Mockingjay

Mockingjay
Author(s)	Suzanne Collins
Cover artist	Tim O'Brien
Country	United States
Language	English
Genre(s)	Science fiction/ Young adult
Publisher	Scholastic
Publication date	August 24, 2010
Media type	Book
Pages	390 (USA); 455 (UK)
ISBN	978-0-439-02351-1
OCLC Number	522512199
Preceded by	Catching Fire

Mockingjay is a 2010 young adult dystopian novel by American author Suzanne Collins. It is the third installment of The Hunger Games trilogy, following 2008's The Hunger Games and 2009's Catching Fire, and continues the story of Katniss Everdeen, who agrees to lead the rebellion against the rulers of the futuristic society of Panem. The series was inspired by the Greek myth of Theseus and the Minotaur and the Roman Gladiator games. Reviewers have noted that it tackles issues such as loyalty, war, and poverty.

The novel and audiobook were released on August 24, 2010, while the e-book was released six days earlier, on August 18. Mockingjay sold 450,000 copies in the first week of release, exceeding Scholastic's expectations. It was also praised by critics, though one reviewer criticized the loose threads that had not been resolved.

Inspiration and publication history

Collins has said that the main inspiration for the series came from the Greek myth of Theseus and the Minotaur. As a punishment for past problems, Athens was forced to sacrifice seven youths and seven maidens to Crete, who were then put in the Labyrinth and were killed by the Minotaur. After a while, Theseus, the son of the king, decided to put an end to it and volunteered to go. Another inspiration came when Collins was channel surfing: on one channel, she saw people competing for something, and on another channel, she saw kids fighting a war. After a while, the stories blurred together and the idea of the Hunger Games was formed. Collins has said that there are also many Roman references in the fictonal nation of Panem. She describes the Hunger Games as "an updated version of the Roman gladiator games, which entails a ruthless government forcing people to fight to the death as popular entertainment". Collins also explains that the name Panem came from the Roman saying "Panem et Circenses" which means "Bread and Circuses".^[1]

The cover and title information was revealed by Scholastic on February 11, 2010. The cover continues the previous books' ornithological theme. The novel's title, Mockingjay, comes from the hybrid birds that feature in the novels' storyline.^[2] Publishers Weekly describes the bird as "the hybrid birds that are an important symbol—of hope and rebellion—throughout the books".^[3] Collins describes Katniss as a Mockingjay because both "should never have existed"; the jabberjays were abandoned while Katniss breaks the law by hunting, but the laid-back security in District 12 protects her.^[4]

Plot

After her rescue by the rebels, Katniss is convinced to become "the Mockingjay": a symbol of the rebellion against the ruling Capitol. As part of a deal, she demands that the leader of District 13, President Coin, grant immunity to all of the victors of the Hunger Games. She also demands the right to kill President Snow herself. In a daring rescue, Peeta and others previously captured are rescued from the Capitol. However, Peeta has been brainwashed into believing Katniss is the enemy and tries to kill her upon their reunion in District 13.

The rebels take control of the districts and finally begin an assault on the Capitol itself, which Katniss is a part of. However, an assault on a "safe" Capitol neighborhood goes wrong and Katniss and her team flee further into the Capitol with the intent of finding and killing President Snow. Many members of Katniss' team are killed, including Finnick Odair. Eventually, Katniss finds herself pressing on alone towards Snow's mansion, which has supposedly been opened to shelter Capitol children (but is actually intended to provide human shields for Snow). Afterwards, bombs placed in supply packages kill many of these children and a rebel medical team, including Katniss' sister, Prim.

President Snow is tried and found guilty, but he tells Katniss that the final assault that killed Prim was ordered by President Coin, not the Capitol. Katniss realizes that if this is true, the bombing may have been the result of a plan originally developed by her friend, Gale. Katniss realizes that she will never be able to look at Gale the same way, regardless of whether or not he was directly involved in Prim's death. Katniss remembers a conversation with Snow in which they agreed not to lie to each other. When she is supposed to execute Snow, she realizes that he was telling the truth and kills Coin instead. A riot ensues and Snow is found dead, having possibly choked on his own blood or been trampled in the crowd. Katniss is acquitted due to her apparent insanity and returns to her home in District 12, along with others who are attempting to rebuild it. Peeta returns soon after as well, having largely recovered from his brainwashing. Finally, Katniss surmises that falling in love with Peeta was inevitable, as he had always represented to her the promise of a better future, rather than the destruction she now associates with Gale.

