Second Emulation

Unraveling Haymitch: The Origin Story Behind Hunger Games' Most Broken Victor

• Shawn Juarez • Episode 83

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Have you ever wondered what broke Haymitch Abernathy before we met him in The Hunger Games? Susan Collins' latest prequel, "Sunrise of the Reaping," delivers the devastating answer through a masterful character study that transforms our understanding of one of the series' most complex figures.

Set during the 15th annual Hunger Games—specifically the first Quarter Quell—this novel plunges readers directly into the reaping ceremony in District 12, where young Haymitch faces the terrifying prospect of entering an arena with twice as many tributes. Through Collins' characteristically detailed prose, we experience the fear, propaganda, and cruelty of Panem in its early years under President Snow's calculating leadership.

The most haunting revelation comes in understanding how deliberately the Capitol crafted Haymitch's suffering. Following his games, every annual reaping is scheduled on his birthday—ensuring he can never celebrate his existence without being reminded of the tributes he'll mentor to their deaths. This single, cruel detail recontextualizes every interaction from the original trilogy, adding profound layers to his cynicism, alcoholism, and occasional moments of unexpected tenderness toward Katniss and Peeta.

For longtime fans, this book provides crucial context that enhances the entire series when viewed as a complete narrative. We witness the early seeds of rebellion, understand how Snow's strategies evolved to maintain control, and see familiar characters in a new light. While following the established formula of dramatic reapings, tribute parades, and arena combat, the novel's strength lies in its character development and thematic exploration of how those who refuse to acknowledge history are doomed to repeat it.

Whether you're revisiting the world of Panem or discovering why Haymitch became the broken victor we first meet through Katniss's eyes, "Sunrise of the Reaping" delivers a compelling story that stands alone while enriching the broader Hunger Games universe. Subscribe to hear more literary deep dives and share your thoughts on this latest addition to Collins' dystopian masterpiece!

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  📍 Hi, hello, and welcome to Second Emulation! Oh my God, you guys, I’m so excited for you to listen to this episode—like, it’s going to be so good! Your amazing host is about to take you on a deep dive into all things movies, anime, gaming, and pop culture. Seriously, it’s, like, the best way to spend your time. So, grab your favorite drink, maybe a latte or something cute, and get ready to have the best time. Okay, love that for you! Here’s your host!

 Welcome back to Second Emulation. For our new and current listeners, we're gonna be doing something different. As I mentioned in one of our update episodes, we're gonna be trying some new content and expanding out. This is one of those contents. We are going to be dissecting books like a book club of one.

I am your host, Sean, and today we're gonna be unraveling Sunrise of the Reaping by Susan Collins. This is a dystopian young adult fancy fiction novel set in the same world as The Hunger Games. This is the next book after. The Songbird, which focused on, snow. This is going to be a character development story based on one of their key characters, in the series.

Now I'm going to read a little summary about the book. When you've been set up to lose everything you love, what is there left to fight for as a dong? As the day Dawns on the 15th annual Hunger Games Fear grips, the districts of Pan Am this year in honor of the Quel, twice as many tributes will be taken from their homes.

Now that's a bit interesting because in, I believe in, catching fire, they, we did encounter the quarter Quell before, so that's interesting to see that we're going to, be introduced to the Quar Quell and also have, that many tributes more than PanAm has experienced. So let's get into it.

Now, why did I choose this book to be The first one I wanted to review? Reason for it is that I've. Consume the movies of all three movies. I've really gravitated to that story of that dystopian political, kind of like authoritarian rule, type of books because I feel like it sets a president of like, and can be applicable,

to our world of like, this is what can happen if, political individuals are not kept in check. This is the type of system that can be built from that for someone who wants ultimate power. And so I've also read the prior book leading up to this one, and I feel like, I'm. Personally a fan of the series.

I do think that it does carry a, a distinct message, a personal message, if those who don't acknowledge history and meant to change are doomed to repeat it. I feel like Susan Collins, writing these books, it's almost like a message or a precursor of what. Could happen to society or to any, civilization if, greater powers go unchecked.

And the book for Sunrise of the Reaping kind of go, gives more of a character development, and it goes into the deep dive of the characters that we are later introduced to in the movies, but we kind of see where they got their start. Why are they the way they are? What motives. That they have. And overall, one key thing is like what happened to snow.

And I feel like overall this book gives a good breakdown of developing these characters and, alluding or giving insight to, I believe a greatest character of the series besides Kaus will be Hamid. Because we're only introduced to Hamid in, the first Hunger Games movie.

