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Summary: Review for netcourse
Review: I really liked this book, I loved the way it was written, and, although a little to young for my age (17) I still enjoyed it a lot. I liked the way the story started. It seemed like Jonas was innocent, a child. He knew nothing of what was happening all around him. That is until 'The Ceremony of Twelve', everybody in this 'commune' has their lives mapped out for them. Jonas is chosen for the highly regarded and much revered role as 'The Giver'. The Giver at the moment is an old man, who reveals to Jonas that he is the keeper of the communes emotions and feelings, all the good, the bad, the happy, the sad, the painful and all the pleasureful ones. He must give these to Jonas by psychically passing them to him (like a Vulcan Mind Melt for you trekkies out there!) Jonas must learn to accept the good with the bad. As Jonas receives the memories The Giver looses them from his mind, he only remembers them slightly. First of all Jonas learns how to feel snow, he loves it. The Giver continues to give Jonas wonderful and exciting emotions and feelings and then slowly starts to introduce the harder ones, like a broken arm, a fire, dying, etc. Jonas hates this part of his calling. When he realizes that death is the same as 'Releasing' he learns what his whole society is like, - a sterile emotionless existence where all independent thought and personal growth is quashed. He starts to turn against his father who works as a 'Nurturer'. He released a baby earlier that day, and Jonas realized that his father murdered a little baby. This acts as a catalyst for Jonas and The Giver to start a plan that will inevitably turn the whole society and ideology of the commune upside down. I suggest you read this book, if you are 6 or 60, it is a really good book all about what our world could turn into.
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Summary: Review - The Giver by, Lois Lowry
Review: I have owned The Giver, a book by, Lois Lowry, since I won it in 8th grade (I'm in 11th now). People always tokd me it was good, but for some reason I never actaully read it until this year. I'm glad I did read it because it's fascinating. It was written for young adult readers (my sister read it in her 8th grade class), but I suggest it for people of all ages because it is entertaining and thought provoking. The book is set in a community where everyone goes through the same routines, and feels no emotions. The main character is a young, teenage boy. The boy is chosen to be the next Giver (you'll have to read the book to find out what that means) which is when the reader becomes more aware of the restrictive communtity that the boy lives in. The book has a fast paced plot, but is not a thriller. It isn't a mystery either, but the reader is given information bit by bit until they realize the dull, restrictive the boy used to lead. I think the book has an underlying commentary about the importance of history in a societym and the dangers of extreme comformity. It's an interesting, quick read for adults, and fast paced and entertaining enough for younger children. I think anyone who hasn't read this yet should definitely give it a try.
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Summary: It's a good book!!
Review: Analysis of THE GIVER After I had completed reading The Giver, by Lois Lowry I began to think about life in a different perspective. The ways society was run and how the people were selectively placed in their family groups, was all very thought provoking for me. I felt that it was interesting how the community determines what job each individual would perform once reaching the age of twelve. It was obvious to me that the state of government in this story was run entirely by communism. This made me realize how much I take for granted how appealing it is to live in a democratic society. This aspect where every citizen in the community is tightly controlled and limited to almost everything they chose to do frustrated me. It was like there were no freedoms given to these people at all. The memories received by Jonas from the Giver really added an important factor to an important theme to this novel. This part of the novel was very enjoyable to me. These memories passed on by the giver made me realize the things in life I take for granted so frequently. I really felt sympathetic to Jonas and to the other people of the community that had never experienced the simple things in life, which the Giver was giving to Jonas. Although this present state of life within the community revolves around protecting its citizens from receiving unfavorable memories, in effect restrains many enjoyable memories, which these people can't experience.
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Summary: Sarah's VHS Giver Review
Review: It has been several years since I have read any Lois Lowry, yet The Giver fully met my expectations and the standard I have come to recognize from Lowry's works.
I think the book's importance is to make the reader realize that one is never helpless, regardless of the situation at hand, and that some how there is a way out. For our world to keep on turning we must be forever instigating change, at any cost. Jonas' world was one of regulation, control and most importantly denial. Everything from the matchings of husband and wife to the climate was carefully and meticulously calculated assuring that nothing or no one could go wrong. When Jonas becomes aware of the "Elsewhere" (the outside world, only alive in the memories of the Receiver) he realizes the importance of getting out of the control, and so he runs away saving the live of baby Gabriel who would have been "released" because he did not fit the so-called standards of the society. In other words something had gone terribly wrong during his production and he, a difference must be weeded out and destroyed.
