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Summary: Suspensful Plot and Awesome Theme
Review: In a community that is all the same lives Jonas, who discovers he is very different. Jonas is the main character in the book The Giver, my favorite book. I loved The Giver because the plot was very creative, the theme was magnificent, and the setting was vivid. I think you should read this book for many reasons. The theme of this book is clearly represented: freedom, the right to make your own choices, uniqueness, and individuality are worth dying for. In Jonas's community, a commitee selects one's job, war is unheard of, all people wear the same attire, and all are assigned spouses and families. When Jonas is given the special, wonder-filled occupation of becoming the Receiver of Memory, he finds that there is much more to life. Through his task of becoming the Receiver of Memory, he discovers the meaning of love, pain, frustration, color, and cold. That is when Jonas realizes how much more there really is. Life soon becomes overwhelmingly unbearable in his world of "sameness." He finds life isn't worth living without the qualities (often that we take for granted) he discovered. That is when Jonas goes on a dangerous journey to find a land that is different. The setting in this book made it quite a pleasure. Everything in the community was predictable and pre-planned. The housing units were all the same. There were designated spots for everything. The setting helped develop the plot and theme. The mysterious ending leaves one filled with curiousity and wonder. The book, The Giver, by Lois Lowry is guaranteed enjoyment, especially for someone who likes a good theme and plot that ties in with the setting. I loved the boook The Giver, and I truly believe that everybody should read it!
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Summary: A Tale of Secret Memories
Review: In a community where people know nothing about real life, Jonas must learn the memories of humankind that have been hidden for generations. His simple, yet new and amazing, discoveries open his eyes to the miserable, opressive conditions under which people in his society live, and his relationship with the giver develops into a strong bond as the novel progresses. An excellent piece of juvenile literature, The Giver provides a warning for civilization not to become too "civilized."
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Summary: an absolute MUST read
Review: In a future, perfect world where there is no such thing as pain, hunger, unemployment, or even death, 12 year old Jonas lives with his family in The Community. In the Community everyone has their chosen job to perform: Laborer, Nurturer, even Birth Mother. As a Twelve, Jonas is to take his place in the Community by being given his career. He is chosen to be the next Receiver of Memory. Jonas soon finds out that to be the new Receiver means that he is to receive all of the memories from all time, including the memories of things that do not exist in the world anymore. ...The most obvious reason for this huge turnout for a lesser-known young adult book is obvious: it is simply a fantastic work. Ms. Lowry starts off painting such a beautiful picture of this perfect world Jonas inhabits that we, as readers in this more than imperfect world, wish we could join him in his utopia, even with so many personal decisions being made for him. However, slowly, bit by bit, we realize how limiting his world really is as he is exposed to more and more of what we call "normal life" that he has never even conceived of. "The Giver" is a work of sheer genius for all ages. However, most will encounter it first in school language arts/reading classes. Somehow I managed to miss it through my formal school education and finally picked it up at the ripe age of 32. It sings out to me as a brilliant work as much at my current age as I know it would have if I had read it in junior high. If you have not yet read it, you simply have to.
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Summary: An Interesting Future
Review: In a futuristic society where individuality is suppressed to be virtually non-existent, a young boy tests the limits of conformity. "Selected" to be the new Receiver of the community, Jonas begins to understand the hypocrisy and deceit his entire life has been based on, and the realization that maybe the "perfect" community was lacking some things that were essential to life. Jonas' story is a defiant struggle of the self versus the masses, in which one young boy will strive to maintain that which he holds dear. The Giver is an excellent story of a Utopian society that is perhaps not all its cracked up to be. Although based on a middle school reading level, the story contains ideas that can be re-examined over and over again. The Giver is a truly brilliant and insightful work about the evils of conformity.
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Summary: The Giver
Review: In a futuristic, perfect world, with no colour, love, or choice, Jonas is waiting for what he will become. Jonas is sent to "The Giver" by the commitee of Elders and assigned to receive memories of the past. But through these different memories there are tales of war, starvation and death, but Jonas can not share these memories with his friends. Little Gabriel, a newchild is to be released (killed), and so Jonas sets out on an adventure with Gabriel to find another place, another life... The winner of the 1994 Newbery medal, "The Giver" is a fantastic read for all ages.