And though there was a lot of, alluding to his backstory of him being this broken down, individual on his last legs being a Victor himself, he, had a different outlook than all his other tributes and. He was just a shell of a person, when we're introduced to him and kind of seeing that this book dives into what triggers, what things, did he endure in the Hunger Games that gave him that type of outlook.

And I feel like that is, very key. And I know a lot of people might be wondering like why do we need another book? We know a little bit more about him and vice versa. They should have read, wrote this in the beginning, and now here's a cash grab. And I understand those type of comments, but for me personally, it's like, I want to know more.

Yeah, there were subtle nods in the. In the films and in the books, towards the characters. But I want to know, like we, we see the end of how the revolution started, for Kaus and PETA and the people involved. Like we know the outcome, what got them there, like the end result. But I wanna know how it started, what motivations, were they, always trying to fight. Were, there's always a resistance. You want to see what steps did they take place, in this world where the hunger Games have existed. And to be honest, and if you think about it. Their first book, the Songbird, I believe.

I don't know the title Foley, but the, the prior book wrote before this one, which had a movie is, we kind of saw that it was Snow Is Creativity and his. I wanna say strive to, to bring his family out of poverty, which caused the Hung to games to become more of a spectacle. I. Because if you think about it, the games were going to die.

Like they were essentially going to die and be wrote out and nothing. There wouldn't be anything to take their place. 'cause there they weren't getting as many views and the original creator wanted that to happen. So if you think about it from that book to this, like the games almost didn't continue and that.

Snow was a precursor to keep 'em cont, to have them essentially an evolution of what the games were prior to his mailing and ideas. Now, some quick context. The book is published in 2025 by SCH Classic Book Press. It has about 387 pages and. It's, I wouldn't say it a, it's a big read, but you could very well get through it if you can consistently read daily.

Me personally, I enjoyed this novel in an audio format and for those going forward that I will, every book I do review, I will be listening to the audio first. And I will also buy the physical book to have in my collection. But I enjoy listening to the books as an audio format. It's kind of reminds me of a podcast.

It's just easier for me to consume these books, and also review them. I will say as a kind of disclaimer for the Hunger Games and books of the similar genre that these books or these narratives do deal with very real issues. The crumbling of a government society and authoritarian reign in its place, who's subject getting their people to genocide.

In order for, in order to hoard great resources and seeing the people, the elite benefit from that. And so you are going to, encounter themes of just, propaganda, conspiracy murder and the loss of empathy. And though we know that the Hunger Games is a work of fiction. The stories and the themes that it, go into, can be triggering for some if they don't understand that this is a work of fiction.

So I just wanna put that disclaimer out there, that these books are similar. They can be triggered 'cause there is gruesome death and murder in them. With that, let's go into a deep dive of this review now, first impressions. I was actually, very surprised, with this book because, we, it takes place, oddly enough, right before a reaping happens and, we get the perspective of.

Hamid, and his kind of experiencing, the reaping himself. And it's very just interesting because it starts almost similar to how the hunger game starts, which is, this the kind of F of a coin. Maybe that's a way to say like, Hey, Hamid and Kaus are, they're one of the same coin because they're both from district 12.

But it is, it's very interesting that we just start off boom, right into the reaping, for this book. And with that, we don't know how many years, has passed from the previous book to this, but you can, we are kind of like. You are given some insight that District 12 is not, in its best place for resources.

There's a lot of barring going on, and we find out that a lot of this bartering and what we call like the black market, even though this the people in the town say like, the. Peacekeepers and the government doesn't know. They do know they do allow this to happen, because it allows a sort of like a sense of freedom and free will, but a lot of it's all controlled by them.

They just allow it to happen because it gives that, form of like freedom or they're, taken back or. A form of control essentially is what it is. It's a form of control. 'cause if they believe that what they're doing is, somehow against the benefit, then they're more likely to do it, which allows, the flow of information, for the peacekeepers to obtain.

We kind of get our first experience of propaganda in some way early on in the book and how the peacekeepers and the government of Pan Am have. Under Snow's tutelage have really stepped their game up of how they tell the narrative. And we see that on full display during the reaping of Hammid and hiss his two colleagues or his two friends.

Now, because it's a quarter que, you're getting double. So two men, two boys and two women. And, a fight breaks out or similar to, what happens in the hunger game, there's a disagreement or something occurs, which, while they're recording, the feet cuts out and they kind of use this, it becomes important later on.

But we see how, the government is they record everything. They'll utilize everything in order to fit their narrative of what's going on. And so they, it's the, they become so in tune under the tutelage of we need to paint the story. We need to control the narrative because that is power and we don't want anyone going against us.

