The Girl Who Was on Fire: Your Favorite Authors on Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games Trilogy

by Leah Wilson (Goodreads Author) (Editor), Carrie Ryan (Goodreads Author) (Contributor), Ned Vizzini (Goodreads Author) (Contributor), Lili Wilkinson (Contributor), Blythe Woolston (Goodreads Author) (Contributor), Sarah Darer Littman (Goodreads Author) (Contributor), Jennifer Lynn Barnes (Contributor), Mary Borsellino (Contributor) , more...Sarah Rees Brennan (Goodreads Author) (Contributor), Terri Clark (Contributor), Bree Despain (Goodreads Author) (Contributor), Adrienne Kress (Contributor), Cara Lockwood (Contributor), Elizabeth M. Rees (Contributor)

Released: April 5, 2011

Smart Pop

ISBN13: 9781935618041

3/5 Stars

Goodreads Synopsis:

Katniss Everdeen’s adventures may have come to an end, but her story continues to blaze in the hearts of millions worldwide. In The Girl Who Was on Fire, thirteen YA authors take you back to Panem with moving, dark, and funny pieces on Katniss, the Games, Gale and Peeta, reality TV, survival, and more. From the trilogy's darker themes of violence and social control to fashion and weaponry, the collection's exploration of the Hunger Games reveals exactly how rich, and how perilous, protagonist Katniss’ world really is.
• How does the way the Games affect the brain explain Haymitch’s drinking, Annie’s distraction, and Wiress’ speech problems?
• What does the rebellion have in common with the War on Terror?
• Why isn’t the answer to “Peeta or Gale?” as interesting as the question itself?
• What should Panem have learned from the fates of other hedonistic societies throughout history&mdashand what can we?
The Girl Who Was On Fire covers all three books in the Hunger Games trilogy.

Like most YA readers, I'm a huge fan of The Hunger Games. HUGE. I can't get enough of it, so I thought this would be the perfect book for me.
This is essentially an anthology of essays by different authors who explore various facets of the Hunger Games in greater detail.

It's an interesting read for those who appreciate a more academic approach to literature, but may not be as interesting to those who are simply fans of fiction and literature solely for amusement.

Some of the essays do offer interesting new ideas, and some of them felt like I was proofreading a classmate's university paper. This academic approach can often to lead to what I see as overanalyzing a piece of art, which detracted from my enjoyment of reading these papers.

The authors do cover a wide array of topics including scientific advancements, neuroscience, politics, sociology, and the list goes on. Because of this there are going to be some topics which are less interesting to the reader than others.

Overall, it was an interesting read but not one I would particularly recommend outside of a situation where purely academic research and thinking is appreciated.