Nelly and the Hunger Games

*Spoiler Alert* Do not read the bold portion of the following post if you are planning on reading the Hunger Games!

*Secondary Alert* My wife doesn't want the Hunger Games spoiled and therefore could not edit this post. You WILL be able to tell a difference.

Leaving school one day I was captured by the smooth sounds and lyrical complexity of Nelly's, “Must be da Money.” It seems Nelly and I have a lot in common.  I too prefer an all wood interior in my Range Rover, as well as paying cash, flying first class, and sitting next to Vanna White.  My Pontiac Vibe speakers pumped it out for the fine city of El Dorado, Kansas to enjoy.

Things got interesting when I pulled up to a stop light, and several of my students were in the car next to mine. It all happened so fast. There was a split second where I could have killed the volume, but I froze. I could have turned my head and looked the other way (the whole 'If I can't see them they can't see me' logic) but instead, for some unfathomable reason, I looked them square in the eyes and again, froze.

“You are a TEACHER!” were the only words I heard.

It was half question, half accusation. The light turned green and I jumped off the line as only a Pontiac Vibe 4 cylinder can. I talked to myself the whole way home trying to convince myself that it never happened. Looking back the only reasonable response was to hold their stare, not say a word, and turn the volume up. Maybe show them a couple of my best car dance moves. Anything else is just running scared, and I ran scared that day, my friends. But luckily, I'm smarter now. Due to a wealth of experience, I can handle a Nellie/middle schooler collision with ease.

To a slightly lesser extent, this is how my students have responded to my reading the Hunger Games. “Mr. Daniel, you are reading the Hunger Games? You are a teacher!” they say with a smile. I stare them right in the eye and say, “Yes, and I'm loving every page. I read on my lunch breaks, late into the night, and once had to talk myself out of reading while driving. Have you read them yet?” It's now cool to read the Hunger Games. They fight over our classroom copies.

I was reluctant to begin the series because, like most people, a death match amongst children doesn't sound like my idea of a good time. But I could no longer ignore the hype and I always want to read the book before I see the movie. They are also a perfect fit for the three book, topical text category on our reading chart this quarter.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the series. I got a little nervous as the, 'angst filled, teenage girl has to decide between two likeable boys who both have a piece of her heart,' theme gathered steam. At one point I remember thinking, “I'm not reading another page until I know for a fact that Peeta is not a Vampire.” I also never leave my place of employment thinking, “How can I get more exposure to emotional, teenage girl drama? I'm really interested in that sort of thing.” It turns out that Suzanne Collins is smart and utilized the literary technique of “death matches” to distract her male readers from all the angst and discussion of feelings.

Speaking of death matches, when Katniss was raised to the arena, it would have taken a smart swing from a baseball bat for me to stop reading. It was the most gripping few chapters I have read since the The Half Blood Prince or The Deathly Hallows. You simply are not putting that book down once you reach that point. I haven't met anyone who has taken longer than a week to finish the first book. The writing is not horrible either. Powerful similes stay with me and I still remember Katniss' first description of her little sister, “Prim is as innocent as a raindrop.”

I was sad however when Collins sent Katniss back to the Hunger Games in Catching Fire. It felt like she didn't trust herself to go in a completely new creative direction--like she had to recreate the most successful portion of her last book to stay afloat. I would have loved to see her be bold and head in a completely new direction. And though she didn't send her back to the games in the third book, she couldn't resist the urge to frame the final battle as 'Katniss' final Trip to the Hunger Games.' She is a gifted writer, she didn't need to rest on the success of her first book.

While the second book was a let down the third book finished strong. It was creative--I loved how Peeta was programmed by the capital to kill Katniss. For those of us who were becoming annoyed at Katniss' antics, it provided a character we could strangely relate to. The ending was wonderfully bitter sweet. Choosing Peeta over Gale was well grounded in the truth of the story. Gale called it when he said, “She'll choose who best meets her needs.” By the end, that didn't feel selfish either. It seemed like she deserved to make her decision that way after all she had been through. It's a hard thing to build emotional attachment in a thriller. With a few bumps along the way, Collin's pulled it off.

I had a similar journey as most HG readers; loved the first book, felt like Catching Fire fell flat, and was really surprised at how attached I had become to Katniss by the end of Mockingjay. Overall, it was a great read, and I would highly recommend it for a fun, somewhat mindless, summer read. I would only encourage you to learn from my mistakes involving Nelly and middle schoolers. In the moment I froze and the horrifying seconds after I drove away, I completely lost the enjoyment of what we all know to be a great song. Whether it be Nelly, Twilight, or Harry Potter, just embrace it and turn up the volume. Look people square in the eye when they ask what you are reading. Read HG in plain view during your lunch break at work. Read it with a bow and arrow strapped to your back while making guttural war cries. Do all these things in the English department of your snobbiest local university. Embrace your inner Nelly and Katniss. For as with many things in life--to fully embrace, is to fully enjoy.

Happy reading!

-td