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Summary: On "Banned" Book List - Reason Enough to Read this Gem!
Review: In a mysterious community where all things are decided by a consciencious committee of elders, there is no fear or want; all things are in perfect order and life is lived according to rules. Jonas, the main character has just matured to age 12, where it is decided what his life long "assignment" (profession) should be. He was not given, but was "chosen" for the assignment of "Receiver of Memories", an honer which soon proves to translate to the bearing of unspeakable pain. Jonas confides in his "boss", the "Giver", that this community they are living in is not the utopia Jonas was longing for. There had to be an "Elsewhere", a place of colors and fragrances, a place where there was love and caring. A place where families live and grow old together, rather than be "released" if they were awkward or have reached old age. The ending was not anticipated and made for beautiful closure. My 4th grade students needed some guidance as to what the book's "message" was. In hindsight I would recommend this book to children above the age of 12. This is a timeless classic, well deserving the Newbery Medal it won.*****
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Summary: One of a kind
Review: In a near perfect community where color is not seen, pain is not felt, and everyone lives to be the same age; Jonas a Twelve is cosen to be the Receiver of Memory. Memories from the past when pain and love was felt by all. When Jonas has received nearly all the memories, he does something no one in the community has ever done or knows about.
Lois Lowry tells an amazing story in this book. This book is probably my favorite I have ever read before. There is know other book quite like this one. I reach out to everyone to read this excellent writen book.
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Summary: Jonas learns his perfect world is not as he thinks.
Review: In a perfect world lie dark secrets. In this completely controlled world, a 12-year old boy named Jonas has been chosen to become the communities most honored citizen. He has been chosen to be the Reciever of Memories. Under the teachings of the elder known as the Giver, he learns the dark truth about his perfect community. Battling against the pain and joy ofthe memories he seeks "Elsewhere" so that the community can also experience all of these feelings. In this story, Lowry examines the paranormal as well as a persons' freedom of choice. Soon Jonas lears the price of a perfect world and he decides that he is not the only one that needs to pay this price.
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Summary: Distopia 101
Review: In a short story, Isaac Asimov creates a future where the profession of each individual is chosen by computer, and they are instantaneously educated for that role in life. It is slightly disturbing. In A Wrinkle in Time, Madeleine L'Engle shows us a world where "IT" controls the mind of every inhabitant; deprived of any individuality, they have perfect social harmony. Lying somewhere between the two, the distopic world of The Giver is utterly terrifying. We slowly come to realize the extent of the individuality that the people have relinquished; seeing color, hearing music, remembering or feeling emotion are too disturbing; those who will not fit in are selected out of society (in one horrifying scene, we become vividly aware of what this means for the socially unacceptable). Emotion, being too ingrained in the human species to simply breed out, is controlled by drug. There is no IT controlling the natural rhythm of life; there is the pretense of normality and family life, so our young protagonist slowly becomes aware of the depravity of his society. In the end, the message is clear: what we see, and feel, and touch in life is infinitely more valuable than a social "order" achieved by denying the richness and diversity of the individuals who make up that society. Although nominally a book for children, no adult with find The Giver juvenile
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Summary: A chilling narrative on the true nature of freedom
Review: In a society where pain, fear, and emotion have been deleted, one person known as the Receiver holds the collective memories of mankind. Now Jonas, a happy twelve year old, has been chosen to take the position of the Receiver. As Jonas learns more about the way humanity used to be, he comes to the realization that no society, no matter how well ordered and efficient, can compete with true feeling. He sees the hypocrisy and coldness with which his world operates, and cannot stand it. Now, he must find a way to bring emotion back to the world. And he will do it, even if it means doing the unthinkable. Lois Lowry has created a world that is so well ordered that it runs with little trouble. Much like the society that Adulous Huxley created in Brave New World, these people have given up the freedom to feel in favor of order and control. The Giver's society is completely socialistic, and this helps create a feeling of familiarity with our world. Lowry's commentary on socialist society helps us address the question of how anybody could live without personal freedoms. The Giver makes it easy to see how one could atrophy in a society which produces ease, simply submitting in favor of a good job and easy life over uncertainty. Because of this, Lowry's book succeeds beyond the likes of 1984, because her society seems close enough to be frightening. After all, a society caused by a collective submission could occur much easier than one caused by the worldwide takeover of a government force.
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