In the epilogue, Katniss speaks as an adult, more than fifteen years later. Katniss is with Peeta and they have two children together. The Hunger Games are over, but she dreads the day her children learn the details of their parents' involvement in both the Games and the war. When she feels upset, Katniss reminds herself of every good thing that she has ever seen someone do.

Themes

Reviews have noted many themes in the previous books that are also explored in Mockingjay. A review from The Baltimore Sun noted that "the themes of the series, including physical hardships, loyalty in extreme circumstances and traversing morally ambiguous terrain, are continued at an even larger scale." In the book, Katniss must deal with betrayal and violence against people. At the same time, while she was symbolically touching thousands of lives, she must also lead those people into war. Finally, Katniss realizes she cannot even trust President Coin, leader of District 13.^[5]

In an interview with Collins, it was noted that the books "[tackle] issues like severe poverty, starvation, oppression, and the effects of war among others." Collins replied that this was by the inspiration of her father, who, when going to war in Vietnam, made sure that his children understood the consequences and effects of war.^[1]

Publication history

Mockingjay was first released in the US and Canada on August 24, 2010. The UK, New Zealand and Australia received the book one day later, on August 25, 2010. The audiobook was released simultaneously on August 24, 2010 by Scholastic Audio.^[3]

Sales

The book had a 1.2 million-copy first printing that was bumped up from 750,000.^[6] In its first week of release, the book sold over 450,000 copies. Following this, Scholastic printed an additional 400,000 copies, bringing the initial print run up to 1.6 million. Scholastic Trade president Ellie Berger said that sales "have exceeded all expectations".^[7] The book has also been released in ebook format and topped sales in the week ending with August 29, 2010, beating out The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo which had held the top spot since April.^[8] The other Hunger Games books have also made it in the top ten, with the first book at fifth and the second book taking eighth.^[8]

Release

Promotion

To promote the release of Mockingjay, many bookstores held midnight release parties. The official event in New York City was attended by Collins, and included many activities such as a tarot card reader, a magician, jugglers and face-painters. Prizes such as signed copies of Catching Fire and Hunger Games-themed cups were raffled. Once Collins arrived, she read the first chapter of the novel, explaining that she would read with an accent since Katniss, the narrator, is from Appalachia. By midnight, copies were being sold with a signature stamp since Collins had a hand injury and was unable to sign.^[9]

Before the release, Scholastic also released a trailer for the book, launched a Facebook page that gained over 22,000 fans in 10 days, and held a contest for booksellers to win a visit from Collins and an online countdown clock to the release date. There were also advertisements for the book on websites such as Entertainment Weekly and Romantic Times. National Entertainment Collectibles Association also sold other goods such as t-shirts, posters, games and bracelets.^[10] Collins also held a "13-District Blog Tour" where 13 winners received a free copy of Mockingjay on August 24, 2010.^[11] A tour was also scheduled, starting at Books of Wonder in New York where the official party took place. The tour ended on November 6, 2010, in the Third Place Books store in Lake Forest Park, Washington.^[12]

Critical reception

Mockingjay has received mixed to positive reviews from critics. Entertainment Weekly gave the book a B+ and said, "Collins has kicked the brutal violence up a notch in an edge-of-your-seat plot".^[13] Publishers Weekly called the book "the best yet, a beautifully orchestrated and intelligent novel that succeeds on every level". The review went on to praise the "sharp social commentary and the nifty world building", as well as the "romantic intrigue" between Peeta, Katniss and Gale.^[14] Kirkus Reviews gave Mockingjay a starred review, saying that the book is exactly what its fans are looking for and that "it will grab them and not let go".^[15] Susan Carpenter of the Los Angeles Times compared the battlefield to Iraq and said that the book is every bit as original as the first in the series, ending the review with, "Wow".^[16] The Baltimore Sun commented that the book "ends on an ostensibly happy note, but the heartbreaking effects of war and loss aren't sugar-coated", and that it will have readers thinking about the effects of war on society.^[5] Katie Roiphe of The New York Times said it is "the perfect teenage story with its exquisitely refined rage against the cruel and arbitrary power of the adult world". However, she criticized that it wasn't as "impeccably plotted" as The Hunger Games.^[17]

While a review from The Sacramento Bee praised the action scenes and the battle in the Capitol, the reviewer also criticized Collins for not giving enough time to finish all the loose ends, writing, "the disappointment with Mockingjay hits primarily as Collins starts her home stretch. It's almost as if she didn't allocate enough time or chapters to handle all her threads".^[18]

