Suzanne Collins has consistently been praised for her social commentary with the original Hunger Games trilogy, specifically on how our culture settles for entertainment rather than fighting for injustice and the dangers of a totalitarian government. With her latest work, The Sunrise on the Reaping, she displays strong social commentary on public submission and censorship.
The book begins on the morning of the 50th reaping with sixteen-year-old Haymitch Abernathy. Everything changes when he is wrongfully forced to be a tribute in the 50th Hunger Games, the second Quarter Quell. Once he is on the train headed towards the capital, he falls into despair. Haymitch is convinced he will never see his loved ones again and will die in the arena.
He feels hopelessly alone until he begins to defrost towards his district partners and form alliances with the other tributes in the games as well. All of a sudden, he has a lot to live for and everything to lose. President Snow is watching his every move, and Haymitch soon realizes that no matter what he does, there is no escaping Snow’s wrath.
There are now five books in the Hunger Games franchise, and people have been quick to rank them by favorites. According to Screen Rant entertainment, this is the ranking from best to worst:
- Catching Fire
- The Hunger Games
- Sunrise on the Reaping
- Mockingjay
- The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
The Sunrise on the Reaping is worth the read. It is uniquely powerful and holds a lot of strong social commentary specifically on the topic of censorship, which is a large theme in the book. It’s a great book for people – especially high schoolers – to read because the book touches on relatable topics and lessons such as resilience, rebellion, and awareness. Growing up means being able to think and come to decisions by yourself and that is what the story is about; making decisions on your own instead of accepting what the media or public wants you to believe.
Overall, I really enjoyed reading Sunrise On The Reaping. The prequel further emphasizes the importance of the rebellion and the significance of the original trilogy. Haymitch’s character is further developed, and we as readers learn more about his past, and what Katniss Everdeen and the rebellion in the original trilogy mean to him.
There are so many connections between this prequel and the original trilogy. For example, readers get the backstory of different characters like Mags and Beetee, which only adds to the fact that the rebellion had been a long time coming.
There are a lot of tragic twists in the book, which only makes it even more of a page turner. Fire has been catching, and Haymitch’s story is another match added to the flame.
