1: The Hunger Games, p. 1-67

I have read The Hunger Games before, but I thought I would read it again this morning, since it was the leftover book that no one else chose. :)

What surprised me today was how connected I felt to the story, even though I had read it all before.  I thought it would feel boring to read it again, but I was eager to turn each page.  I was interested in the many ways in which the author, Suzanne Collins, comments on our current society through the story.  For example, the Capitol (the ruling city in the book) makes all the decisions about how the rest of the country has to participate in The Hunger Games (like a reality TV show where the participants have to actually kill each other, but it's on TV like entertainment).  Also, the poorest people in the districts (the states around the Capitol) can choose to have their names in the Hunger Games drawing more times for extra food.  So being poor comes with more risks, which is also true in the US, where the military is mostly made up of poorer people (who often have fewer options for careers and education).  Nothing was particularly difficult in terms of understanding, but it was sad to me to realize how much like the Capitol the US is.