A Competent Addition to Summer Reading

My dear husband recently bought me a present for being a super supportive wife (I didn't realize it was anything spectacular, but he apparently thought it was). The present was something that he swears I told him about, and probably did; although I don't remember having the conversation. Anywho, he bought me the trilogy of The Hunger Games. I had no clue what the books were about and didn't remember hearing/talking about them.

The hubby thought that he had bought me a vampire series, and he couldn't be more wrong! And I couldn't be happier about it! (I know, anyone who knows me is shocked and a little disoriented by that statement, but hear me out.) In a world where summer reading lists now include Stephanie Meyer's Twilight series, Suzanne Collins The Hunger Games are a breath of fresh air and needed intelligence.

That last bit of information (the summer reading list) came from a very smart and spunky lady I know. We were both appalled to find out that Meyer's series was considered educational. Upon that conversation, I decided I would do a comparison for my blog.

The Hunger Games vs Twilight (A Non-Teeny Bopper Weighs in):
The Heroine:
HG: Katniss Everdeen. Truthfully, there aren't enough nice things to say about Katniss. She is strong, pragmatic, fierce, sarcastic, and not driven by some sappy romance. She, despite being from a post-apocalyptic world, is what teenage girls use to be before there were bombarded with sex and the "need" for relationships everywhere; she doesn't even want to get married or have kids. Katniss isn't defined by a man/idea/family, but--whether she likes it or not--her actions. This makes her a wonderful role model for people her age where they seem to often be taught that there are no consequences in this world. 

Twilight: Bella Swan. For me, Bella is the exact opposite; she's weak, sniveling, and destructive. She isn't a role model by any means. She isn't a fighter until the final book, and at that point it's only because she herself is supernatural. Bella is constantly defined by what relationship she is or isn't in. She never really stands on her own two feet, which as a female audience member is infuriating. I want to shake her or throw something at her.

The Setting:
HG: Post-apocalyptic. Sounds depressing; right? But oddly enough, it's not. Collins was brilliant to use what was once the United States without exactly saying so. Plus, I was so enmeshed with her world, I was hurt there wasn't a map in any of the books... I'm still not entirely sure where all of the Districts fall.

Twilight: A rainy, dreary town in Washington State. Sounds depressing; right? Exactly. The setting completely matches the love-sick Bella. If I were here I'd want the curse of immortality and watching all my family and friends dying too. Oh wait, that's supposed to be romantic isn't?

The Love Story:
HG: A triangle with two boys--one from a poor family, one from a not so poor family. There's absolutely nothing forced about either love interest here. One is a best friend, who Katniss hasn't realized could be more. The other a boy who noticed her at a time (which seems to be most of her life) that Katniss is worried about survival. I enjoy the fact that the love story in this book is secondary. There are bigger priorities than an obsessive love.

Twilight: A triangle with a vampire and werewolf. Please don't misunderstand from this post, I am a vampire FAN (yes, in all caps). But this idea of a triangle isn't new or different, I hate to tell all you Meyer fans out there. It's been done more times than I can count, and done infinitely better to boot (check out the Anita Blake series by Laurell K. Hamilton). Also the love story in Twilight isn't healthy! It's obsessive, possessive and destructive to the point that the main character DIES... wait, I mean becomes immortal.

The Writing:
HG: Suzanne Collins. She writes in first person narrative, which I love.  She is also a former television writer, which means her understanding of how a story lays out and is viewed is impeccable. She gives the reader just enough detail for their imagination to still play. Her writing still is active, and I'm not just talking about all the action in the story (which there is TONS of). The other, most important part of her writing, is you can tell it was written by an adult.

Twilight: Stephanie Meyer. For me, Meyer's writing style is mediocre at best. She also writes first person narrative which, despite not being a fan of Bella, I still love. But Meyer often reminds me of a high school student who writes, and writes, and writes and doesn't understand commas. Nor does she understand that you can say the same thing in three separate sentences and have the same, if not more, power in it.

The Educational Value:
HG: High. The Hunger Games, in my opinion, will eventually be taught along with Orwell's 1984, Connell's The Most Dangerous Game, and Jackson's The Lottery. It delves into what freedom, sacrifice, self-esteem and so much more means. It also talks about government and philosophy. In college the biggest debate in my philosophy class was always, "is it better to kill a few to save a thousand, or should you try to save everyone even knowing that you can't?" Collins centers around that constantly through out all three books.

Twilight: None. Twilight doesn't really teach anything. I suppose at the end of the day maybe it teaches to accept all people whatever their differences (despite glitter or turning furry). But beyond that I think the most valuable lesson it shows is a "what not to be" to girls.

Now here's a few disclaimers: I have read both series, despite being almost 30. I am also well aware that the plots and stories of both books are very different; my comparison is based on the fact they share the same target audience.

I also feel the need to tell you that my disdain for the Twilight  series and Meyer has nothing to do with the fact that I'm bitter she made vampires popular, which I readily admit that I am. I do want to say that I am grateful that both sets of books inspire kids to read in our ADD, a 1,000 TV channels world.