100 Days of Mockingjay - Your THG Story
Wed, August 12, 2015 ;)
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 don't make the trilogy a typical YA light read. But I think that's also why we love it so much.
The Hunger Games means many different things to many different people. For some, the heroine, Katniss Everdeen, is a strong and inspiring female role model, for some she motivates as a survivor of poverty and PTSD. She's complicated, imperfect, damaged and an incredibly compelling lead character.
Some people simply adore the love stories - Peeta and Katniss are the catalysts for countless Everlark fan fics. Everthorne, Odesta, any 'ship you sail in The Hunger Games certainly isn't all hearts and flowers and the romances in the books are tinted with sadness. Not a typical happy ending to be found anywhere in the trilogy, yet we relish them all the same.
In Thailand, citizens have identified with The Hunger Games and used its three finger salute as a symbol to combat injustice. Odds In Our Favor uses the salute in their #MyHungerGames initiative to highlight economic inequality in the world.
We want to know what The Hunger Games means to YOU. Why do you love it? How has it inspired you? What brought you into this wild, wonderful fandom and how has it changed your life?
This week, share your story. You can write it in the comments below or share on our Facebook page. You can also snap a photo, or create an edit or gifset based on what The Hunger Games means to you and tag us on Instagram, Twitter, or Tumblr. Use the hashtag #MyTHGStory across social media so we can find you, and we'll share as many of YOUR THG stories as we can this week!
This idea was inspired by the lovely Everlarked & Always, a blog you definitely should be following on tumblr. Check out the eloquent #MyTHGStory submissions of Everlarked & Always followers here .
Reader Comments (6)
In 2011 I was diagnosed with a rare disease called Dysautonomia, that affects my blood pressure. Every time that I would stand up I would get really lightheaded and almost pass out. Since I could not do anything other than lay on the couch, I got really into reading books, and The Hunger Games became my go to series for when I was having a rough time. I got really connected to the characters because they taught me how to stay strong through the rough patches. I feel like I have a strong connection to the character Peeta because with both share the same passion: baking.
I even hope to someday open my own bakery, and have made cupcakes inspired by The Hunger Games. When I am having a really hard time, I can always turn to The Hunger Games and baking!
Conheci Jogos Vorazes ao acaso enquanto procurava filmes para ver na internet, nada demais, e pelos comentários me interessei. Ao começar a ver, me encantei com a coragem de Katniss ao se oferecer pela irmã, mas eu não sabia exatamente para que, até eu vê-la ir para a Arena. Confesso que fiquei horrorizada ao ver uns matando os outros, mas foi só de começo, porque depois ao se aliar a pequena Rue, vi o lado dela que queria protegê-la e foi o que mais me fez gostar do filme, principalmente no fim, quando ela protege o Peeta e ficam só os dois, ela tem a ideia de arriscar suas vidas para vencerem juntos.
Jogos Vorazes me mostrou que é necessário ter Esperança, porque, nas palavras de Dumbledore, mas um pouco alteradas por mim: "É possível encontrar a Esperança mesmo nas horas mais sombrias, se lembrar de acender a luz."
Só gostaria agradecer a Suzanne Collins por ter criado esse universo para nós leitores, assim como J.K. e Rick Riordan, se não fossem por eles, nós não seríamos tão obcecados!! kkkk No bom sentido, claro!
Bom, e essa é a minha experiência com Jogos Vorazes! ;)
Ah! E um recado para o Presidente Coriolanus Snow:
"Se nós queimarmos, você queimará conosco!"
99 dias para A Esperança - O Final no Brasil *v*
When I think about The Hunger Games trilogy, I remember the winter of 2013, and when I think about that winter, I see it parted my life in two. There's a before and after that winter, and when I think about that, I know with certainty, it takes one moment for you to change, one person, one decision, that can change your life for ever.
In the summer of 2013 my family and I, who lived in South America, decided to move to the US.
It was a hard decision to make, but we knew it was the right one.
Slowly I saw how the house I had live in for the past six years emptied, and how our whole lives reduced to six bags with our belongings and a cat.
We arrived on June of that year and a week later we received the devastating news that my grandmother had cancer. This felt like falling off a tree, so to speak, because she wasn't only my grandmother, she was also my friend... My best friend perhaps, but I didn't realize that until it was too late
On August I had to start school. It was a big change and I was very nervous. I had left my friends, my family, my language, my culture... It was crazy for me, but I liked it, it was a challenge I was willing to accept.
Time passed and weeks later I was in my English class ( this was a special one because I was learning English) and my teacher, passed around a folder with a list of books. We had to chose one of them to read, and then, make a project based on it. Reading was not my favorite thing in the world back then, but what else could I do? I had to read it.
My eyes went through all the names and I saw a familiar one. I had seen the movie before and I really liked it, so I thought, why not? I know the story, so it wouldn't be hard to read. Let's read it!
