March 18, 2025, marks the long-awaited release of The Hunger Games’ fifth instalment, Sunrise on the Reaping.
Released in 2008, the first Hunger Games novel follows 16-year-old Katniss Everdeen’s journey of survival in the near-dystopian future. In Katniss’ world, District children aged 12 to 18 are forcefully reaped into The Hunger Games, fighting to the death to entertain the wealthy and privileged Capitol.
Before the era of our tributes, the Districts rebelled against the Capitol, fighting for independence against totalitarian rule. After losing the war, the Capitol created The Hunger Games as punishment for the Districts to suppress their fight and ensure their political power.
The Hunger Games’ success brought forth two more sequels, a four-movie deal, and a prequel, solidifying it as a staple of modern popular culture.
The creative mind behind this vastly successful franchise is 62-year-old Suzanne Collins. After four immensely profitable books and films, you’d think she’d quietly close the chapter on the world of Panem.
But Collins has much more to say.
This time, we follow the point of view of District 12’s favourite and only mentor, Haymitch Abernathy. Readers are transported to a Panem 24 years before Katniss’ story begins, where 16-year-old Haymitch is reaped alongside three other children in District 12 in the 50th Hunger Games.
What makes Haymitch’s games so different is that it’s a Quarter Quell, which allows the Capitol to change any aspect of the reaping to further its anti-District propaganda. For Haymitch, that means there is double the number of tributes — and double the number of enemies.
The Quarter Quell — and Games itself — are a means of control created by a dictatorship to keep corrupt leaders like President Snow, the franchise’s recurring villain, in power. Snow is cold, heartless, and unconcerned with the well-being of millions suffering in Districts One to 12.
The wealth disparity between the Capitol and the Districts is overwhelmingly evident, and Collins ensures readers feel the irony throughout the entire franchise. Draped in lavish, eccentric gear and vomiting food for fun just to eat more, the citizens of the Capitol live in ignorant bliss, while both Katniss and Haymitch risk the chance of getting reaped just to support their families.
The contrast is sickening. It’s unfair. It’s dehumanizing. And it’s completely intentional.
Suzanne Collins aspires for readers to recognize the inequality between the districts and the Capitol. If readers are asking why Capitol citizens are complicit in the crimes of their government, then maybe readers will begin to question their own.
The Hunger Games asks why society is ignorant of injustice. It pushes us towards a social reckoning — to change the status quo for the better. Clearly, the message hasn’t sunk in yet.
This time, Collins will ensure Sunrise on the Reaping echoes through our very bones.
Haymitch’s story
The novel opens with the striking and poignant words of George Orwell. It reads:
“All propaganda is lies, even when one is telling the truth. I don’t think this matters so long as one knows what one is doing and why.”
Orwell is one of the most notable science fiction authors of the 20th century. His novel, 1984, is similar in theme to Sunrise, as both depict oppressive governments that use propaganda to justify their constant surveillance.
We see Capitol propaganda sprinkled throughout Haymitch’s everyday life, with unavoidable signs that read, “NO PEACEKEEPERS, NO PEACE” plastered around District 12.
District 12 is over-policed, ensuring that citizens stay in line for fear of being arrested or publicly whipped. Cruelty is normal and often expected in Haymitch’s day-to-day life, where he is well aware of the Peacemaker’s dehumanization.
Their presence intentionally fosters fear in District 12, as many feel unsafe in their own homes. At just 16 years old, Haymitch’s life is strictly survival-based. Unsurprisingly, that doesn’t change when he becomes a victor.
In Catching Fire, readers learn that Haymitch won his games by using the arena to his advantage. After discovering that the force field surrounding the arena deflects objects, Haymitch dodges the axe of a fellow tribute, knowing it would reverberate back and ensure his victory.
President Snow took this as an act of defiance and murdered Haymitch’s loved ones, creating a reality where he truly had nothing to lose.
Suffering from severe PTSD and grief, Haymitch becomes a cold and detached alcoholic, fated to watch two new children be picked for slaughter every year on his birthday.
Haymitch’s singular act of defiance cost him everything he holds dear. Now, the names of his family will never leave the bounds of District 12.
Propaganda ensures that oppressive powers can avoid consequences for their actions, allowing them to discreetly cover up their crimes from the public eye. If nobody in the Capitol is questioning their government, then their government will continue to oppress.
The comfortable lives the Capitol citizens lead are harmful and selfish. Collins reminds us how ignorance is addictive, as society so often yearns to lead a life free of troubles. Many carry an “out of sight, out of mind” method regarding injustice, ignoring the call to speak up until it directly affects them.
This mindset keeps us complicit. Collins knows this and is unafraid to make us uncomfortable by relaying her message.
Why we Need this Book Today
Sunrise on the Reaping is a direct reflection of our imminent future, caused by remaining complicit to propaganda.
Now more than ever, propaganda is on the rise and is being used to lead the world towards chaos.
U.S. President Donald Trump is most notable for such, using minorities as a scapegoat for the dwindling American economy. He proudly proclaims his dismay of diversity, immigration, and LGBTQ+ rights — and he has a stadium of people cheering him on.
His campaign is propaganda at its finest, and we should all be wary. If the most influential country in the world is freely promoting hate — then what is stopping Canada from doing the same?
A book like Sunrise on the Reaping is imperative in countering hate in today’s frightening political climate, especially for young readers.
Literature has always been political, usually championing progression and inclusion over hate. Exposing young readers to Collin’s genius allegories of our own reality is necessary, ensuring we hold our governments accountable for their abuse and return to the path of justice.
Education is power, and we must preserve it as much as we can.
One teacher on TikTok, @nicolettehill, understands the educational merit of this franchise and uses it to her students’ benefit.
Her content consists of reading the novels to her class of eager middle school students. Hill often pauses the reading to address the class with questions that promote critical thinking while fostering a newfound love for reading within her students.
Teachers like Hill certainly remind me that the future is still bright, as she is able to bring this beloved series to a new generation of inquisitive minds who will carry both Collins’ messages and Hill’s enthusiasm with them well into adulthood.
The transgressive nature of Collins’ text proves why we need Sunrise on the Reaping today. Newer generations are being introduced to this franchise for the first time and need a thought-provoking read like this that will recontextualize all the harm the internet exposes them to.
Beloved fans also returning to this franchise will now be reminded of why The Hunger Games was written in the first place — to change perspectives. The trials Haymitch endures are thrust upon him by a government that intentionally resembles our own, and that should scare us.
It’s our job to remain vigilant, to trade in ignorance for activism, and to work towards an equitable future.
Let’s keep reading and put the odds back in our favour.