So for my first impressions, for us to within the first. Chapter, we get that sets the tone for what to what we expect going forward throughout the entire series or throughout the entire of this book. Now, what worked? I feel like the writing styles is on par and very familiar with the tones of the movies, so it.

It's very expressive and there's a lot of detail so that you as the, the reader can understand fully what's happening. Normally with these type of books, there's not so much detail. There's, scenes are cut out and you're just left to interpret, what happens in the narrative.

What I feel like with Susan Collins, novels of the Hunger Game series. We get that very descriptive. Like she wants you to be present during these actions and be put in that place to experience it. Like experiencing the reaping, experiencing, the. The treatment that the peacekeepers give the people of every district, like you need to be there.

Like she's putting you there to kind of completely understand that it's not an happy time. That the people aren't grateful, for what they're given. It's just, they're just making do and trying to survive. And I feel like the tone of that is very well established in the writing from chapter to chapter I.

Now I feel like what also works is that, as I mentioned, this is a character, study of Hamid Abernathy and his experience of, being in the first, the Hunger Games reaping and the quarter well, and not having to experience this before, but understanding like what his thought process is and what's going through his mind, how he's trying to survive.

Because again, our only interaction and probably insight to. Hamid is from the point of view of Kaus, Everdeen and peta during that, during that series. And what we are introduced to is a man who's been defeated, a man who feels like he's been bounding all his life and he's just a shell of a man. That the type of words we get from him seem to be doom and gloom, and that is.

Particularly by design that, he has been essentially tortured all his life up to a point. And so we get to see that insight. I feel like, I. Given that this is about him, made it more enjoyable for me because it could have been about a different character in a different district that we don't know about.

And that could have been the direction, but the fact that we're getting a character study of Hamid and seeing like what he went through is by far, I would say Chef Kiss, because. When we get to Catis and we haven't read the, the before the, all those other books came out, we just thought that's what it was.

Even though it's been mentioned the games have been going on for a while. He's the only link or person that is a connection to the past of all the games prior and his knowledge. And so I do like that, we see this character progression from him, as a kid and what he's experiencing.

'cause I. It all makes sense. Once you read the book and then you watch the games and every interaction that he has with Kaus and Peter and other individuals, it makes sense. It's, his words have meaning. The advice he's giving has meaning, and this is the reason why he, he's the way he is.

And then as mentioned, the themes that play out here are dystopian politics and murder. I. Like those are, the three iconic themes that are always gonna be involved with this type of book, or the series of the Hunger Games, is that that's what it's touching upon. Now the way the murders are conveyed might be, unique and different, but we have to understand and not be desensitized at the fact that these are kids being killed off.

I think that's the one thing that's overloaded, that it's not adults who are entering the Hunger Games. It is the kids. These are kids who are having to be killed off in this type of gladiator type fight for the entertainment of Pan Am. And so letting let that set in is that it's not adults. Kids are being pulled.

From their homes to participate. Even if they don't, they die. If they participate, they still die. So that the end result is that they could, obtain funding and resources for their district. Now, what didn't work? I know there are gonna be the comments that there really doesn't need to be. A fifth book set in the same era as, pretty much an addition to the series of the Hunger Games.

And there might be individuals who are just of fatigue. And I get that. Now, and I feel like that's one thing that I feel like doesn't work is that, this could be made a movie instead of a book. Similar to the prior one that, actually, let me scratch that. I don't think there's a thing that I can find that didn't work with the book.

Just other than that, this is just a continuation, of the story, that Susan Collins is trying to tell that I know there may just be fatigue. From there being another book and maybe considered a cash grab, which I completely understand. But I feel like those type of things are, what doesn't work for the book is that people might just feel, they're kind of over it.

I get that. Now when it comes to writing, there are some things in here that I feel like. No, doesn't work a bit. And it's really heavy with the propaganda and seeing, the lengths of what a government would do. Now this one kind of goes a little bit more heavy on that than the prior iterations of Susan Collins books.

And that's to be, that is the design of it, and I know. Not many people would like that, and I feel like for me, I didn't expect that and I feel like it doesn't work, but I understand that it needs to be there because you're trying to tell the story and the progression of how. How President Snow worked, how the government worked, how he had transitioned himself in a position of power, but also his ideas and his, plans kind of like in fruition at this point.

Again, as I mentioned, it's hard to find what didn't work because I am a fan of the series, and I do like the Hunger Games 'cause what it represents. But there might be other people who can dissect this book and be like, Hey, these are things that. Didn't work. And I think more focused that, we're introduced to not just ham image, but essentially the key players that will become very prominent, that we'll recognize in, other, the later books and in the movies.