With determination I raised my hand and announced to the teacher the name of the book I was going to read: The Hunger Games.
The more I read the more I enjoyed it, and the more I wanted to read.
Slowly I fell in love with Katniss and how human she was. I loved the way she loved her sister I loved how much I could relate to her and how selfless she could be.
As I read the next two books I found myself fascinated by how deep the books were, by how its themes were not only love, but sacrifice, war, justice and politics as well.
It was a satire to the fake society we live in, and the way we ignore common society issues.
Looking back to that winter I see that's how it all started for me. Looking back, I remember the lonely hours in October when the leafs were still falling down and it was just me and the book sitting on a bench It was like Katniss was there with me, she could understand me in ways i couldn't even understand myself.
I remember how I felt when my grandmother died and part of my family turned their back at me.
I remember the night I finished with Mockingjay, I remember how I held the book close to my heart, where I knew the story and its characters would live forever....
The books were always there, they helped me cope through my own little Hunger Games
Looking back I think: If I hadn't moved to the US, if I hadn't chose that book... Things would be different now.
Like I said, it only takes one decision, one instant, one person to change your life forever
This is my story. This is how I fell in love with Suzanne Collins' story and it's valuable lessons.
I learned that life is constantly like The Hunger Games. Hard, sad and unfair. There are some people that stop to play, but they are still alive in the warmth of our hearts, and live there forever.
There are mentors, that through our childhood try to prepare us for the inevitable. There are carriers, that look like have all the odds in their favor, but they are just empty inside. There are allies, that will always be in our side and will always help us through this battle.
There are our best friends, our confidents, those that aim to the same target than us with their bow. And there are the special ones, those that will be with us for our whole lives. The only ones that will bring with them the rebirth of the spring, the reason to continue, the hope that we need when those sad memories come to our minds and torture us; But most importantly, in the end there are always much worse games to play.
Reading the other "My THG Story" posts makes me feel woefully inadequate to tell my own. I don't remember what brought me to the books, or when. I have vague memories of seeing a magazine cover of Josh and Liam when they were cast, and not knowing what it was all about. I did manage to read all the books before the first movie premiered, I know that. I remember that I read the first book in less than 24 hours (and that included time for sleeping and working). I know that I went to the midnight showing of the first movie alone, and that there was a girl who started crying when Rue died and didn't stop for the rest of the movie.
After that, I kind of bullied my sister into reading the books because I felt so passionately about them that I wanted to share them with someone. Thankfully, she became obsessed with me. My obsession only grew as the movies continued. I made a paper chain countdown to Catching Fire. I bought any magazine that featured THG on the cover. I bought all the soundtracks and scores, and a large portion of the Catching Fire makeup line. THG has cost me a lot of money over the years!
Two things about the experience stand out to me. The first is that this is a YA trilogy that has dark themes at its heart, and is barely a vehicle for the stereotypical YA love triangle (thought I admit that bit makes me happy as well!). It makes you think about the world you live in, be inspired by someone who stands up for what is right even though it breaks her; personally it makes me pay more attention to the world and my place in it.
The second thing about this experience is that it gives me a sense of joy that I never had as a kid. I didn't get into Harry Potter until late in the series, so I never went to a midnight book release party or anything like that. The Hunger Games mania has allowed me to act like a teenager even though I'm closer to 30 than I am to 20. And I don't feel judged for it.
It's been a great ride, and I'm sad to see it end.
In 2012 I was about to go to highschool and I had to choose my main subjects. I didn't know what kind of job I want to have in the future, so I had no idea what I want to learn. Also, I had no friends to ask for advice, I had no friends at all. My mom wanted to cheer me up so she bought two tickets for the Hunger Games movie. I wasn't rally interested but I didn't want to hurt her so I went to the cinema and watched the movie. I was fascinated by the story, the characters and the whole world the story sets in. After I walked out of the cinema I went to the bookstore and bought all of the books. It took me only five days to read all of them but it was the most important five days of my life, I guess. Most of the people choose Katniss, Gale, Peeta or Cinna as a role model. But I chose Snow. In a strange way I was amazed by his work, how he is trying to keep together his system, and how he fails to save it. After I put down the last book I knew what subjects I want to learn. I chose Social science and politics and after 3 years I can tell you it was the best choice. In my new school there are a lot of girls who love the series just as much as I do. Suzanne Collins gave me the best friends I can imagine. I think I will never be able to thank her enough for all of this.
My THG story is more elaborated on my instagram page, but right now THG is teaching me how to get through loss and change. It's also teaching me to take responsibility and stand up for the ones I love. See THG never stops teaching me.
In 7th grade I remember picking up the first book and reading it non stop. Then the second and the third. I saw the first movie and loved it, then saw the second one after I moved and loved it. That night I looked under THG hashtag and saw all these wonderful accounts and that's how I became involved in this lovely fandom. Each day my THG story grows and continues to add on to the day before. Hope you enjoyed my little story :)