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Cristina Hartmann, Lawyer by day, writer by night.
Generally, yes. The Hunger Games series appeals to teenagers and adults alike because of the universal appeal of the themes.
Not all Young Adult books appeal to adults. YA books with themes that attract only to teenagers typically don't become breakout successes like The Hunger Games and Harry Potter.
Hunger Games stands out from the pack because it has evocative themes that touch upon our deepest concerns about humanity. I'd go as far to say that Hunger Games is a darkly mature series with teenager characters. That being said, the publishers labeled The Hunger Games as YA because the protagonist is a teenage female. Outside of the YA context, it's harder to sell books with a teenage female protagonist, especially one that doesn't follow the protagonist through her life.
There are many themes that adults would appreciate. Here's a few:
- Totalitarianism -- this book is about how a government forces a large country into submission. From a political point of view, it's very interesting to note the parallels between The Hunger Games universe and our own world.
- Reality Television -- this book also delves into how television, and being televised, affects human behavior. It's simple psychology -- we change our behavior when we know we're being watched by other people.
- Subversion -- it's interesting how this book explores resistance. Different characters subverted the government in different ways, with quite startling results.
Still, this is a book series marketed to teenagers. There are some themes that may not appeal to adults, such as:
- Love triangle -- 'nuff said. As an adult woman (well, in a manner of speaking), I didn't like the immature love-triangle. It wasn't really necessary to advance the story. But, whatever. Teenage romances can be a hard swallow for adults.
- Intense Self-Involvement -- being a teenager is hard. Teenagers are starting on their journey to self-discovery and autonomy. This journey has a nasty side-effect -- intense introspection. That means a seriously self-involved protagonist. It's The Catcher in the Rye syndrome.
- Clunky Pacing and Writing -- this is not quite a "theme" but I've seen this flaw in some YA books. (The first book was beautifully paced, but the other two books -- not as much.) YA authors don't aspire to be David Foster Wallace, but Hunger Games' prose can be a bit choppy at times.
So, there are some themes that appeal to adults -- ethical, psychological and political -- but the teenage-focused story-lines may turn off some readers. Hopefully, I've given you enough information so you can make an informed judgment.
More questions on The Hunger Games:
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For those that are extremely religious, Mr. Pratchett writes fantasy and Tiffany Aching is a witch. But I promise these books are not a gateway to the occult.
Or at least that's what I vaguely remember from high school English. And then being the honors student that I am (were?!) I had to Google "hero's journey" and check to see if I was right.
Looking at the link below I think that Katniss' journey through the three books fits in fairly well with the journey of a hero (or heroine!).
http://www.thewritersjourney.com/hero's_journey.htm
However, this comment ...
"Clunky Pacing and Writing -- this is not quite a "theme" but I've seen this flaw in some YA books. (The first book was beautifully paced, but the other two books -- not as much.) YA authors don't aspire to be David Foster Wallace, but Hunger Games' prose can be a bit choppy at times."
... is completely insulting to YA literature and YA authors. Clunky pacing and writing is a flaw found in many, many books for all kinds of audiences. There are absolutely beautifully written and paced YA novels, whose authors are incredibly talented literary writers. There are excellently written YA chicklits, fantasies, sci-fi, dystopians and light comedies too.
However, without exception, all of the teens I spoke with and who discussed the book thought that such a future absolutely could come to pass, because of the world's passion for things like 'reality tv' and living vicariously through both positive and negative role models. They also talked about the huge and growing financial, class and educational differences in our country today and how the Hunger Games was a case of class warfare. It is interesting that many of these kids see themselves as positives figures in their own futures, but with little power to change the bigger picture.But it led to many in depth and interesting discussions between parents and kids, and adults and teens.
By the way, sabelmouse, please contact me "behind the scenes" at elcerritan@comcast.net for an "interesting proposition."
we're very paranoid about online security in this hizzle.
The pattern of adults enjoying kid-oriented projects such as the Harry Potter, Twilight and Hunger Games series suggests a disturbing trend towards neoteny.
I think that part of the charm for adults is that the books are very, very easy to read with non-stop action and not too much thinking.
http://www.ManOfLaBook.com