Matthew Reed Baker

Research and Arts Editor

Boston Magazine
300 Massachusetts Ave
Boston, MA 02115

December 18, 2013

Dear Mr. Baker,

Proposed Article: It Doesnt End with The Hunger Games: The Phenomenon of Dystopian Literature

Sweat pours down her back. Trying to control her breathing, the girl, pushes her way through the thick
brush of the forest. The drum of her heart drowns out the mysterious noises she is trying to escape. As
her leg grazes a branch, the tangy scents of iron drift under her nose, reminding her of her mortality. A
twig snaps to her left and without thinking, she draws her .38 revolver and shoots. The young boy
without a name, a boy she would have liked to know under different circumstances, drops to the ground
with lifeless eyes. Reality sets in as Johanna Reese realizes shes just in the bedroom of her studio
apartment and not the terrors of dystopian literature. Ever since her sister told her three years ago to
read The Hunger Games, she has been addicted to the world of chaos and murder.

Reese is not the only one. According to Entertainment Weekly, Veronica Roths, Allegiant (third book in
the dystopian Divergent trilogy) sold 455,000 copies globally on the first day it was released on October
22, 2013. Similarly, the trilogy that may have started it all, The Hunger Games, has sold over 50 million
copies since 2008, according to thecelebritycafe.com. What makes these bloodcurdling plotlines,
especially ones with such young characters, so addictive?

With the movie Divergent hitting theaters in March 2014 and an increase of sales for dystopian
literature every day, I am interested in writing a 600 word trend piece for your Arts and Entertainment
section of Boston Magazine. For a lifestyle that is unimaginable, readers thrive on the protagonists
ability to survive and overcome horrific challenges. However, such violent themes can possibly create
readers to reciprocate the characters violent tendencies. Also, as most dystopian books focus on
characters overthrowing their government, it may create readers to analyze their government more
critically as well.

For further research on the topic I will interview author, Ally Condie of the dystopian Matched series to
find why she was inspired in such a topic and how this genre may affect society. I will also interview
Kendra Cherry, expert on psychology and author of The Everything Psychology Book: An Introductory
Guide to the Science of Human Behavior. She will demonstrate the positive/negative effects of reading
this type of literature and why this might be a popular topic in the first place. Lastly, anecdotal voices
would be useful in portraying this phenomenon. These voices would be from Johanna Reese, and other
fans like her who race to the bookshelves at Barnes and Noble every time a new dystopian series is
released.

Since 2009, I have read 396 books, 14 of which are dystopian that Ive read in the past couple years. 286
of those books were supernatural. Although dystopia is the new vampire, the correlation to
inhumanity is relatively the same. Im one of those readers that are pulled to the apocalyptic novel. The
second I saw the movie trailer for Divergent, I took out my Nook and ordered the book. Five days later, I
finished the trilogy. If this happened to me, it has happened to many others and I wanted to write a
trend piece to further research as to why this is. As for my background in journalism, I currently major in
English Communications for my last year at Salve Regina University in Newport, RI. Feature writing
samples can be found on my blog portfolio at
http://jordanwkingportfolio.wordpress.com/category/feature-writing/.

Enclosed are two articles that provided background to the research of my story and the contact
information of my two expert sources. Readers should know the background to their addiction towards
dystopian literature and what it can mean for their future. Please email me at
jordankingx11@gmail.com or call (802) 355-8022 to discuss any further details.

Thank you for your consideration.

Best,
Jordan King
457 Tuckerman Ave
Middletown, RI 02842
(802) 355-8022
Jordan.kingx11@gmail.com

Enclosures:
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