In a ravaged future North America, the nation of Panem is ruled by a powerful Capitol that controls twelve impoverished districts through fear and spectacle. Each year, the Capitol forces every district to send one boy and one girl to the Hunger Games, a brutal televised fight to the death watched by the entire country.
When sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen is thrust into the arena, she expects a death sentence. Instead, her years of hunting and scraping by become her greatest assets. As the Games unfold, Katniss must decide how far she is willing to go to survive, and what she is prepared to sacrifice to protect those she loves.
Blending fast-paced action with tense psychological drama, The Hunger Games explores power, inequality, and the cost of rebellion through the eyes of a resilient young heroine.
Key themes
- Dystopian future and authoritarian control
- Survival, sacrifice, and moral choice
- Media manipulation and public spectacle
- Courage, loyalty, and emerging rebellion