FIRE by 7:00 pm when I started hearing our piano playing even though the lid was closed. My husband decided I needed to seek help for the withdrawal symptoms before things got even crazier. I was reading about Morphlings and Peeta's fog-induced body control issues as I struggled with hallucinations and muscle spasms of my own. I read the last page in the hospital emergency room and broke my own one-click speed record for MOCKINGJAY.

The doctor prescribed a small dose medication to help me get past the worst of the effects wracking my body. It stopped the shakes but didn't help me sleep. I read most of the night. In the morning, I had an appointment with my family doctor. While in his office, I started uncontrollably crying. I couldn't say what was causing the tears, both because of the sobs stealing my voice and because I did not know. He suggested that I consider voluntarily admitting myself into the psychiatric ward of the hospital to get assistance with what I was going through. I went home and finished reading MOCKINGJAY.

I recognized that what Katniss did to hold onto her sanity is what I had been doing to hang on to mine, restating the tiny truths about my life. Reading about the process of recovering mental wellness and overcoming fears while I was reclaiming mine and facing my demons was cathartic. Moments before my husband returned from work, I finished reading the book. When I saw my husband's concerned face, who could tell I had not slept, it made me appreciate how much of a Dandelion in the Spring he was for me. With his guidance, I admitted myself into the hospital. I wanted him to have a restful night, knowing I was being cared for.

I spent four days in there focusing on my health. When I checked out, I started training my body to be healthy, even though my brain could not recover from narcolepsy. I started with running; I completed the couch to 5k program in nine weeks. Then I returned to my love of the water and swam some laps. My sister loaned me a bike and encouraged me to sign up for a triathlon. I had unfinished business to take care of first, I went to see The Hunger Games movie in a second-run theater and then went home and reread the books again. I wanted to know if it was my mental health that had made me cling to the books. It wasn't. Those books spoke life and hope into me.

In September, I competed in my first triathlon. I was the second to last person to complete the entire event, but I guarantee I was one of the proudest. While I was training and competing in the event, a story idea came to me about a HUNGER GAMES fangirl who participated in triathlons.

During NaNoWriMo, I began writing that story. It became a full-length, optimistic, young adult book that was published three years after my hospital stay. Though I wrote it for personal healing reasons, I truly hope others will enjoy all of the fangirl and fanboy references. Peeta and Katniss helped me through the most challenging experience of my life (and just keep in mind, I have given birth twice) and I try to thank them every day by keeping my eyes bright, chin up, smile on, and by putting my Best Foot Forward.

Be sure to check out Jolene's Facebook page and say hello! You can also find her on twitter @BeeJolene.

US Tributes can purchase Best Foot Forward on Amazon HERE. 

Canadian tributes HERE

Australian tributes HERE

UK tributes HERE.

You can also find her book at Barnes and Noble and SmashWords.

You can win a signed copy of Jolene’s wonderful book Best Foot Forward by entering through the widget below by Friday at 8pm. Here is a synopsis of the story:

After one bad experience, Iowa high school senior, triathlete, and fangirl Lucia “Luc” Guzman swore off relationships. Well, that was until Connor Kohlton and his southern accent moved to town. With the help of her childhood best friend, Jax Weber, she discovers her “college only” dating rule may be causing her to miss out on a great guy. Luc's parents have always taught her and her sister to put safety first and she applies that rule in all areas of her life; her training, her work, and her heart. However, she must throw caution to the wind when she decides she can’t fight her feelings anymore… But what will it cost her? When things start to fall apart, it’s hard to tell who’s to blame, because everyone is putting their Best Foot Forward.

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New 'Mockingjay Part 2' Still of Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss + Interview

The New York Times just released a brand new still from Mockingjay Part 2 alongside a great interview with Jennifer Lawrence. Seeing this new image makes me realize how badly we are starved for STILLS! We want more!!

Here's the full interview by Brooks Barnes:

"I picture myself drowning.”

Jennifer Lawrence swallowed hard and continued. “I picture myself drowning. Outwardly, I look like I’m having a blast, and I am, at least on some levels. There I was — burp, burp, burp — just a little gal from Kentucky getting discovered by big ol’ Hollywood. But inside I’m terrified. In an instant — boom — everyone’s listening, everyone’s looking.”

Ms. Lawrence, 25, was trying to remember the even younger woman she was in the fall of 2011, as the promotional campaign for the first “Hunger Games” movie began. The attention was not entirely new; she attended the 2011 Academy Awards as a best actress nominee, for the gritty indie “Winter’s Bone.” But that experience was nothing compared with the scrutiny that arrived when she signed on to play Katniss Everdeen, the reluctant fighter at the center of the “Hunger Games” series.

