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Summary: The Giver by Lois Lowry
Review: 1994 Newberry medal for "best children's book." A tale about a hypothetical controlled community. The Government determines how many children per family. In the House of Old, leaders decide when a person is to be released (put to death). At the Ceremony of Release there is a toast, and a good-bye speech is given by the person released. In the birth of twins only one can survive. The smaller twin is "released" with a lethal injection. On one occasion, a 12-year-old objects to the practice, but he is mollified by a Giver who points out that her daughter asked to be released 10 years earlier and was given a syringe to inject herself. In one California school system several parents complained about the use of this book and in elementary school. They were told that "public education may not be the best choice.." This book so poignantly illustrates the liberal socialist agenda to ingrain even into our youngest the propaganda that some life is better off without living. It is disgusting and I am appalled that our children are forced to read this garbage, and that our society praises such garbage.
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Summary: A great book for burgeoning critical thinkers
Review: 4.5 of 5 stars - Highly Recommended Over the past two days, I finished reading The Giver. (There are no spoilers here.) This was a great book. Today, many assume that higher degrees of efficiency of a society and its members are intrinsic goods for the advancement of the human specie. Brave New World is one book that takes that assumption to an extreme, and notes the perversity and inhumanness that result from such an extremely efficient society. The Giver is another such book, one that is less dark and less explicitly bitter than BNW. The settings and plots of these hyper-efficient societies are different enough that make both books interesting and poignant reads. However, as BNW is definitely suited exclusively for an adult audience, The Giver is enriching to both adolescent and adult. And whereas BNW is science fiction mixed with biting satire, The Giver is more of a lighthearted science fiction with a hint of fantasy -- the way in which the Receiver receives his experiential knowledge. The protagonist of this story is an early adolescent, as the author's hope seems to be for young readers to try to relate to Jonas. This book is a good teaching tool that one can use in trying to teach younger (maybe even older) ones to think more critically about life, to break out of the sphere of popular culture in which so many young ones are comfortable, yet suffocating in ignorance. The author's writing style is crisp and lucid, the way that I prefer my authors to be. I give this book 4.5 stars, but I'm rounding up. My only complaint is that I disliked how open-ended the ending is. I appreciate the author's desire to be artistic and ambiguous, but I felt that for this type of young adult's book, she should've made a stronger sense of closure. Aside from that minor complaint, I enjoyed reading this book, and the author kept me engaged from beginning to end.
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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: Thought Provoking
Review: = Thought Provoking
Reviewer: H. D. from Quaboag Regional, VHS
I thoroughly enjoyed reading Lois Lowry's novel, The Giver. The book details the life of a young boy named Jonas. He grows up in a safe, sheltered community of conformity where all his decisions are made for him, and enjoys the simple life of following orders without independent thinking. He has no idea what else the world has to offer, until he meets the Giver. He opens Jonas' eyes to the wonders and the pains of the world that had been kept from him. Then a big decision comes his way, and he looks to the Giver to help him shape the rest of his life and find out what living really is.
I was deeply engrossed in this book. Lois Lowry vividly created the Community and brought it to life. The morals presented are applicable to everyday life. The issues expressed are some that most of us never consider, taking the freedom of our lives for granted. This book explored questions like, where would we all be if we couldn't remember our pasts? What would the world be like if you couldn't understand love? Should any organization have the authority to demand conformity? As Jonas had to face crucial decisions, the reader was able to consider their feelings and learn some important life lessons.
My only complaint with the book was that because I was so interested in Jonas, I wanted to know if he was able to live the life he hoped for. The reader is able to draw inferences and assume what Jonas' life would be like, but I would have enjoyed a more concrete conclusion after such a thought-provoking novel. I think everyone should read The Giver and take part in Jonas' journey towards a life of freedom and individuality.
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Summary: outstanding
Review: A "Brave New World" for the junior set, "The Giver" tells the story of a young boy who is forced to choose between living in a utopia or gaining knowledge at the price of pain and disillusionment from the people he loves. Of course, all is not "perfect" in the boy's world, but its inhabitants live free of uncertainty. If pain or fear are felt, it is only very briefly, there is always something to alleviate them. Had he not been chosen as his community's "Receiver" the main character might have gone on living forever unaware of the sacrifices his people have made in order to gain this painless world. How he comes to terms with what he has been "missing" and journeys toward a deeper understanding, is the main plot of this book. The ending will make you feel as if you've been dropped off a cliff, but the next two books in this trilogy will tell you what becomes of this character.
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Summary: Can't wait to discuss this one!
Review: A book club based in Tokyo will discuss this book at our next meeting. Has any other book club or group read this? We'd be interested in your comments.
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Summary: It was confusing but an okay book.
Review: A confusing book. It was okay besides that. She might not have made the community as spoiled as it was. Every time they gopt hurt or something they were healed instantly by a pill. It was pretty bad.
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Summary: A Fable About The Value of Passion
Review: A fable in which the "perfect society" has eliminated all conflict by eliminating things like color, music, and most things about which one could be passionate. The young boy coming of age discovers these things and tries to break away. It's a good story to get kids talking about what matters in life. What is worth fighting for. That all conflict is not bad. That passions make life worth living. Provocative.
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Summary: Brilliant
Review: A fantastic future world creation. Young and old alike will enjoy this amazing vision. The young narrator lives in a community of the future where all citizens are selected for their jobs and trained at the age of 13. There is no choice in this society but thereby also no haves and havenots. The citizens live happily in their roles and don't question what they have or what they don't have. Because everyone, everything is the same. No one has ever known suffering or hunger or need, but in having never known it, they don't even know what it is. When he is selected as the receiver of memories, our narrator realizes that the world has not always been the way it is. And in so learning, he starts to question whether everything is always for the best. An amazing work that will make you think about society, community, risk, and choice. Will spark many deep thoughts and discussion. A great read that will definitely make you think about society, structure, and opportunity.
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Summary: The world is NOT black & white
Review: A fine, insightful Dystopian novel of a "perfect" world which is anything but, "The Giver" belongs on the small but important shelf of such cautionary novels as "1984" & "Brave New World." However, after reading so many of the previous reviews, it's fascinating & revealing to see that so many readers think of the Community as being Communistic, when in fact it depicts the end result of any True Believer mentality: There is only One Way, Our Way. It could just as easily be a fundamentalist community of any religious stripe, or one of any ideologically-mandated group. Let's not forget that we have plenty of people right here in America who are convinced they know what's best for everyone, and who believe we should all be forced to live according to their beliefs; quite often they're the ones waving a flag and/or a cross most vehemently. In fact, there's one more book that readers of "The Giver" should consult: Sinclair Lewis' pre-WWII novel of Fascism coming to America, "It Can't Happen Here." Because as "The Giver" warns us, it can happen anywhere. Including Here.
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