Hey, it's Empire's Book of the Day. I'm Andrew Limbong. We've got something special for you on the pod today.

So there's a new Hunger Games book out this week titled Sunrise on the Reaping. It's a prequel to the

original series, which, if you don't remember, was huge when it first came out more than a decade ago,

and it remains a big deal today. The books inspired its own

franchise of films, which rake in millions of dollars, and the Hunger Games fan base

remains extremely devoted. Now, Hunger Games author Suzanne Collins is famously pressed shy.

She hasn't done very many interviews since her series blew up, but early on in her career back in 2009, just before the second Hunger Games book came out,

she spoke with NPR's Lynn Neri, which we've pulled from the archive for you today.

It's an interesting snapshot into that period of time,

and it's an examination of the use of violence in children's media

that's all the more relatable

today. That's after the break.

In the U.S., national security news can feel far away from daily life.

Distant wars, murky conflicts, diplomacy behind closed doors on our new show, sources and methods.

NPR reporters on the ground bring you stories of

real people helping you understand why distant events matter here at home. Listen to sources and

methods on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts. Okay, if you know nothing about the

Hunger Games, here's what you need to know. The original book

takes place in the future where 24 young people have to fight each other to the death as part

of an annual televised ritual. The premise always reminded me of a mixture of the 1999 Japanese

novel Battle Royale by Kushantakami mixed with the 1987 Arnold Schwarzenegger movie The Running Man.

But apparently, Suzanne Collins' inspirations go back a lot further than that.

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