Concerns

Mary Coutts mentioned concerns that were brought up in faculty emails about the graphic violence in Hunger Games. Yes, it's there, and yes, I too think that the ubiquitous blitzkrieg of violence in all forms of media these days can desensitize anyone, not just kids. That is, however, the beauty of our all-school read: we aren't letting them read it alone, in isolation. Don't underestimate our students. As you hear them talk about movies and video games, you will hear "That was way cool!", and then the subject is dropped. When they talk about real-life tragedies, they are more likely to say "That was horrible," and the looks on their faces show that they wonder how the world could be so awful. We will use Hunger Games to educate them, to explain how such things can happen and what one can do to prevent them. The "graphic novel" aspect of the book is just a venue that will draw them into reading it. The rest is in our hands.