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "Mockingjay (The Hunger Games #3)". Powell's Books. http://www.powells.com/biblio?show=HARDCOVER:SALE:9780439023511:12.59&page=authorqa. Retrieved 1 September 2010. 
2. ^ Staskiewicz, Keith (February 11, 2010). "Final 'Hunger Games' novel has been given a title and a cover". Entertainment Weekly. http://shelf-life.ew.com/2010/02/11/final-hunger-games-novel-has-been-given-a-title-and-a-cover/. Retrieved February 11, 2010. 
3. ^ ^{a b} Roback, Diane (February 11, 2010). "'Mockingjay' to Conclude the Hunger Games Trilogy". Publishers Weekly. http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-book-news/article/42030-mockingjay-to-conclude-the-hunger-games-trilogy-.html. Retrieved 2 September 2010. 
4. ^ Margolis, Rick (August 1, 2010). "The Last Battle: With 'Mockingjay' on its way, Suzanne Collins weighs in on Katniss and the Capitol". School Library Journal. http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/slj/home/885800-312/the_last_battle_with_mockingjay.html.csp. Retrieved 2 September 2010. 
5. ^ ^{a b} Knight, Nancy (August 30, 2010). "Read Street: 90-second review: 'Mockingjay' by Suzanne Collins". The Baltimore Sun. http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/books/blog/2010/08/90second_review_mockingjay_by.html. Retrieved 31 August 2010. 
6. ^ "Scholastic Increases First Printing of Mockingjay, the Final Book of The Hunger Games Trilogy, to 1.2 Million Copies" (Press release). Scholastic. July 1, 2010. http://mediaroom.scholastic.com/node/349. Retrieved 2 September 2010. 
7. ^ "'Mockingjay' Sells More Than 450,000 Copies in First Week". Publishers Weekly. September 2, 2010. http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-book-news/article/44359-mockingjay-sells-more-than-450-000-copies-in-first-week.html. Retrieved September 3, 2010. 
8. ^ ^{a b} "Kindle best-sellers: 'Mockingjay' flies to the top". The Independent (London). September 2, 2010. http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/kindle-bestsellers-mockingjay-flies-to-the-top-2067911.html. Retrieved 2 September 2010. 
9. ^ Wilkinson, Amy (August 24, 2010). "'Mockingjay' Official Midnight Release Party: We Were There! » Hollywood Crush". MTV. MTV Networks. http://hollywoodcrush.mtv.com/2010/08/24/mockingjay-hunger-games-midnight-release-party/. Retrieved 5 September 2010. 
10. ^ Springen, Karen (August 5, 2010). "Marketing 'Mockingjay'". Publishers Weekly. http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-book-news/article/44062-marketing-mockingjay-.html. Retrieved 5 September 2010. 
11. ^ "Hungry for Mockingjay giveaways?". Scholastic. July 30, 2010. http://onourmindsatscholastic.blogspot.com/2010/07/hungry-for-mockingjay-giveaways.html. Retrieved 5 September 2010. 
12. ^ "The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins". Scholastic. http://www.scholastic.com/thehungergames/about-the-author.htm. Retrieved 5 September 2010. 
13. ^ Sperling, Nicole (August 24, 2010). "'Mockingjay' review: Spoiler alert!". Entertainment Weekly. http://shelf-life.ew.com/2010/08/24/mockingjay-review-spoiler-alert/. Retrieved 29 August 2010. 
14. ^ "Mockingjay". Publishers Weekly. August 23, 2010. http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/reviews/single/59715-mockingjay-.html. Retrieved 29 August 2010. 
15. ^ Smith, Vicky (August 25, 2010). "MOCKINGJAY by Suzanne Collins". Kirkus Reviews. http://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/childrens-books/suzanne-collins/mockingjay/. Retrieved 2 September 2010. 
16. ^ Carpenter, Susan (August 23, 2010). ""Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins: Book review". Los Angeles Times. http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-mockingjay-20100823,0,4302544.story. Retrieved 29 August 2010. 
17. ^ Roiphe, Katie (September 8, 2010). "Survivor". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/12/books/review/Roiphe-t.html. Retrieved 14 September 2010. 
18. ^ Morrison, Kathy (August 30, 2010). "Book review: 'Mockingjay' completes 'Hunger Games' trilogy". The Sacramento Bee. http://www.sacbee.com/2010/08/30/2991706/book-review-mockingjay-completes.html. Retrieved 1 September 2010. 

External links

• Suzanne Collins—Official Website
• The Hunger Games trilogy on Scholastic
• Mockingjay at the Hunger Games Wiki.