"The Giver" by Lois Lowry
Spoilers!!!!!
"The Giver" by Lois Lowry has a dystopian setting, where everyone is the same, everyone has their jobs and tasks assigned to them, so they have no option to make their own choices. Society goes very far into wanting this sameness among their community. They dislike the color red due to its flashiness so they go through as much precaution as possible to make sure a child is not born with red hair.
The main character is a boy called Jonas, he just turned 12 so he will be assigned his job. During the job announcements, Jonas is given an extremely rare job known as the giver. The giver is a person who will be gifted the memories of past lives. Lives that were before the sameness. Jonas' positon as the giver currently is to receive memories from the previous giver.
Jonas goes to the givers' chamber and sits on the bed, where the giver places his hands on Jonas' back and transmits a memory into Jonas' brain. Jonas is shocked by this and wants to tell everyone however he can't as it is against the strict rule society has placed. Jonas has to go receive memories every day for months, and these memories can be joyous such as holidays like Christmas, or dreadful feelings like war.
Jonas sees how his friends and family act differently with his new memories, he sees the games they play and the jobs they work the way they truly are meant to be. One example is when he sees his friends playing a war game, where they are soldiers and fight, Jonas wants to tell them what they are doing is wrong but he can't. Jonas finally decides he is done living in this community and wants to escape after he sees that his father euthanized a baby with no remorse or thought behind his actions.
He needs to escape this place. Jonas and the giver devise a plan for him to escape this town. He must escape by climbing the walls in the dead of midnight without getting caught. Then he will have to survive in the wilderness walking until he finds another, different community. Before Jonas eventually does escape he takes a three year old child with him. Jonas will bring this child along to keep him safe from the community and pass his memories along.
I loved this book. I found it quite enjoyable seeing how Jonas reacted to the memories he was given, and how he had to keep it a secret from the rest of his community. I like very few books, and this is one more to add to my collection of good books. I would recommend this to anyone who likes dystopian books like, 1984, animal farm, or Fahrenheit 451.
Johnathon Spencer
Hi Johnathon, I loved reading your summary and review of The Giver. I read The Giver when I was in sixth grade and I liked it, so it was pretty satisfying seeing another opinion about it. The Giver is the first entry in a four-book series, but I haven't read any of the other books. I'm curious if you're gonna read the next three books though. Great job!
ReplyDeleteNice post, Jonny! A long time ago, I read Number the Stars, Lowry's first book. The story follows a girl trying to help her Jewish friend during the Holocaust. I didn't know Lowry has written dystopias but it was clear when I read her book that se was a budding author with a lot of potential. I'll have to give this one a try.
ReplyDeleteHi, nice post. This book seems really interesting, and I liked your summary. I've heard of the book before, but I never knew what it was about. I think that it poses interesting questions. Good job.
ReplyDeleteI read the giver a couple years ago, and I remember liking it but I don't remember much else. This blog post is a good refresher on what happens in the story! I especially liked how you included Jonas's escape plan and a brief account of his journey to the other village.
ReplyDeleteHello! I'm not sure I've actually read The Giver, but I have read some of Lowry's other works. The plot sounds really interesting, as I love dystopias, and I might just put it on my reading list!
ReplyDeleteMaking sure new borns don't have red hair is kind of crazy. I like how this book is kind of showing the theme of being unique is good and that if everyone was the same life would be boring. The part with Jonas becoming the giver is a great plot idea. It's kind of like Akata Witch in the way that Jonas can't tell anyone about the stuff he's learning. I will keep this book in mind and thanks for the recommendation!
ReplyDeleteI've read The Giver multiple times, and I don't even remember the part about not wanting to have red hair. Where is that bit? Maybe I blocked it out as a trauma response
ReplyDeleteI've read this book before and I think you sum it up really well. I don't remember the thing about the red hair though, maybe I'll have to read it again.
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