Summary
Some books aren’t for everyone, but recently it seems that certain American groups believe that those books shouldn’t be available for anyone. Book banning is very widespread, and while it may be surprising, a beloved dystopian novel with an upcoming prequel movie is at the center of many US book challenges. That is, of course, The Hunger Games series.
The Hunger Games follows the story of young Katniss Everdeen — played by female action hero Jennifer Lawrence — who gets thrown into the middle of a twisted tradition mandated by the government. Because she admirably volunteers, she’s forced to fight for her life in the Hunger Games. Her fight for survival quickly becomes a fight for justice and family and a fight against a corrupt regime. It’s a popular Young Adult dystopian novel that, even with its banned book status, paints an important picture for its readers.
The Hunger Games Is Considered a Controversial Series
According to the American Library Association, The Hunger Games has been banned or challenged “due to insensitivity, offensive language, violence, anti-family, anti-ethic, and occult/satanic” and the 2014 addition of “inserted religious views.” While there’s clear violence and horrific death scenes in The Hunger Games and no room to argue otherwise, there are some serious flaws with the other reasoning. For starters, there are very strong family values engrained throughout the series. The sole reason Katniss volunteers for the Games is to protect her little sister.
As the series goes on, Katniss’ fight shifts a bit to include providing a better life for her sister Primrose and the rest of their family. At least for the main character, there’s no sense of anti-family themes to substantiate the claims. As for the ethics, it’s a little less black-and-white. The actions throughout the series are extremely unethical. Every action by the Capitol ruling the fictional country of Panem, especially the Hunger Games is morally and ethically wrong. But the novel makes it very clear that these are horrible. For readers of The Hunger Games books and fans of the movies, it’s a little confusing how the story could be deemed occultist or Satanic. There’s nothing in the book that lines up with Satanism or anything of the occult, nor is there any mention of religion, especially not any specific religions.
Many, many people have speculated that the true reason behind The Hunger Games’ banning is not in the official list of reasons. Instead, it can be argued that a big reason for the censorship is the book’s themes of rebellion and challenging authority. The entire series follows a country being put through the wringer and realizing they’re being treated poorly, so characters like Katniss rise up and rebel against the Capitol to make things right. The idea of standing up for what’s right and challenging authority can be an important lesson for anyone to learn. But, for a government that makes questionable decisions, a book encouraging its citizens to stand up for themselves is a threat. Unfortunately, the new cycle of book banning doesn’t seem to be slowing down any time soon.
The Hunger Games Is Among Many Banned Books
Unfortunately, banning books is becoming a big part of American politics. Luckily the idea of banning specific books hasn’t stretched further than individual areas. But, it is disappointing and frustrating for students and book nerds alike. The list of banned books is constantly growing, and Suzanne Collins’s The Hunger Games is top-ranked on the list of banned books published by the American Library Association. In 2016, the novel was number five on the list.
2022 was a year of non-stop book challenges or bans. It was a record-breaking year for this subject. The top 13 challenged books list is mostly targeted toward books deemed sexually explicit or those that contain LGBTQIA+ material, but the reasons vary. Aside from The Hunger Games, some commonly banned books include Animal Farm, 1984, The Handmaid’s Tale, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, and perhaps the most poetic of the banned titles, Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451.