I’ve Finished ‘The Hunger Games’

As you can see by the headline, I’ve finished reading the book. I want to review it for the Chalcedon Foundation’s print magazine, Faith For All of Life, so there’s not too much I can say about it here. (Meanwhile, I hope some of you will be curious enough to visit the Chalcedon website, http://www.chalcedon.edu )

In the course of my work for Chalcedon, I read and review a lot of toxic books. I do it so that you don’t have to read them. I do it because it’s important to monitor the culture that we live in, and because it’s a sound practice to keep an eye on what the enemy is doing.

The Hunger Games is intended for an audience of young readers, but I wouldn’t recommend it to any but the most mature for their age. There is too much in it that is, shall we say, unwholesome. I don’t believe the author put it in there to celebrate evil: I’m pretty sure her intention is to warn us off the path our society is treading. That’s a good purpose–but I’m not entirely sold on her execution.

Meanwhile, until I can get a full review written, let me tantalize you with a single point. Although this book is very well written indeed, and very well thought-out, there is a hole in it–a gaping hole through which you could drive a rather large truck.

If you’ve already read the book, or seen the movie, have you seen the hole, too? If not, can you guess what it is?