Dear Michael Grant,

You changed me. It’s incredible how simple ink on a page can seem so unbelievably real and can strike so deeply. When I closed the book Hunger, I had become a completely different person from who I was when I started.

Your writing pulled away the façade of modern civilization, changing my perspective on the problems in this world. Before I read the book, I had an idealized view of life. The pain and suffering people endure worldwide didn’t seem real to me. Your words proved me wrong. While the horrors of the FAYZ are fictional, people still starve. People still die. Even here in my hometown, there are those who go hungry, cold, and homeless during the freezing Alaska winters. Hunger showed me this truth.

Before I continue, let me tell you more about myself. I’m in the 7th grade at Randy Smith Middle School, in Fairbanks, Alaska. I read Hunger in 5th grade, which is probably younger than the majority of your readers, but I’ve always read above my level. Around the time I spent reading about the FAYZ, I was also going through a really difficult time in real life. My brother had a seizure, my aunt died of cancer, and my parents were pressuring me to continue martial arts, something I had stopped enjoying a year earlier. By that point, I was struggling with self-control. I would lash out at my family most nights, not in anger, but pure frustration at the world for throwing so much at me in a space of a few months.

My own self-control issues were reflected in Caine’s sudden episodes of primal rage, although I wasn’t possessed by a pile of glowing green goo. Astrid seeing him as the devil really shook me. I didn’t suddenly freak out and say “Oh my god! Everyone must hate me!” or anything dramatic like that, but it definitely got me thinking. I didn’t want to end up hurting someone. It took a while, but I pulled myself together, and eventually found the ability to control myself. I have to thank you for teaching me self-control.

Hunger also shows just how weak and fragile our civilization really is. I found myself looking at people and thinking, “What would they do if the world came crashing down around them?” I’d like to think everyone would keep it together, but Zil’s betrayal reveals how desperate people can get. Outside, we’re human, but inside, we’re all just animals, filled with the instinct for self-preservation. The transformations people undergo in your book are incredible. It’s like a mental revolution.

Sam. He’s a character I can really relate to. While I can’t claim to have the weight of three hundred people’s lives on my shoulders, his crumbling worldview reflected mine at the time. I was dealing with loss, stress, and frustration, which are the same emotions Sam went through. The way he kept it together despite the odds stacked up against his survival inspired me, if inspiration can be gleaned from a fictional character. I can’t say it saved my life, because I have never once contemplated suicide, but your book definiltey saved my social life.

Again, thank you for everything you showed me and helped me through with your writing. The haunting story of Hunger will stay with me for the rest of my life.

Sincerely,

Erin James