Abstract
Katniss Everdeen, the narrator and protagonist of Suzanne Collins’ Hunger Games Trilogy, survives the grueling ordeal of forced participation in two games to the death through both physical prowess and mental agility. Both within and outside of the Games, she demonstrates information and media literacies. By becoming adept at interpreting and using information and the media, she not only survives, but also outwits the Gamemakers, undermines the power of the Capitol, and sparks a revolution. Collins’ novels thus reflect, model, and critique the information and media practices of the society in which Katniss lives—and, by extension, those of our own society. In addition, the books suggest that information and media literacies can be powerful tools of resistance for people oppressed by totalitarian governments. For Katniss, surviving the Games requires these literacies; at the same time, the Games themselves, and more broadly speaking the oppressive government of the Capitol, facilitate their development.
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Notes
Collins uses the term “Capitol” to refer to both the government of Panem and the capital city.
We use the plural “literacies” to indicate that information literacy and media literacy involve related but somewhat different sets of skills.
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Don Latham is an associate professor in the School of Library & Information Studies at Florida State University. His research focuses on information-seeking behavior of young adults, information literacy, and literature for young adults. He has published extensively on information literacy and young adult literature. His current research projects include information literacy among first-year college students, collaborations among teachers and librarians to teach 21st century skills, and constructions of literacy and gender in young adult literature.
Jonathan M. Hollister is a doctoral student in the School of Library & Information Studies at Florida State University. He holds a Master of Science in Library and Information Studies with a focus on reference and instruction as well as youth services from Florida State University and a Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences from Western Michigan University. His research is focused on social information and learning behaviors regarding the use and communication of information in and across various media types, such as graphic novels, young adult literature, and, especially, online gaming.
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Latham, D., Hollister, J.M. The Games People Play: Information and Media Literacies in the Hunger Games Trilogy. Child Lit Educ 45, 33–46 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10583-013-9200-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10583-013-9200-0