Why Ban 'Hunger Games?' – The Leaf

The Hunger Games made No. 5 on ALA’s most frequently challenged books, and the whole series later made No. 3. They were banned due to insensitivity, offensive language, violence, anti-family, anti-ethic, and occult/satanic. Freshman Olivia Severyn said, “It is important to learn about all different situations, even if they are not the best, to learn from them.” “The Hunger Games” was banned in 2011, and a parent went to Goffstown school board in New Hampshire saying that the eleven-year-old child had nightmares. The parent said that banning the book could numb children to the effects of violence. Severyn said, “The parent has a choice but you cannot ban it from everyone.” In 2014 the first novel in the series was banned again for religious viewpoint and for being unsuited for the age group. It makes complete sense that the books are violent, after all it is a war trilogy. The main characters, Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark, are first in a fight to the death then a war against their government. Severyn said, “The Hunger Games is a work of fiction that is supposed to be enjoyed, it does not promote a violent culture, it simply educates about one.” However, the anti-family challenge does not parallel all parts of the book. Everdeen’s father dies before the plot line starts, and her mother was depressed. Yet, Everdeen has a loyalty and strong protective feeling towards her sister, Primrose Everdeen. The main character has a love for her sister that does not diminish at all throughout the books. In all three of the books not once was religion mentioned. It is a foreign concept to the post-apocalypse world that the characters are set in. Which makes the satanic complaint unjustified. For more on why books are being banned, click here.