Stay Alive
by Michael Harris

Stay Alive reveals the hidden revolution at the heart of The Hunger Games and what it means for our age of defiant youth-led revolt.

When The Hunger Games series began in 2008, many commentators lumped it in with other young adult genre fiction. But The Hunger Games was always more political. It’s since become the defining story for a generation that’s grown up with economic crisis and never ending war. An uber-rich ruling class gorge themselves in their gleaming high-tech Capitol, while working people are left behind to survive in exploited districts. Revolution is a forgotten hope kept at bay by brutal policing, aching poverty, and rigid class segregation.

Suzanne Collins' dark vision has only become more relevant as The Hunger Games generation are thrown into an arena of increasingly brutal competition from which it seems like there is no escape, amid the climate crisis, global pandemics, rampant inequality, authoritarianism, media misinformation, and violence and cruelty as TV spectacle. It's no wonder the story continues to resonate.

Stay Alive uses the story to shed light on our own age of extreme inequalities and climate collapse, in which elites use state power, compliant media, and violent spectacle to pacify their populations. The elite endgame is leading us towards our own version of Panem, an authoritarian state order we’ll call Capitolism. The world is catching fire. Elites have no intention of burning with us. And yet there is hope, which Michael Harris finds for his readers in revolution and radical solidarity, in the anti-authoritarian, empathetic, cooperative politics of a generation that has no choice but to rebel.

Reviews:
"In Stay Alive, Michael Harris demonstrates how neoliberal capitalism is conspiring to create a real-life dystopia where the odds only ever favor the elite. Using The Hunger Games to illuminate a series of social forces that are behind problems such as class inequality and climate change, Harris shows how a growing number of young people are rejecting their role in a game the powerful have constructed for them. Instead, by taking collective action, they are sparking a rebellion against systemic oppression and social injustice. This timely book offers readers hope that the problems that confront contemporary society are not insurmountable provided people are willing to work together to address them." ~ Séan P. Connors, Associate Professor, English Education, University of Arkansas

"Michael Harris has done something important – he has written a book that takes very seriously the form and content of The Hunger Games, a book trilogy and four movies based on it, and the responses of audiences to them. And then he enhances readers’ and viewers’ experiences by way of an appreciation of relevant history, science and political theory. Harris has read widely and well and he draws upon numerous sources to construct and support his arguments about serious matters such as the ways in which political submission is enforced and rebellion can make its way in spite of that submission. Without saying so much, he invites his readers to go and read for themselves. He never stoops to the dopey level of criticism that all but instinctively disparages the popular. Instead, in the footsteps of CLR James in American Civilization, he insists that popularity is the reason to pay close attention – it reveals what we otherwise seldom see. As I read his book, I was re-reading Suzanne Collins’s book and re-watching the movies – with a difference. It reminded me of an experience I had many decades ago when I read What Happens in Hamlet – reading closely has its own rewards. You read again and you understand more. I also realized that I was reading a distinct work of political literature – with its own drama and language. At the end, the book gave me a whole set of new reasons to admire Katniss Everdeen – a rebel girl if we’ve ever known one." ~ John Garvey, Hard Crackers editorial group

"An insightful look at how much Collins' series highlights the have-nots and their plight in our modern society. Harris skillfully explores the series' criticisms of virulent, frivolous capitalism, propaganda, torture, anarchy, deregulation, hypocrisy, and of course the nature of revolution. It's a book that challenges both left and right as it considers the story in the context of current America. Further, it factors in historical concepts and educates readers on psychological concepts like the prisoner's dilemma, false consciousness, just war theory, and authoritarianism. Serious fans will delight in the symbolism and deep insights revealed here. If you think you understand The Hunger Games, this book will blow your mind with how much is lurking under the surface." ~ Valerie Estelle Frankel, author of Katniss the Cattail and The Many Faces of Katniss Everdeen

“Engaging and rewarding, Michael Harris’ new study of the Hunger Games ...offers a multi-layered analysis of Suzanne Collins’s enduring phenomena – from the significance of child abuse and juvenile alienation, and from the series’ attack against neoliberalism/capitalism, to its embrace of anarchism. In doing so, Harris makes a compelling contribution to the study of the Hunger Games... His efforts focus on both the personal and the political in the context of characters and readers, addressing, among other issues of interest, why the Mockingjay salute endures ...In Harris’ words, the legacy of the Hunger Games finds affirmation in what he aptly characterizes as The Dandelion Revolution.” ~ Bill Clemente, Emeritus Professor of English, Peru State College, Nebraska