The Giver
by Lois LowryReviews
Amazon.com said:
In a world with no poverty, no crime, no sickness and no unemployment, and where every family is happy, 12-year-old Jonas is chosen to be the community's Receiver of Memories. Under the tutelage of the Elders and an old man known as the Giver, he discovers the disturbing truth about his utopian world and struggles against the weight of its hypocrisy. With echoes of Brave New World, in this 1994 Newbery Medal winner, Lowry examines the idea that people might freely choose to give up their humanity in order to create a more stable society. Gradually Jonas learns just how costly this ordered and pain-free society can be, and boldly decides he cannot pay the price.C. MCCALLISTER "da_dolphin_boy" (Southeastern Michigan) said:
The plot of this book has been described, well and often, in the editorial and customer reviews already posted, and I will not repeat that.The Giver earned five stars from me on two points: technical quality and content. Technically, this book is very well-written, with a fast pace, no lulls, three-dimensional characters, a well-described setting, and no plot contradictions.
It is the story content that really elevates this book to five-star quality, however. Diversity and conformity are issues that surround us, in the news, in our neighborhoods, in our schools, in government and politics, and in the courts. "The Giver" puts the debate under a microscope, and it leaves room for no simplistic answers. It portrays an artificial society where diversity has just about been abolished. It depicts the benefits of that society, the shortcomings of it, and the internal conflicts caused in the mind of the protagonist. "The Giver" gives no answers, but gifts us with a wonderful way to look at an important question. This is a great book for a classroom project, or for a parent to read with his/her child. There are discussion questions listed at the end, that can be used as a launching pad for an intellectual exploration of the issues portrayed.
A non-spoiler spoiler: The end is intentionally ambiguous. While I have decided, for myself, what the ending means, each reader must make his/her own decision on what happened at the end.
Jedidiah Palosaari "Not My Real Name" (Dar Baida-Casablanca, Morocco) said:
Take a close look. This encompasses the central theme of the book. At some point, people realized that all kinds of sin and strife sprang from differences and envy. And so they removed color. The book never explains quite how- it's not pure science fiction but more of a mix with fantasy. But there are two in the society that can always see in color. And they are the ones who remember pain, for without pain you can not truly make wise decisions.Now that cuts to the wick. You don't expect something so deep in a children's novel that puts the novel into a category of not only readable for adults, but one adults *should* read. Lowry very realistically describes the process of emerging color-sight, describing what it is like for the first time to truly see after all your life living in a society of black and white. In the process she reveals, if it is our differences which cause the strife between us, perhaps the removal of those differences is too great a price to pay. And perhaps pain itself is too great a thing to lose if it means a life of mediocrity and forgetfulness. For with much pain also comes much Joy.
The ending- by this I mean the last 3 pages- I cannot reveal, but it is far too quick and undeveloped. And it brings down the rest of the book. The Giver will stick with you; you will remember it's myth. But you must embrace it ultimately as an unfinished story, for the sense of complete incompleteness the reader is left with.
Where to get the book
Amazon
Written by: Lois Lowry
15 December 2005
| Posted by: Ur_MK_Champion [website] 12 July 2008 | Comments: ..... |
| Posted by: Anon 4 September 2007 | Comments: Great book, bad ending. |
| Posted by: Gothic Metalhead Queen (xquitebitterbeingx AT yahoo DOT com ) 29 March 2007 | Comments: Read it in 7th grade, still one of the best books I've read. I'm an excessive reader, too. \m/ |
| Posted by: Rebelnerd  19 December 2005 | Comments: one of the best books i've ever read. all the kids at my school said it was stupid and boring, which just really just confirms the book's message. |
| Posted by: lifeischeese 17 December 2005 | Comments: i find that the way this book was written is a bit annoying and bland, but the plot is good. all in all a pretty good read. |