And now? How does Ms. Lawrence assess herself as she prepares to say goodbye to Katniss? “Mockingjay Part 2,” the fourth and final “Hunger Games” movie (at least for now), arrives from Lionsgate on Nov. 20.

The answer — along with Ms. Lawrence’s take on Kris Jenner, being too young to play roles for David O. Russell but doing it anyway, and her dreamy connections to her “Hunger Games” cast mates — emerged last month during an hourlong conversation in a suite at the Four Seasons hotel here. She arrived for the afternoon interview fully primped for a photo shoot (black stilettos, white micro-miniskirt with zippers on the side) and took command: efficient handshake, can we please turn off the air conditioning, let’s get on with this. Before long, though, she had her feet on the sofa and was unwrapping candy while laughing and showing signs of being a fun gossip. Here are excerpts:

Q. At this point, Katniss has been through the mill. She’s had to hunt children for sport against her will. She’s been bedeviled more than once by that godforsaken cat.

A. If Katniss was scared in the last movie, then she is almost numb in the next one. She’s been through so much.

Q. Does the same description apply to you? You’ve been through a lot, too, over these last few years. Your private photos stolen and published online. Your pay for “American Hustle” dumped on the Internet as part of the Sony hack. Falling down at the Oscars.

Could you maybe rattle off a few more mortifying things about me? [Laughs.]

Sorry. How have you personally changed since the first “Hunger Games”?

I don’t feel like I’m being dragged by anything anymore. I feel more in control. I’m calmer. I know that there’s no point to feeling anxious all day, so I try not to. I’m still scared, but it’s about different things. Now, I worry about — [Trails off and shifts a bit uncomfortably on the sofa.] O.K., get ahold of yourself, Jennifer. This is not therapy.

Click to read more ...

Jennifer Lawrence - New Images & Video for The Be Dior Winter 2015 Handbag Campaign

Dior has released some new images and a behind the scenes video of the lovely Jennifer Lawrence for their Winter 2015 Be Dior Handbag campaign. 

 

My handbag is noisy too, Jen.

What do you think of Jennifer's latest Dior campaign? You can check out photos from her Shine Don't Be Shy Dior Addict lipstick campaign here. 

A Tribute to The Hunger Games Trilogy - The Books

Our 100 days of Mockingjay celebration burns on! This week we're honoring the place where it all began: Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games book trilogy.

 
Suzanne Collins created The Hunger Games from an idea born of late night channel surfing between real war coverage and reality television. Suzanne, the daughter of a career military man and Vietnam Veteran, has said that she wanted to write an age-appropriate war story for every age group. The Hunger Games is her war story for young adults. The trilogy's themes of poverty, socio-economic disparity, government corruption, propaganda, revolution, redemption, and the consequences of war mirror events in our current society.

The Hunger Games means different things to different people. For some, Katniss Everdeen is a strong and inspiring female role model, and for some she inspires as a survivor of poverty and PTSD. She's complicated, imperfect, damaged and an incredibly compelling lead character.

Some people adore the love stories. Suzanne wrote interesting, complex relationships without a typical fairytale ending in the lot: Katniss and Peeta, Katniss and Gale, Finnick and Annie, even Mr. and Mrs. Everdeen.

As we've seen throughout this 100 Days of MJ project, The Hunger Games means much more to people than a series of novels or a movie franchise. Seven of the ten most highlighted Kindle passages ever are from The Hunger Games trilogy, and The Hunger Games is the third most highlighted book OF ALL TIME, eclipsed only by The Bible and Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson. 

How You Can Participate This Week:


Suzanne's words are compelling and powerful, meaningful and resonant. We want to honor those words this week by asking you to share your favorite Hunger Games book quote or passage in a visual way. Take a quote that has made an impact on you and make an edit, write it out, take a photo – the possibilities are endless. Let your imagination run wild. Just feature the words of THG in a visual way and use the hashtag #THGTrilogy to share it on social media. 

We are partnering with our friends at Everlarked & Always (who made the beautiful edit above) this week. They'll also be sharing some of your tagged work on their Tumblr blog Everlarked & Always, so be sure to follow.

GIVEAWAY:

We can't have a new theme without a new giveaway. This week (Wed, Sept 9 - Tues, Sept 14th) ONE winner will receive:

A boxed set of The Hunger Games trilogy foil editions 

A set of 5 Mockingjay pins: The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, Mockingjay Part 1, the new Mockingjay Part 2 pin that was given away at Comic-Con and a black Mockingjay pin (5 pins in total).  

Enter the giveaway through the widget below. Sharing a photo on social media is not required to enter, nor does it count as an entry BUT it sure is fun, and we can't wait to see what you guys come up with!

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