The Giver by Lois Lowry

The Giver by Lois Lowry ISBN 0-440-21907-8. Newberry Medal. Ages 12-17. Middle-class youth, adults.

In the book The Giver by Lois Lowry, Jonas and his family/community live in a perfect society where there is no conflict, poverty, unemployment, divorce, injustice or inequality. Twelve year olds receive a life’s assignment which is determined by the elders. Jonas receives his life assignment to be the Receiver of Memories. Jonas is shocked when he is chosen to be the new Receiver of Memories, a position of honor held by only one person at a time. He discovers secrets about the past, and the terrible choices that make this world possible. He is trained by the previous Receiver, now called the Giver. The training consists of transferring to him memories of a past before the start of likeness that the others in the community can't even imagine, in which there was war, hunger, and disease, but also color, weather, and strong emotions. Gradually Jonas comes to understand, and resent, the choices that had to be made to create his world, and the terrible secrets behind its perfection. Suddenly, he has to must make choices; choices that threaten to shatter his entire community.

The book is an easy read, but it is also very thought-provoking. I found myself immediately pulled into this other world. I would recommend this book to every adult, because it really makes you appreciate the freedoms we have, even though those freedoms can cause a lot of pain in our lives. But as Jonas the main character realizes, the pain is worth it.

I found the plot to be thrilling and intriguing. The story is told from Jonas' point of view and though there are no detailed explanations of how the society runs, it's not difficult to get an overall feel for the society and how it runs. In this society where every child is grouped with other children of the same age and every year they have to leave their friends and go with new children the age they are now. Every child is adopted. The girls have to stop wearing hair-ribbons at a certain age. They have to be a certain age to ride a bike. In this world, everyone has enough and being the same is the rule of the day. Everyone has the same hair cut, wears the same clothes

The characters of the community pay attention to each other’s feelings and try to solve each other’s problems in rational, reassuring ways: the family helps Lily to control her anger and encourages her to feel empathy for visitors in unfamiliar surroundings, and they resolve to help their father take care of a struggling baby.
The setting of the book is in a world so stunningly beautiful yet so disturbing. The setting is familiar, families in homes within communities yet strange the homes/families are ran by rules that each must abide to.

I would read this book with my students because it is perfect for young adults and mature children. It presents a relationship in this complex society in such a way that young readers can understand these complicated ideas and theories. The relationship between the giver and the receiver and also between other characters.They would be in a position to compare this book to their own life experiences.