I must admit I recently downloaded “The Hunger Games” based on the popularity and discussion of the movie. However, I was disturbed by the back lash against the movie because of some Black characters.
If you have read the book, it is clear that the characters in question were people of color. My question is, why is that a bad thing?
As a writer, an African-American writer, I often wonder if my work will be read by people of all races. I understand that people easily relate to others that are most like them. But is race the defining factor. I enjoy Jodi Picoult’s books. The main characters are White and yet I empathize with their plights and root for them the same way I do with a book by Bernice McFadden or Kimberla Lawson Roby. Why does it matter? A good book is a good book. Period.
Most of the time, I don’t enjoy the movie adaptation of books because the visual element limits the experience. I do enjoy it when the character on screen mimics the picture I had in my head. Of course, reading comprehension is a learned skill. Maybe those fans of “The Hunger Games” that were surprised about a character’s ethnicity should go back to school.
Please click the link below:
The Book Bench: White Until Proven Black: Imagining Race in Hunger Games : The New Yorker.