Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

Mockingjay Novel ☑️ Recommended

Hunger Games Trilogy Book 3

Mockingjay Summary

Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has survived the Hunger Games twice. But now that she's made it out of the bloody arena alive, she's still not safe. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge. Who do they think should pay for the unrest? Katniss. And what's worse, President Snow has made it clear that no one else is safe either. Not Katniss's family, not her friends, not the people of District 12. Powerful and haunting, this thrilling final installment of Suzanne Collins's groundbreaking The Hunger Games trilogy promises to be one of the most talked about books of the year.

My name is Katniss Everdeen.

Why am I not dead?

I should be dead.

Katniss Everdeen, girl on fire, has survived, even though her home has been destroyed. Gale has escaped. Katniss's family is safe. Peeta has been captured by the Capitol. District 13 really does exist. There are rebels. There are new leaders. A revolution is unfolding.

It is by design that Katniss was rescued from the arena in the cruel and haunting Quarter Quell, and it is by design that she has long been part of the revolution without knowing it. District 13 has come out of the shadows and is plotting to overthrow the Capitol. Everyone, it seems, has had a hand in the carefully laid plans—except Katniss.

The success of the rebellion hinges on Katniss's willingness to be a pawn, to accept responsibility for countless lives, and to change the course of the future of Panem. To do this, she must put aside her feelings of anger and distrust. She must become the rebels' Mockingjay—no matter what the personal cost.

ISBN-10 ‎ 0545663261

ISBN-13  978-0545663267

Publisher: ‎ Scholastic Press

Mockingjay Release Date: August 24, 2010

400 pages

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Mockingjay is a 2010 young adult dystopian novel by American author Suzanne Collins. It is the third installment of The Hunger Games trilogy, following 2008's The Hunger Games and 2009's Catching Fire, and continues the story of Katniss Everdeen, who agrees to lead the rebellion against the rulers of the futuristic society of Panem. The series was inspired by the Greek myth of Theseus and the Minotaur and the Roman Gladiator games. Reviewers have noted that it tackles issues such as loyalty, war, and poverty.

The novel and audiobook were released on August 24, 2010, while the e-book was released six days earlier, on August 18. Mockingjay sold 450,000 copies in the first week of release, exceeding Scholastic's expectations. It was also praised by critics, though one reviewer criticized the loose threads that had not been resolved.

Plot

The trilogy takes place in the post-apocalyptic nation of Panem, which occupies what used to be North America. Panem is ruled by the Capitol and is surrounded by 12 districts that provide for it. A thirteenth district had reportedly been destroyed in a rebellion against the Capitol. In the first novel, The Hunger Games, sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen volunteers to take her sister Prim's place in the 74th annual Hunger Games, a competition in which one boy and one girl from each district are chosen to fight each other to the death on live television, a punishment inflicted by the Capitol. The last tribute standing wins fame and wealth. During the games, it is announced that a new rule allows both tributes from one district to live if they are the last alive. Katniss and fellow District 12 tribute Peeta Mellark, threaten suicide when the rules are again suddenly changed, and only one tribute is now allowed to live. The Capitol considered this an act of rebellion. In Catching Fire, Katniss and Peeta are forced to compete again in a special anniversary Hunger Games among past Hunger Games victors. Unknown to Katniss, there is a plan to escape. When she destroys the shield around the arena, rebels from District 13 rescue a few tributes, including Katniss, while Peeta is captured and taken to the Capitol. When Katniss awakens from her unconscious stupor cause by the destruction of the arena, she asks about District 12, knowing that it would be punished for her actions. Her close friend Gale Hawthorne informs her that District 12 has been destroyed by the Capitol in the same way that District 13 was.

After her rescue by the rebels, Katniss is convinced to become "the Mockingjay": a symbol of the rebellion against the ruling Capitol. As part of a deal, she demands that the leader of District 13, President Coin, grant immunity to all of the victors of the Hunger Games. She also demands the right to kill President Snow herself. In a daring rescue, Peeta and others previously captured are rescued from the Capitol. However, Peeta has been brainwashed into hating Katniss and tries to kill her upon their reunion in District 13.

The rebels take control of the districts and finally begin an assault on the Capitol itself, which Katniss is a part of. However, an assault on a "safe" Capitol neighborhood goes wrong and Katniss and her team flee further into the Capitol with the intent of finding and killing President Snow. Eventually, Katniss finds herself pressing on alone towards Snow's mansion, which has supposedly been opened to shelter Capitol children (but is actually intended to provide human shields for Snow). Afterwards, bombs placed in supply packages kill many of these children and a rebel medical team, including Katniss' sister, Prim.

President Snow is tried and found guilty, but he tells Katniss that the final assault that killed Prim was ordered by President Coin, not the Capitol. Katniss realizes that if this is true, the bombing may have been the result of a plan originally developed by her friend, Gale. Katniss realizes that she will never be able to look at Gale the same way, regardless of whether or not he was directly involved in Prim's death. Katniss remembers a conversation with Snow in which they promised not to lie to each other. When she is supposed to execute Snow, she realizes that he was telling the truth and kills Coin instead. A riot ensues and Snow is found dead, having possibly choked on his own blood or been trampled in the crowd. Katniss is acquitted due to her apparent insanity and returns to her home in District 12. Peeta returns soon after as well, having largely recovered from his brainwashing.

In the epilogue, Katniss speaks as an adult, more than fifteen years later. Katniss is married to Peeta and they have two children. The Hunger Games are over, but she dreads the day her children learn the details of their parents' involvement in both the Games and the war. When she feels upset, Katniss reminds herself of every good thing that she has ever seen someone do.

Inspiration and history

Collins has said that the main inspiration for the series came from the Greek myth of Theseus and the Minotaur. As a punishment for past problems, Athens was forced to sacrifice seven youths and seven maidens to Crete, who were then put in the Labyrinth and were killed by the Minotaur. After a while, Theseus, the son of the king, decided to put an end to it and volunteered to go. Another inspiration came when Collins was channel surfing: on one channel, she saw people competing for something, and on another channel, she saw kids fighting a war. After a while, the stories blurred together and the idea of the Hunger Games was formed. Collins has said that there are also many Roman references in the fictonal nation of Panem. She describes the Hunger Games as "an updated version of the Roman gladiator games, which entails a ruthless government forcing people to fight to the death as popular entertainment". Collins also explains that the name Panem came from the Roman saying "Panem et Circenses" which means "Bread and Circuses".

The cover and title information was revealed by Scholastic on February 11, 2010. The cover continues the previous books' ornithological theme. The novel's title, Mockingjay, comes from the hybrid birds that feature in the novels' storyline. Publishers Weekly describes the bird as "the hybrid birds that are an important symbol—of hope and rebellion—throughout the books". Collins describes Katniss as a Mockingjay because both "should never have existed"; the jabberjays were abandoned while Katniss breaks the law by hunting, but the laid-back security in District 12 protects her.

Themes

Reviews have noted many themes in the previous books that are also explored in Mockingjay. A review from The Baltimore Sun noted that "the themes of the series, including physical hardships, loyalty in extreme circumstances and traversing morally ambiguous terrain, are continued at an even larger scale." In the book, Katniss must deal with betrayal and violence against people. At the same time, while she was symbolically touching thousands of lives, she must also lead those people into war. Finally, Katniss realizes she cannot even trust President Coin, leader of District 13.

In an interview with Collins, it was noted that the books "tackle issues like severe poverty, starvation, oppression, and the effects of war among others." Collins replied that this was by the inspiration of her father, who, when going to war in Vietnam, made sure that his children understood the consequences and effects of war.

Additional information and source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mockingjay

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