"The Giver" will not disappoint!
During spring break I was able to commit much more time to leisure reading and I thoroughly enjoyed The Giver by Lois Lowry.
This book is about a sort of distopian world in which everything is the same. There is no color, no true emotions, no change of weather, no choices to make or that can be made, and most importantly, there is no love.
The main character is a boy named Jonas. In each family unit, there is a father and mother who get paired up when they apply for a spouse and then every couple has one girl and one boy. Jonas' family unit is no different, he has a sister named Lily and and his mom and dad. They live in an assigned community and besides occasional field trips that students sometimes take, they know very few people outside of their community.
Every year, there is a large ceremony at which everyone from newchildren (babies) turning one to kids turning twelve is congratulated for moving on to their new age and responsibilities. There a few years that are especially exciting, for example when the "eights" graduate to being "nines" they receive their own bicycle, which is how everyone can transport themselves around the community. This is the year Lily is turning and she is very excited. However, the most important ceremony is when they "elevens" turn into "twelves" because it is then that you are given your assignment. This is your job that you will work at your whole life. The chief elders observe the children all through their childhoods in order to choose a well suited job for them as twelves. There are jobs such as nurturers, who take care of the newchildren .There are birth mothers, which is not a very respected job as you only give birth once before your responsibilities are over. There are drone pilots which learn how to fly in drones to gather supplies and keep the community safe.
But the most different and important job is being the receiver of memory. There is only one receiver and they have the very important job of holding all of the memories of every generation past. All the good and the bad. Little things such as a memory of the beach or of snow, to the hardest and biggest memories such as war, starvation, and love. Jonas was selected for this position. Everyday Jonas goes to the "Giver", an old man who was the previous receiver. They become very close as they share pain and beauty that no one else in the community will every truly understand because of the "sameness" they have been subjected to.
As Jonas experiences more and more, he cannot continue life as he has been living everyday. He attempts to share some of his discoveries with his friends and family. But finally, he must make a hard decision in an attempt to better the community.
This classic was probably one of my favorite books. It really put our differences and freedom to live the way we do in perspective. I really enjoyed the character development of Jonas and watching him learn to develop his own thoughts and long to make independent choices for himself. I think the overall premise of this book was a bit confusing in the beginning but the descriptions are really good and I soon was able to grasp what the idea of the setting etc were. The ending of this book is a cliffhanger but at the same time leaves the reader feeling satisfied. I can't wait to check out the next book in this series. I would definitely recommend The Giver to anyone looking for an adventure story which will also get you thinking.
*If you're interested, I got this book from Mr. Mitchell's mini library*
This book is about a sort of distopian world in which everything is the same. There is no color, no true emotions, no change of weather, no choices to make or that can be made, and most importantly, there is no love.
The main character is a boy named Jonas. In each family unit, there is a father and mother who get paired up when they apply for a spouse and then every couple has one girl and one boy. Jonas' family unit is no different, he has a sister named Lily and and his mom and dad. They live in an assigned community and besides occasional field trips that students sometimes take, they know very few people outside of their community.
Every year, there is a large ceremony at which everyone from newchildren (babies) turning one to kids turning twelve is congratulated for moving on to their new age and responsibilities. There a few years that are especially exciting, for example when the "eights" graduate to being "nines" they receive their own bicycle, which is how everyone can transport themselves around the community. This is the year Lily is turning and she is very excited. However, the most important ceremony is when they "elevens" turn into "twelves" because it is then that you are given your assignment. This is your job that you will work at your whole life. The chief elders observe the children all through their childhoods in order to choose a well suited job for them as twelves. There are jobs such as nurturers, who take care of the newchildren .There are birth mothers, which is not a very respected job as you only give birth once before your responsibilities are over. There are drone pilots which learn how to fly in drones to gather supplies and keep the community safe.
But the most different and important job is being the receiver of memory. There is only one receiver and they have the very important job of holding all of the memories of every generation past. All the good and the bad. Little things such as a memory of the beach or of snow, to the hardest and biggest memories such as war, starvation, and love. Jonas was selected for this position. Everyday Jonas goes to the "Giver", an old man who was the previous receiver. They become very close as they share pain and beauty that no one else in the community will every truly understand because of the "sameness" they have been subjected to.
As Jonas experiences more and more, he cannot continue life as he has been living everyday. He attempts to share some of his discoveries with his friends and family. But finally, he must make a hard decision in an attempt to better the community.
This classic was probably one of my favorite books. It really put our differences and freedom to live the way we do in perspective. I really enjoyed the character development of Jonas and watching him learn to develop his own thoughts and long to make independent choices for himself. I think the overall premise of this book was a bit confusing in the beginning but the descriptions are really good and I soon was able to grasp what the idea of the setting etc were. The ending of this book is a cliffhanger but at the same time leaves the reader feeling satisfied. I can't wait to check out the next book in this series. I would definitely recommend The Giver to anyone looking for an adventure story which will also get you thinking.
*If you're interested, I got this book from Mr. Mitchell's mini library*
Great review! I read The Giver a few years ago and also really enjoyed it. I’ve only read two books by Lois Lowry (The Giver and Number the Stars) but I enjoyed both. I had forgotten about The Giver until now, but I’ll probably read the rest of the series if I get a chance to. Your review covered all the rules of Jonas’s society really well and didn’t spoil any of the book. I would definitely agree with your description of the ending; it’s one of the reasons I liked the book.
ReplyDeleteThis is a wonderful review! Your descriptions of the society Jonas lives in was thorough and detailed; it was easy to follow along and understand the different rules that run this society. I liked how you did not spoil the any of the book. Overall, great job!
ReplyDeleteGood review! I actually read The Giver a few years ago, but don't remember all the details about it. Your summary was detailed enough that it helped me remember some details of the story! I like how you said that the book puts our freedom in perspective, because that seems like a main theme that the book is sharing. I can also relate to how you said that the beginning of the book was confusing, since I also had that problem. Overall, I think you discussed The Giver in a very thoughtful and detailed way. Great job!
ReplyDeleteGreat review! Even though I have heard of this book numerous times, I have never actually read it. Your summary and description of this summary hooked me immediately; I will definitely check this book out in the future. Also, thank you for not spoiling anything! Overall, wonderful review!
ReplyDeleteI read The Giver for middle school, and I really enjoyed it. Your detailed summary helped me remember the context while also not giving too much away. I agree that Jonas's character development is a really good part of the book, and that the ending is good. Great review!
ReplyDeleteI remember the first time I read The Giver and being absolutely enthralled. I also seem to remember getting it taken away because I was reading it during class (talk about growing up being a nerd.) Then watching the movie was a horrible experience and I was so done with it, but then I read your review and I was reminded of the good memories I had reading the book. Thanks for the nostalgia and happiness, I needed a little bit of that right now.
ReplyDeleteYou did a great job at explaining the premise of the story and the setting in depth, and you avoided spoilers! Impressive! Ever since I read it in 6th grade, The Giver has had a special place in my heart, so I'm glad that you enjoyed it as well. Keep up the good work!
ReplyDeleteGreat review! You gave a really thorough intro to the book. I had to read the Giver for an English class, so I had trouble liking it, but maybe now I'll try it again. I hope you'll follow up with your thoughts on the next books because I remember being kind of confused at the ending of the series. Good job!
ReplyDeleteI'm reading the next book in the series now! ;) It doesn't really have anything to do with The Giver thus far though...
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