Six Degrees of Separation — from The Lottery to Citizens: A Chronicle of the French Revolution

It’s time for #6degrees, inspired by Kate at Books Are My Favourite and Best. We all start at the same place, add six books, and see where we end up. This month’s starting point is a well-known short story called The Lottery by Shirley Jackson, which I read in July for a discussion with several lawyers and the judge for whom we clerked.

The Academy Saga by CJ Daly - an intriguing series launch

Title: The Academy Saga, book 1
Author: CJ Daly
Publication: Trade paperback, 2019; also available in Kindle
Genre: YA series
Setting: Present-day New Mexico

Description: At barely 17, Kate Connolly is stuck in a trailer, raising her precocious younger brothers, with a father who was abusive even before her mother died several years ago.

Hunger Games

I just finished Hunger Games, a very disturbing futuristic YA novel in which heroine Katniss takes her little sister's place in a deadly tribute required by the government. 24 teenagers are set up in a deadly game of survival with the whole nation watching to see which one will kill/outlive his or her peers. The concept revolted me but once I started reading I could not stop, and I thought for the most part it was extremely well done and creative. I was a bit irritated to find out at the end that it is book one in a series - that seemed to trivialize the conclusion.

Certainly the author is influenced by Theseus and the Minotaur. However, this interviewer is perhaps a little too awestruck:

You can spot the lineage of Collins’s own influences throughout the novel, from Betty Smith and Carson McCullers to George Orwell and Madeleine L’Engle. Because of Collins’s cinematic attention to detail of the games and the world of Panem, you may find yourself feeling disconnected at times from its human center. But, the philosophic conventions are wildly complex and simple, ranging from “Lord of the Flies” to “The Running Man.” And when the narrative center holds, the striking figure of 16 year-old Katniss Everdeen stands stall, giving the novel a sincere and realistic heart. Even while fighting for her life, she is also faced with one of the toughest decisions any girl will have to make – choosing the right boy to love.