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 hatesTwilight. 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 forMockingjay (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.