The nation we know as America has been destroyed. In this post apocolyptic world, a totilatarian government has arose to take its place, the nation of Panem. It once consisted of 13 districts, until District 13 rebeled. The Capitol District decided to nuke the place, compltely destroying the resistance.
There are 12 Districts now, each in service to the Capitol. The greed of the Capitol causes it to take up all of the natural resources of the districts. The people of Panem live on the bare minimum for survival.
To make matters worse, every year 12 boys and 12 girls, one from each district are forced to compeate in a reality show where they fight to the death, resulting in only one victor. 1 boy and 1 girl are chosen at random in the annual Reaping. It is a way to strike fear into the hearts of the people, to punish them for 13's past rebelion, to supress them.
If you know what The Hunger Games is about, go ahead and post your profile, do not chat, or keep it to a minimum.
Here is the official trailer for the book:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2szX6ClpNrA