With Sunrise on the Reaping being told from Haymitch Abernathy’s perspective, I had high hopes for more insights from District 12, Appalachia, my very own stomping ground.
Those hopes have not been disappointed. In the coming weeks, with re-reads, I’ll be posting more thoughts from my scrappy district, home of rascals and jackasses alike. For my thoughts after a first read, I thought we’d focus on one of my favorite motifs from the original trilogy: plants, particularly those native to Appalachia, both now and in the distant dark future of Panem. Botanicals, both literal and symbolic, crop up all over the novel, and they are a particular favorite of mine, as I research and present historical programs on medicinal plants in particular. So let’s take a tiptoe through the garden. Beware: spoilers abound, so, if you haven’t finished your own first read, wait outside the gate.
rated character of the original trilogy, as well as to ponder the role of cats, not just in The Hunger Games trilogy and its prequels, but throughout speculative fiction, from Hogwarts to outer space. We’ll also consider why it’s the lovable idiot, the orange cat, who so often saves the day and why, as we get close to our next visit to Panem, feline plot threads may be out there, just waiting for a clever paw to grasp them.
been trying to collect my thoughts to share as well as my thanks for those of you who have been thinking of and praying for those in our region who have been so severely affected over the last few months and who are still struggling. Unfortunately, I have had trouble doing just that, both due to the new constraints on my time and my own lack of mental focus. But as we approach the end of the year, I wanted to finally share the experience of the storm and of the remarkable generosity and support that I have witnessed here in the mountains of western North Carolina.
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