Sunrise on the Reaping By Suzanne Collins

Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins was an emotional rollercoaster in the best way possible.

            I knew before picking this book up that it evoke strong emotions from myself. Partly because of the tragic contents that are hinted at in the original Hunger Games trilogy, but also due to the fact the Collins is one of my favorite authors. One of the reasons she is my favorite authors is the fact that she only write when she has something to say and she in fact had a lot to say.

            The book opens up with quotes from George Orwell, William Blake, and David Hume all surrounding the power of propaganda. That was the overarching theme of this book and could not be more important than in the time that we currently live. The idea that even our acts of rebellion can be spun in a way to forward the movement we are rebelling from is absolutely devasting, but truer than ever.

            I will be honest, I cried many times while reading this book enduring Haymitch’s rising as a Victor and his eventual spiral into the cynical alcoholic we meet in the first book. It makes you look at his actions from the original series completely different. With a fair warning of spoilers, I’m going into more details about what occurs in Sunrise on the Reaping from here on out.

            Early in the books we learn that Haymitch’s best friend is Katniss’ father which devastated me in a way that I could not imagine. He had to watch is best friends little girl be reaped and saw the spark of his chosen sister’s rebellion in her. I can deeply understand his actions of drawing attention away from her while she was reaped and why he continued to drink once they were on their way to the Capitol. Not only did Katniss remind him of Maysilee, but she also was wearing the pin that was made for her by the Covey. A reminder of the love her had lost from both a platonic and romantic relationship.

            Haymitch was actively trying to rebel against the Capital while Katniss was only trying to endure for the sake of her family. The main difference between these two is the fact that Katniss’ rebellion was through acts of kindness she exhibited that were televised while Haymitch was trying to destroy the arena that the Capital would never let anyone see. Haymitch calls Katniss a luckier version of him, but I don’t think that’s quite it. Katniss was so similar to Haymitch, but the moments that affected people the most were the times she actively chose to stray from violence towards other districts and instead offered compassion. Her only intent was to survive for her family, but would not let that turn her into the uncompassionate person.

            I highly recommend reading Sunrise on the Reaping, but make sure to keep tissue’s close by if you do.

5/5 stars.

Much Love,

P. J. Munds