But I think what, I kind of say doesn't work is that the introduction to these characters that we. Get 'em briefly, only to kind of see their motives and then they disappear in the obscurity of the background. And that is to be, that is on purpose. But for those, I think for those who are reading this book because they love the series or it's just something to read, I will say that what.

Doesn't work for the book, is not having any pre-knowledge. If you're just picking up this book just to read as part of a read list, it may not be worth it for you because it does, weigh it Does. Way heavy for you in order to have the knowledge of who these characters are, because it builds on that nostalgia.

You, you have to have some familiar you have to know. The characters in order to read the book. I feel like if you don't, you're going to be lost. And I think that's one thing that I feel like doesn't work for, this book and the other book, is that it does play a lot on nostalgia and familiarity of knowing these characters.

It's not a book that you can just pick up and read, and not having any PR prior knowledge. 'cause you are. We'll be confused. So that's one thing I feel works against it. But at the same time, I don't think there's anyone who hasn't read the book or watched the movies because they've been out for so long that if you haven't, you'd be hard pressed to find someone who hasn't read the books or watched the movies.

But if you haven't, I feel like that's one thing that works against you is that you de you do need to have knowledge of, the books prior. I think an all for the book as a whole is the thematic punch of the book because I was always curious of about the reaping. Prior to that, I. Is that, prior to Hamid or to Kane, was it like a designated timeframe, a designated day, for when the reaping occurs and prior to this particular story, it was, I wasn't sure if it was like a random date that they just selected, but after reading this book.

We kind of get an understanding and a meaning behind the reaping, particularly in Hamid's case for District 12 and spoilers. For those I was taken back, like I felt like it was a cruel joke. For those who don't know that, again, I say spoilers, the reaping. After everything's said and done, it takes place on Hamid's birthday every year since his, this book leading up to Kaus, every year, the reaping takes place on his birthday so that he can never forget.

That is cruel. That is a punishment. That he will spend every day, every year remembering, the events of not only his games, but every games of tributes he has to mentor. That I found very interesting and it gives a new meaning to Hamid his character and backstory when we see him in the Hunger Games that.

What we see is a man who's disheveled. But understanding that and why he's such gloom and such a hard chicken man and doesn't care because he's experienced it so many years. He's reminded of it of so many years. And I kindly, finally. Understanding the meaning behind the reaping, means has more impact now when you watch it, that it has more intent than it did before.

Why Hamid is the way he is. And I was always trying to figure out why. Because when you watch the films. You are like, who is this grumpy old man? And why is, why does he act like that? Why does he act like he doesn't care even though he does care? But when you read that part and you understand it makes, it kind of clarifies, his interactions and his behavior throughout the Hunger Game series and the later series of the book in the movies.

And so. That for me was a real eyeopener, is that kind of getting that tidbit of information and understanding that, and then, and it's not just, him like everyone knows, like people who are involved with them know and know how ham image is. And so it's not like, no one knows everyone who was involved with him, knows it.

His birthday knows that that's a day that he'll remember entirely, that he's always being punished for, and it's a spectacle. Now, I'm gonna read some reviews from Good Reads. This typically falls the same format as we do for our movie TV shows and video game reviews. We, scour and look for usernames who have, that we pick to do a review of.

So we have three here. I'm gonna proceed with reading. Those one's gonna be from Ali Goodwin. She gave it a four point 25 stars. Ours. Her review reads as the book was good. And also so devastating. I wanted to give Hammond a big hug. I told myself before starting the book that I wouldn't get attached to any of the tributes in the Hunger Games.

And then I got so attached to all of 'em, which made this book extra heartbreaking. And I have to agree with Allie on this, that. You're, you have this preconception or this notion that you know, because you have prior knowledge not to get to attach to any of the tributes that they introduce you to because you know that their fate, there's only one thing that can happen to 'em for their fate.

And the way each character that you're in, the way that each tribute is written, that you're introduced to make them likable, makes them you want to know more about them. Only to understand that, that they are going to die. I think that's what's truly moral about dunk games is that these characters that you're introduced to are on borrowed time.

We know that as the reader, as we're reading the world that Susan Collin has created, that each character or tribute that you're introduced to is a living on borrowed time. The moment their name is, read in the reaping, they're on borrowed time. They know that they're not gonna make it out, that they can only position themselves.

And their other tribute for success. And so you kind of see that and it's, it's heart gring and a tear to see, because these characters that you're introduced are very humanized other than the soldier tributes that train all their lives for, this game. The other tributes are very human, very, they're kids.

