The Hunger Games end

WARNING:  SPOILER AHEAD!!


I finished the last book of The Hunger Games:  Mockingjay.  Have to say it still leaves a lot hanging and questions unanswered.  I really don't like the fact that Prim dies so unnecessarily.  I don't like the fact that Gale doesn't fight harder for Katniss.  I don't like the fact that Peeta seems so easily "cured" with just a few remnants of the torture--come on!  Even Kat still suffers just from the Games and the last battles!  Peeta should be feeling nearly the same or worse given the extra torture and that he was in the last battle too.  I don't like the fact that they go back to District 12 and just start rebuilding.  It's too weird.  The epilogue rings odd too.  Like she had to put it in just because Rowling put something in HP 7.  I also don't like the fact that the mockingjay doesn't come out near the end either.  It was instrumental and should be symbol of new hope beyond the rebellion.

The whole concept of the Games leaves a lot of thinking and pondering on the part of the public however.  What if we were war torn and under a military control?  What if we rose up and rebelled against the government?  What would happen if the US really did fall into different areas and there were Hunger Games?  Would we really allow this to happen?  Would we be as hopeless and scared as most people are in the book?

If this really happened, would some other country step in to stop it as a genocide?  Truly that is what it is, a genocide of a select 24 children.  Children used to control the actions of others. (Just as the child barricade around President Snow's mansion)   Children slaughtered to teach the adults to stay in line.  Children missing from District 13 due to disease and infertility.  Would another country step in and stop it, just as the US has in some countries, or would they be selective as the US has been in some countries (Africa)?

How does a story like this affect the thinking & actions of people?  Do you feel more compassionate?  Do you feel safe?  Do you feel you have a pretty good life?  Do you feel as if more should be done for others in that situation, that you would step up and say, This is wrong?  Would you hunker down and just try to survive?

Did you know that middle and high schoolers are reading these stories with a passion, soaking up the events?

Suzanne Collins:
The Hunger Games
Catching Fire
Mockingjay

The end of school

American schools end this month and next.  We'll be off for the summer--until September.  In Minnesota, we do not start prior to Labor Day in most districts.  This is because of our awesome State Fair.  I, too, am done with university for the semester.  Several of my classmates are graduating this next week and I wish them well.  I will be arranging several clinical experiences for the fall semester and will graduate in December.

I have developed a philosophy of education over the years.  Some of it is based on my education and some is based on my experiences with learning.  I believe that American schools do not run long enough.  Now hear me out.  When our country expanded, we were very much an agricultural society.  We had fields of food that needed to be prepped and planted early--April & May--each year.  Throughout the summer, different crops are put in, depending on the growing season.  Then, in late September the harvests start.  Keep in mind many fruits and vegetables are harvested throughout late summer, so again, depending on the crops, harvest may have started sooner than September.  When we were not automated, we needed all hands on deck to work the prep, planting and harvest.  Even after the harvest, there is further prep for the coming winter.  Our farmers worked well into November.

With the advent of automation and farms growing smaller, we do not need the large families and society has demonstrated that over the generations.  We also do not need to hold up school for the planting and harvest.  Put the kids back in school.  Our future generations have moved from agriculture through industry and into the information age.  Their best ally is education.  Many European and South East Asian countries are passing us by in the way of technology and information usage.  We need to catch up and if possible surpass them in order to reclaim our spot at the top.  I don't think we need to be on top, but we do need to be in line with the other countries or we will sink.

GO EDUCATION!!

Historical Fiction

One of my friends is ALWAYS recommending books. She turned me onto Diana Gabaldon, whose Outlander series takes place between 1940 and 1740 initially. As the main character, Claire travels across time, she meets and falls in love with Jamie (James) who is a Scottish citizen and fiercely loyal to his clan. They eventually get caught up in the Stewart rebellion and Claire returns to her own time. She carries with her Jamie's child.

When she returns, she comes as a doctor and a mother of a full grown child. She has made the decision to return to Jamie on the death of her first and modern day husband. Her child, Brianna, eventually follows her. Across time and across continents, they travel back and forth. Jamie is never able to cross time, but he takes the time travel in stride.

The reader learns of the Scottish history, some English history and early American immigration settlements in the late 18th and early 19th Centuries. It is a time of treason, a time of loyalty, a time of exploration, and a time of war. You might even catch on to brewing scotch whiskey.

Her next book is An Echo in the Bone, due out 9/22/09.