Princeton community holds vigil honoring Atlanta shooting victims

graphic by Karen Qiu Suzanne Collins’s “The Ballad of Songbird and Snakes” is a thrilling arrival to the young adult landscape. Since its release on May 19, readers have pored over the 517 pages detailing the origins behind one of the most notorious literary worlds: Panem, home of the Hunger Games. A decade ago, readers were introduced to Collins’s “The Hunger Games,” an instant bestseller soon to be followed by “Catching Fire,” “Mockingjay,” and a series of four film adaptations. “The Hunger Games” trilogy is characterized by an irresistible concept: an authoritarian regime — the Capitol — that annually rallies teenagers to fight to the death in a televised, gladiator-style bloodbath: the Hunger Games. A young bow-and-arrow-slinging heroine caught up in romantic drama and the Capitol’s cruelty is the face of a rebellion against the regime. The trilogy’s unbeatable premise met rapid fame, selling over 100 million copies, amassing $3 billion from the box offices, and remaining on The New York Times Best Sellers List for over five consecutive years. Moreover, the huge success of “The Hunger Games” trilogy is largely responsible for a shift in young adult fiction toward dystopian, post- apocalyptic universes, including later works like “Divergent” and “The Maze Runner” series. “The Ballad of Songbird and Snakes” is a prequel to the trilogy, set 64 years before the events of “The Hunger Games” and ten years after a war between the Capitol and its impoverished districts. In “The Ballad of Songbird and Snakes,” the trilogy’s fiery protagonist, Katniss, is replaced by an unexpected character — Coriolanus Snow, Panem’s tyrannical president and Katniss’s main nemesis. Snow is given a new spotlight as a struggling, eighteen-year-old student chosen as a mentor for the tenth annual Hunger Games. By focusing on Snow, the novel serves as an origin story to both the Hunger Games and Princeton community holds vigil honoring Atlanta shooting victims

President Snow’s future antagonism. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, “The Ballad of Songbird and Snakes” had a virtual launch involving multiple video promotions and social media posts. However, this launch had many setbacks, including its failure to reach high-schoolers in both awareness and interest. As an avid “Hunger Games” fan, I was surprised to learn of “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” only days before its release date. Even weeks after its release, nearly all my peers are still oblivious to the mere existence of a “Hunger Games” prequel. Furthermore, most high- schoolers have lost interest in reading young adult fiction outside of school, explaining their lack of interest in the trilogy’s continuation. Nevertheless, with more than 500,000 copies sold, the novel has certainly followed its predecessors’ success. The printed edition of the novel is also accompanied by an audiobook version narrated by Santino Fontana. Since its release, “The Ballad of Songbird and Snakes” has received an influx of critical responses, with sources like The Guardian and The Telegraph both praising and criticizing Collins’s added depth to the world of Panem and her choice of Snow as the main character. Personally, the most attractive part of the trilogy is Panem’s philosophical undertone; it provides insight into the implications of social inequality, society’s need for entertainment, and the intentionality behind heroism. Regardless of any negative critiques, I’m eager to see how “The Ballad of Songbird and Snakes” further examines these topics. As for the prequel’s choice of protagonist, Snow is arguably the most intriguing character of the entire series. His cruelty and manipulation is always accompanied by reason, which is surprising to find in such a sadistic, vicious individual. “The Ballad of Songbird and Snakes” offers a valuable glimpse into Snow’s evolution into the character we know him to be. Fortunately, “The Hunger Games” universe doesn’t just end with the novel’s publication. Lionsgate, the distributor of the trilogy’s film series, has confirmed a movie adaptation for the prequel. Although casting has not yet begun, the upcoming film’s creative team has already been announced — Francis Lawrence and Nina Jacobson reprise their respective roles as director and producer while Suzanne Collins joins Michael Arndt on the screenwriting team. In the two weeks since its release, “The Ballad of Songbird and Snakes” has already stirred young adult readers globally. With online threads of passionate reviews and articles detailing elaborate theories, “The Ballad of Songbird and Snakes” is an exciting revival of and a promising addition to “The Hunger Games” legacy.