“Catching Fire” by Suzanne Collins

Reviewed by Ryan Nord

In a faithless world in the future, all hope has been lost in Panem. This nation holds a televised contest called the Hunger Games. Two teens from each district are picked in a drawing and must battle to the death until one winner stands. Catching Fire is an adventure about faith and hope for the future.

In the books predecessor Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark, from District Twelve, outsmart the game makers resulting in both of them winning. Bending the rules, they both return home to much trouble. The leader of Panem, President Snow, stops by unexpectedly to visit Katniss. His message to her sends her off on a trail to think about what to do. She must convince everyone in the national that she is head over heels for Peeta. As the book continues on, Katniss and Peeta must go on a forced Victory Tour to all twelve districts to celebrate themselves as victors. Next, they must prepare for the 75th Annual Hunger Games, in which they will be coaching a tribute. And then the horrifying, bloody Hunger Games alone.

I found this book to be a gripping novel. Whether the book was moving along slow, or faster paced, there was always a interesting twist resulting in never wanting to put the book down. While other fiction stories often are different and almost too unreal, this book always seemed to “draw” the reader in. Throughout the book we watch how Katniss and Peeta’s feelings are towards each other, whether it be love or hate. “I wish I could freeze this moment, right here, right now, and live in it forever” (Collins 245). Catching Fire brings fiction to the table while also having parts to a non-fiction novel. For instance, the competition itself would most likely never happen, but uprising and death do happen in reality. This book brings the perfect blend of both.

Catching Fire is a book that can spark ones interest within the first few pages. The details of every scene almost make one think they are there. It thoroughly describes every part of the book. The imagery is also factual it’s like one can see it perfectly in their mind. “ The smell of blood...it was on his breath. What does he do? I think. Drink it? I imagine him sipping it from a  teacup. Dipping a cookie into the stuff and pulling it out dripping red” (Collins 30). Collins is showing us how much Katniss hates and fears President Snow.

One problem with the book would be not having enough details in some parts. In the novel, Katniss is surrounded by fancy and intricate things that she didn’t have before she won the games. I wish it talked in more detail about some of the privileges she got. For instance the gourmet food, or perhaps the soft, warm clothes. All in all, Collins did a fabulous job in describing the book and providing just the right amount of information.

Catching Fire is a story of hope in the near coming. This book really demonstrates what it means to have true hope and faith. People in this book endure to the end and face hardships after hardships. Once there’s an army of hopeful people, that hope cannot be broken.

Collins, Suzanne. Catching Fire. New York: Scholastic Press, 2009. Print.

Malcolm Gladwell Response

      What stood out to me in the chapter The Warren Harding Error: Why We Fall For Tall, Dark, and Handsome Men was the reality of implicit association with appearance and how we think of people. Malcolm Gladwell stated in the chapter that our unconscious values may be very different than our conscious values. Without us knowing, our minds jump to conclusions. It was fascinating to see and learn things about people that the average individual wouldn't have realized. The message to take away from this chapter is to be extra mindful of your judgements. Individuals need to contemplate before making decisions about others.

     

       A good leader is sometimes influenced by our thoughts of physical attractiveness. When choosing a leader, they need to have good qualities that stand out. Some good qualities include: hardworking, patient, trustworthy, helpful, brave, kind, and determined. Physical features should be an unimportant quality in determining whether an individual would be a good leader. We should not make an assumption about someone based on their looks. Many people have unconscious biases that are hard to eliminate. If one really wanted to control their unconscious bias, then it would be a daily choice to be particularly conscientious of the unconscious bias. When making judgements, we should not thin-slice. We need to think more deeply and try to understand people and what their backgrounds are better. Don't make hardline opinions until you have given the person an equal and fair chance.  Once again, we need to look for good qualities in a leader and never associate looks with a good leader.

Leadership skills

       After taking the IAT tests (race and career), my results showed I had a strong preference to European American children compared to African American children. I was actually very shocked with these results. I don't think of myself as racist at all and I was very surprised. I have always wanted little African American children of my own so I was blown away by the outcome of the test. In a way, I guess this makes sense because I am always surrounded by European American people and rarely ever by African American people. 

Picture from IAT race test

I also took the gender family career IAT. My results were moderate automatic response to male with career and female with family. This is not shocking to me since my family experience is that I live with a dad who works, and a mom who stays at home and cares for her family. I don't get that feeling of bias though because there is both male and females working around me.
      
      

Picture from IAT career test