When creating her post-apocalyptic world of The Hunger Games , author Suzanne Collins drew from various real-world history and geography, particularly from Appalachia, which is reflected in the culture and location of District 12. With the release of her 2019 prequel, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes , Collins brought readers deeper into Appalachia's extraordinary cultural diversity and its storied musical traditions. This book provides a tour of human geography, history and culture that establishes the foundation for the saga's novels and films. Told from the expertise of a geographer, it explores how place can shape culture, how social and geographical concepts intersect and how these ideas apply to The Hunger Games . Specifically, the work explores the idea of "home," and how attachment to a place is strengthened through landscape, geography and song. Thomas W. Paradis is a professor of geography and community planning at Butler University in Indianapolis, Indiana, where he teaches a first-year seminar titled "Unpacking the Hunger Games." His previous publications include numerous books and articles related to urban and small-town development, cultural landscapes, and architectural history.