Another very important theme in The Giver is the importance of memory. Before Jonas is given the assignment of "Receiver" he is unable to realize that another way of life could exist. Yet his ignorance is by no way his own fault, for until he is introduced, or given the memories of another life, he couldn't possibly realize that it once existed. His society has successfully extracted all emotion, all feelings including love, the warmth of sunshine, the coldness and adventure of snow and the brightness of colors. Once he is given the memories he escapes his controlled community in search of the very essence of life his memory has been filled with.
Because this book was written as a children's book, I think that many times it is easily overlooked. Though the language is simplistic, the ideas and themes are by no means easy to understand. The struggle for independence, change and difference are important to any person searching for themselves, and extremely vital to teenagers who are desperately searching for their own freedom. The theme of memory teaches so many lessons, ensuring that mistakes won't be made as strong as they were the first time, enabling a person keep in touch with their roots, and reminding us that we are forever changing, and that we constantly need to be changing.
I strongly recommend this book, as a reminder to ourselves that we mustn't forget who we are and that we can't close ourselves off to change.
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Summary: review for a class
Review: This book is yet another example of Lois Lowry's wonderful work. Her novel deals with the importance of memory and of the necessity of recognizing change -- the concept that life doesn't stand still. In this novel, a young boy becomes the holder of memory for a society. He must learn to deal with the pain and pleasure that has accumulated over the years. The novel is vaguely similar to Ayn Rand's Anthem. It includes the theme of free thought and is set in a society where your life is chosen by the community. It is, however, more realistic psychologically speaking. In Rand's novel, the setting is an oppresive one in which the main character is unhappy with his life even though he does not realize that there is indeed a different manner of living, and somehow manages to instinctively change his lifestyle to Rand's ideal. In The Giver, the main character doesn't realize that another manner of life can exist until he actually experiences it. For example, the society had managed to lose the concept of color, and while the main character notices it, he has no idea of what is going on. It isn't untill someone explains it to him that he can specifically say why some object appears to be different from another while the shapes may be the same. This novel is very original, and very well done. I would definately suggest reading/buying it.
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Summary: Makes people think of how our world could be in the future.
Review: Jonas' world could very well describe what our world will be like in the future. Color, emotion, and free choice will be nonexistent. One person will hold every single memory in the world. Old people and unwanted infants will be silently and invisibly killed to keep the population steady. The entire enviroment will be monitered so food can be grown all year long. Lowry beautifully writes this as a warning to us that if we don't take care of our world, this imaginary place in our minds may one day become all too real.
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Summary: Tiffanie's Thoughts about "The Giver"
Review: I know this may strike you as strange, but my first impression of the book The Giver was that the community was some kind of cult. Almost like communism. It makes sense if you think about it. The community was all the same and those who were different were "released." Although the book wording itself was easy to read, the context was hard to fully understand. The most difficult part for me was when the author described the characters age and the group in which they belonged to because of their age. However, while reading the book it got me thinking about a lot of different thoughts. Like, "Oh wow, what if this was really true, how would I act?" The Giver was definitely a twist to what I normally read. You know, those books that have you acting different because of something that had happened in the book and you think that it could happen to you. So all in all, my opinion on this book is mixed. I like how the author described things. I give her credit because it must have been a tough book to describe so people could understand it. I know I am having trouble just trying to describe my thoughts on the book itself. Yet I didn't really like the story line. It struck me as weird, confusing, and slightly boring. The only thought I had after finishing book was "This would make a good episode for The Twilight Zone."
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Summary: fantastically written
Review: I could not believe that this book was threatened to be taken out of the school district by the parents. If this book was not required for the reading curriculum, I would've never read this wonderful and thoughtful book by Lois Lowry. I recommend this to everyone because of the exquisite quality. It really makes you think.
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Summary: My Favorite Book!
Review: I can Honestly say that this is the best book that I have ever read, other that the Diary of Anne Frank ( which i highly recommend ) There is a deep meaning to this book, maybe even a religious meaning of wich I adored. I deffinitley loved this book.
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Summary: Interesting
Review: I had to read The Giver for my Magic and
Ritual class. The book was not without its
charm, but for me, living in that world would
be a personal hell. I would go insane! The fact that the persons in that book
had no choices, independence and among many
other things they couldn't even mature at their own rate. That book goes against every thing
that i believe in, except the fact that the
kid had enuf guts to run away.
As for the technical side of the book, it
was one of the most poorly written books that
I have ever read. The plot jumped around,
you couldn't follow it. Too much
responsibility was left to the reader.
All in all, i would not recomond this book to
anyone.
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