Introduction

The unforgettable fifth book in the Hunger Games series: Haymitch’s story. Feature film scheduled for November 2026.

#1 USA Today Bestseller • #1 New York Times Bestseller • #1 Indie Bestseller • #1 Publishers Weekly Bestseller • A New York Times Editors’ Choice

“A propulsive, brutal Hunger Games prequel is here. And it’s great.” The New York Times

When you’ve been set up to lose everything you love, what is there left to fight for?

As the day dawns on the fiftieth annual Hunger Games, fear grips the districts of Panem. This year, in honor of the Quarter Quell, twice as many tributes will be taken from their homes.

Back in District 12, Haymitch Abernathy is trying not to think too hard about his chances. All he cares about is making it through the day and being with the girl he loves.

When Haymitch’s name is called, he can feel all his dreams break. He’s torn from his family and his love, shuttled to the Capitol with the three other District 12 tributes: a young friend who’s nearly a sister to him, a compulsive oddsmaker, and the most stuck-up girl in town. As the Games begin, Haymitch understands he’s been set up to fail. But there’s something in him that wants to fight . . . and have that fight reverberate far beyond the deadly arena.

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Discussion Questions

From the publisher - added by Pauline

1. Discussing Lenore with Haymitch, Snow states, “You love her. And oh, how she seems to love you. Except sometimes you wonder, because her plans don’t include you at all.” (129) What has Lenore Dove kept hidden from Haymitch? How does that affect him? Why do you think Lenore Dove hid things from Haymitch?

2. Which tributes use mental prowess to navigate the Games, as opposed to technology, weaponry, or brute strength?

3. With so much of his experience dictated by other people—like Snow, Plutatch, and the Gamemakers—at what moments does Haymitch take charge and make his own decisions?

4. How do Haymitch’s feelings for Maysilee transform from loathing to grudging respect to love? Can you pinpoint the moment that she became a sister to him?

5. How are the dynamics of alliances impacted in the Games with twice as many tributes?

6. Plutarch tells the tributes, “Public opinion is driven by emotion. People have an emotional response to something, then they come up with an argument for why it logically makes sense… Make the audience feel for you, they’ll figure out intellectually why you’re the right tribute to support.” (199) In what ways do Haymitch and the other tributes use the fact that they are always on camera to their advantage? How is it to their disadvantage?

7. In what ways do Snow and those involved in the creation and promotion of the Hunger Games control the narrative throughout the story? How does the audience, composed of citizens in the Capitol and in the Districts, impact what is shown during the Games?

8. Watching the recap, Haymitch finally sees how his experience differs from the story that the Capitol is going to tell going forward. Why is he so critical of himself? After the Games are over, why does he play along with Snow?

9. Talking to Haymitch the day of the reaping, Lenore Dove declares, “And that’s part of our trouble. Thinking things are inevitable. Not believing change is possible.” (10) Why do the Districts send their children to the Games every year? What would happen if they refused?

10. Discussing Capitol rule, and the Games more specifically, Plutarch states, “I still don’t think the fear they inspire justifies this arrangement we’ve all entered into.” (104) What is the arrangement he alludes to? How do the citizens of Panem freely give their power away?

11. The opening quotation by David Hume reads, “Force is always on the side of the governed, the governors have nothing to support them but opinion.” Describe the ways the Capitol controls the population of Panem, which vastly outnumbers its leadership.

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