Tell me a story

As I mentioned, I've been reading. Fun reading, still on my streak. I picked up the Hunger Games series, starting with the 2 most recent ones (which are prequels? That is how books work now) and now I'm almost done with the series. 

I've noticed in the last couple of years that many books seem like they are more political opinions or social stances very loosely wrapped in a plot. (Same is true of movies and tv shows, often). Now, it could just be marketing, because most of the time, that impression comes from the blurb on Amazon, which always, frankly, is incredibly preachy and condescending. Just reading a description of the plot, it becomes super obvious that there is a point the author (or the author of the blurb? I never know, because the blurb is so off-putting I never read the book. If the blurb is preachy, I'm definitely not going for the book) is trying to make: "Your differences are your strength", "Be the change you want to see", "America is [fill in the blank depending on your politics]".  Two sentences into the description, and you can already pick out what they want you to know. So, why read it? 

The beauty of reading is that it's a story. And I think telling a beautiful story (instead of a political position that dominates its characters and plot) moves people to see the world because of the story. All these books that are trying to shove a belief down your throat--they fail to change people because it's hard to connect with them. But a well told story doesn't even have to try hard to get people to change because it resonates so well.

The Hunger Games is a great example of this. You'd think as soon as the reaping is mentioned, Katniss would be screaming, "And it's so wrong, and evil, and we should rebel." And she doesn't. Because Collins isn't writing out the obvious. She's telling a story. She's telling us about a girl named Katniss, and what she thought and felt and makes her real. Collins isn't bludgeoning us (which you think you would feel bludgeoned, given the book's premise) with what is right and what is wrong and what we should all feel we have to do afterwards. She lets the story do that. We feel bludgeoned, but not by her politics or morality or social views. It's the premise of the Hunger Games that bludgeons us. How could someone ever come up with a system like that and think it is okay? We get to know lots of characters all with a variety of motivations, sometimes acting for a common goal but for very different reasons. 

I honestly couldn't tell you what Suzanne Collins thinks is the right approach. Does she think Gale is right? Katniss? Peeta? Haymitch? Does she agree with Snow in his book? And that is a beautiful thing. It's not a story about Suzanne Collins' views on people and power and morality. It's not a lecture. She's told a story and from that story, you walk away thinking about power, thinking about human behavior and societies and governments and whether war justifies doing horrible things and what is the greater good. Or maybe you think about trauma and poverty and inequality. Or maybe you think about how much you appreciate not being in a world like that, and what it means to be brave. But you get to decide what the message, or messages are. 

Those are the best books. The most influential books. Because you get to meet them on your terms, and you get to come back and every time, it will be new because you will be different and you will see something different in the story. Because you do the work, and when you do the work, that's when you grow. 

And that's why I love a good book.