The Importance of Memory
The Relationship Between Pain and Pleasure
The Importance of the Individual
Rules and Control
Rituals
Conformity vs individuality
Security vs freedom
Family and home
Friendships
Acts of heroism
Lois Lowry has written more than 20 books for young adults and is a two-time Newbery Medal winner. Lowry was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, and attended junior high school in Tokyo, Japan. Her father was a dentist for the U.S. Army and his job entailed a lot of traveling. She still likes to travel. At the age of 17, Lowry attended Brown University and majored in writing. She left school at 19, got married, and had four children before her 25th birthday. After some time, she returned to college and received her undergraduate degree from the University of Maine. Lowry didn’t start writing professionally until she was in her mid-30s. Now she spends time writing every single day. Before she begins a book, she usually knows the beginning and end of her story. When she’s not writing, Lowry enjoys gardening during the spring and summer and knitting during the winter. One of her other hobbies is photography, and her own photos grace the covers of Number the Stars, The Giver, and Gathering Blue. Lois Lowry has four children and two grandchildren. She lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Penguin Random House
“It was almost December, and Jonas was beginning to be frightened.”
Thus opens this haunting novel in which a boy inhabits a seemingly ideal world: a world without conflict, poverty, unemployment, divorce, injustice, or inequality. It is a time in which family values are paramount, teenage rebellion is unheard of, and even good manners are a way of life.
December is the time of the annual Ceremony at which each twelve year old receives a life assignment determined by the Elders. Jonas watches his friend Fiona named Caretaker of the Old and his cheerful pal Asher labeled the Assistant Director of Recreation. But Jonas has been chosen for something special. When his selection leads him to an unnamed man -the man called only the Giver -he begins to sense the dark secrets that underlie the fragile perfection of his world.
Told with deceptive simplicity, this is the provocative story of a boy who experiences something incredible and undertakes something impossible. In the telling it questions every value we have taken for granted and reexamines our most deeply held beliefs.
Lois Lowry’s The Giver is the quintessential dystopian novel, followed by its remarkable companions, Gathering Blue, Messenger, and Son.
Jonas’s world is perfect. Everything is under control. There is no war or fear of pain. There are no choices. Every person is assigned a role in the community. When Jonas turns 12 he is singled out to receive special training from The Giver. The Giver alone holds the memories of the true pain and pleasure of life. Now, it is time for Jonas to receive the truth. There is no turning back.
Penguin Random House
I was in fifth or sixth grade when I first read “The Giver,” Lois Lowry’s 1993 dystopian children’s novel. Lowry introduces us to Jonas, a boy living in a society where everyone’s lives are premeditated and made as identical as possible. The society without crime and sadness depicted appeared utopian-like to me — though I likely didn’t know what that word meant when I was ten. All of the kids receive bikes when they turn nine and when they turn twelve they are presented with their future job assignment, chosen for them by the “Council of Elders.”
But the older I got, the more I realized how unappealing a society was where families were restricted to having one son and one daughter, and the term “animal" shifted from a noun used to describe a living creature to an adjective for describing someone uneducated or clumsy (animals weren’t allowed to exist in this society).
My next encounter with “The Giver” took place when I was seventeen, facing the daunting task of choosing where I wanted to pursue my undergraduate education. It was one of the first instances where my life was filled with so much uncertainty that I almost wished I had a council of elders to dictate my every move.
What’s striking about “The Giver” is its portrayal of a society free from hunger, fear, and poverty. But it’s also a society devoid of individuality, choice, and personal freedom. Reading the book serves as a reminder to be grateful for the choices I have to make, even the challenging ones.
Jonas’s world comes crashing down when Gabriel, the infant he’s nurtured, faces the imminent threat of release (which is the same thing as a forcible death). As the sole recipient left with memories of the past world, Jonas possesses the unique ability to perceive color and comprehend animals, emotions, and changing seasons. Determined to keep Gabriel safe and share his memories with the rest of the world, Jonas resolves to embark on a daring escape to Elsewhere.
You might wonder why “The Giver” remains my go-to comfort read despite its seemingly discomforting themes. However, it always leaves me more appreciative of the things I often take for granted in my daily life. The ability to see the world in color rather than black and white, the freedom to chart my own career path and decide where I want to live — “The Giver,” like many dystopian books, acts as an important reminder of all the freedom and potential present in my life.
In a world like Jonas’s, I would hope that I would have the same courage to discover “Elsewhere.”
Kylie Rashkin- Daily