Suzanne Collins is no longer relying on subtle political commentary in “Sunrise on the Reaping”, but rather directly critiques and highlights the intentional use of media and propaganda to shape shared narratives. Through the book, the audience learns that Katniss’s perception and knowledge of Haymitch’s games were significantly altered from what truly occurred.

The novel’s manipulation of facts to skew a national narrative seems timely following President Trump’s executive order to end the anti-American “divisive race-centered ideology” in Smithsonian museums, the demolition of Black Lives Matter Plaza and the removal of transgender people from the Stonewall National Monument.

“Sunrise on the Reaping” follows the 50th Hunger Games through Haymitch Abernathy’s perspective. Haymitch is a familiar character in the series, as he was the mentor for Katniss and Peeta in the first two Hunger Games books.

The games in this book differ from the other prequel, “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes,” as there is a Quarter Quell to mark the momentous 50th anniversary of the games. These games have twice the number of tributes, reaping four children from each of the twelve districts, as opposed to the regular two from each district.

Collins was heavily influenced by David Hume’s essay “Of the First Principle of Government” when deciding to write about Haymitch’s games. This essay discusses implicit consent, asking how so many people come to be ruled by so few. Various times throughout the novel, Haymitch is asked why he simply submits, causing him to question his personal implicit consent.

Throughout “Sunrise on the Reaping,” there are comments on the dangers of propaganda and censorship. The information we presume to know based on what we have been told is not always true. It brings to question the ease with which the readers accepted what they were told in the previous four books. How much of what the narrators perceived was true, and how much was manipulated, fictitious, or an inaccurate account of what happened?

As previously mentioned, there is a significant amount learned about Haymitch’s games that differs from the account of other characters in the previous novels. Furthermore, this book revisits multiple characters seen in the other stories, further developing their characters.

When reading the book I did not feel that there was an ounce of detail or information that was merely fluff; each word written was necessary and contributed to the plot as a whole.

Moreover, this book connected the series as a whole.

It is no secret that Collins is a masterful writer, but the seamless way she linked minor details from previous books was representative of the foundation her characters and her stories are built on. The references did not feel forced but satisfied that part of me that read the first books all those years ago.

The interconnectedness of the novel added a new layer of complexity to the original series. My perspective of the original trilogy is completely different after reading this book.

It emphasized how long the rebellion was in place and how long it took for something to change, even when there were people actively trying to change the system in place. Haymitch’s perspective also highlighted how District 12 was poor while the Capitol was wealthy. However, the wealth disparity was not as extreme as it is in the original trilogy, showing the Capitol’s continuing attainment of wealth in Panem.

“Sunrise on the Reaping” is, without a doubt, the most violent and traumatic of all the Hunger Games. The brutal nature of the book is not simply gore but also the emotional turmoil of the book. This is definitely a more mature game, but also, the audience that read the first books has matured and can handle learning lessons through facing harsh realities.

As a long-time fan of the series I can confidently say this is my favorite Hunger Games book. I recommend everyone read it and heavily recommend you read the four others that precede it so that others may understand the complexities of Haymitch’s games.

The Wofford College Bookstore is currently selling this latest edition of the Hunger Games for those eager to learn more about Haymitch’s games.