And so having to then become murderers, it's you kind of see the innocence being ripped away from them, and so I do agree with Ali on that. Our second, review is gonna be from User Sherry. This book is un undeniably a Masterpiece. When I first picked it up, I fully expected the games to be intense, thrilling, and completely nerve wracking, because double the tributes that practically screams chaos.

All I cared about were the games themselves. It wasn't until my reread that I realized I was no better than the people in the Capitol. I was caught up in the spectacle. The first time around and I missed the layer underneath the connections. The symbolism, the way everything ties into the bigger picture of the series is truly brilliant.

The reader nailed it. No,

I agree with her. This reader did know, what the book was, and I feel like what I've talked about is that this book itself. Feels like a game plan of something bigger. It kind of gives you the blueprint you're seeing, symbolism, you're seeing propaganda. You're essentially seeing the creation of the monster, which is the PanAm government.

Under the tutelage of President Snow, because the prior book, we got to see how, snow was just like any other tribute. He was just like anyone else. He could have been sent into the games and died. So we see that he didn't come from money, they had money, but they were treated like everyone else. And we saw him, in his pursuit, to re.

Claim his family's name with the elites and be better for that, wanting to take his family outta poverty and the hunger that came from that, that, willing to back sap, betray anyone in order to get what he wants. And so we kind of see that on full display now that snow has now had many years to like develop his craft of being president and curating the Hunger Games.

Sherry gave it a five point, a 4.5 correction, a 4.5 of for this book. Our next review is gonna come from Emily May, who writes, look. I didn't hate it. The formula and themes of the hunger game books are all, all here, dramatic, reaping, infuriating, parading of the kids in front of the wealthy sponsors the bloody action and danger of the games themselves.

And it's a formula that has worked before. Obviously, there's less tension this time because you know how it ends. You know, Hamit attempts to bring down the games, cannot have been successful. And even the details we don't know are easy to guess. She gives it a 3.5, a three outta five, which I understand.

When, and I kind of agree with her because the book. Okay. This book, sunrise Writes for the Reaping isn't revolutionary in any aspect. It is a continuation or a narrative, progression of the things we've already experienced and already know about. Now, mind you, if this had come out first, prior to the later narratives, like if we would've got, the songbird.

Book and movie, then got this, and then got the other ones in succession, then we would feel very different, about it. And I understand where she's coming from is that you kind of feel spoiled because you know what to expect and where, what direction the characters are gonna end up at. And I, I do agree with her on that because.

If it was done the other way, I feel like it would've been more impactful and some, viewers might feel that way. I don't, because again, I like these characters, but I. It removes the magic. It kind of removes the suspense and the surprise because you already know where the characters end up and reading.

It's not as impactful as reading the prior series and then going back to this. Now I can say that if you want to enjoy the series. You would start off with the prior book then this, and go in order for that. I feel like having, this will make it a more complete story, which I am probably going to do, is that once I have all the books, probably do a thorough reread of the stories in order, and then I feel like then the story, the overall story will be more impactful.

My final thoughts is that I've given this book a four out of five and because, my opinion might be biased, but I'm a fan of, of the series and the books and like the characters. Now I feel like some might not, agree, but I feel like this. If you like these type of books, the dystopian, sci-fi, political murder, young adult, type of books, and you like the Hunger Games, I feel like this might be,

in your collection to read next. If you haven't already read it. And I feel like if you're kind of already, exhausted by these themes, then this is a skip for you. Because you're not gonna learn. I mean, you'll learn. I. Maybe new information, but it's stuff that you already know that's gonna happen.

And so if you don't like, like every telling, then I would say Skip this. Because if you've seen the movies, you've already read the prior books, then this is not gonna, be anything new for you. So I would say skip this book for you. But if you're a fan of it, then this is a definitely must read for you going forward.

Now some recommendations. If you like Sunrise of the Reaping, I recommend checking out the host, the Giver, divergent, which is another books in the series are set. In this dystopian type world and Maze Runner, those are, very good books, series I feel like you should check out, just because they have that similar kind of tone, regards to them.

That is on par with the Hunger Game Series and I like to thank my current. And new listeners for tuning into this episode of Second Ation. If you enjoyed the show, don't forget to, to subscribe, leave a review, share it with your friends, and also follow us on our social. The links will be in the episode description for any more, book recommendations or anything you like, us, like me to read, recommendations and updates, shoot us a message.

We'd love to hear your thoughts. All right, and thank you for listening and catching the next one. Bye.

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