Plot
Description:
Jonas is about to become a Twelve, the age at which
member’s of his community begin training for their future profession. In Jonas’ community everyone’s profession or
assignment, is assigned by the Council of Elders. The Council is also in charge of choosing one’s
spouse and assigning couples their children, one boy and one girl for each
family. When the day comes to receive
his assignment, Jonas is chosen for the honor of becoming the next Receiver of
Memories. Jonas doesn’t understand what
this means until he beings this training with The Giver, who was the Receiver
of Memories before Jonas was chosen. The
Giver transfers memories of the past to Jonas and in the process Jonas learns
about things his community has disavowed such as color, weather, pain, sadness,
and love. Jonas’ community decided long
ago to embrace sameness. In his new
position Jonas is privy to information that normal citizens are not allowed to
know and it is this information that has Jonas questioning the way of life in
his community.
Review:
Lois Lowry’s The
Giver, is quietly powerful and emotional.
Jonas’s community seems like a benevolent place to live, but underneath
it is ugly and controlling. Lowry raises
important moral questions in The Giver, including
how people can be manipulated by their leaders and how far will one go to see
justice served. The Giver brings up the question of free will and whether people
are happier having their lives laid out for them or whether they are happier
being able to make their own decisions about their lives and future.
Genre:
Science Fiction
Dystopian
Dystopian
Reading
Level/Interest Level:
Grades 4-8
Similar
Books:
The
City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau
Awards/Honors:
ALA Notable 1994
Newberry Award 1994
YALSA Best Books for Young Adults 1994
Author’s
Website:
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