I thought the Hunger Games was compelling & brutal. I was so engrossed that I read the book cover to cover in one sitting. The book showed me that we have so much to be thankful for in our materialistic lives. That no matter what we face it could always be worse. That we must have faith in ourselves to survive. That is what the book is about in essence, Survival. This message was delivered in a brutal style that was necessary to convey the moral. That as long as we have love of family and friends material things are not important and to use our intelligence to provide the necessities (food, shelter, water, fire). There is a lot to learn from this series. I highly recommend!