The Giver

The Giver is a dystopian novel by Lois Lowry. It follows a boy named Jonas in his town, or Community. The Community has roles set out for each of its members and every adult has a job, chosen by the Elders, who are kind of like the city council. For kids, they receive special gifts and privileges at each age. For example, when you turn nine you get your bike. The Community does not use cars. Instead, everyone uses bicycles. At twelve, every child gets chosen for a job. They begin their training and later become full adults. In the Community, everyone ages at the same time, at the Ceremonies in December. They also have no seasons or color. Everyone is taught to be the same and use language precision, using the exact words to speak.

Jonas is an Eleven, which means that the last ceremony he attended was the Ceremony of Eleven. The next ceremony is the Ceremony of Twelve, where he will receive his job and start training. But somehow at the Ceremony, Jonas is skipped and does not receive an assignment. Everyone thinks that the announcer has made a mistake, but it turns out that she has not. Jonas has been chosen for a special assignment: The Receiver of Memories. The Receiver is a very important job in the Community. He/she holds the memories of the entire world. They can also see color and hear music. Jonas already holds a special power: The Ability to See Beyond. He can already see the color red. Jonas notices this in an apple, as well as in his friend's hair.

As Jonas begins his training, the current Receiver of Memories starts with happier memories, such as sledding down a hill and a birthday. (He also tells Jonas to call him The Giver) But later he shows how the humans fought with each other, and how the Community's thought of being equal made peace in the world. In the middle of the book, Jonas begins to wonder what happens when people are released from the Community. This happens when babies are sick or when an elderly person comes of age. His father was going to release a baby that day, and he was curious of what what happens. The Giver and Jonas watch from a security camera, and Jonas discovers a secret wrapped in layers of lies by the Elders...

The Giver is a wonderful book. I think the Community structure is great, as well as the world building. The plot is great and is just the right pace. The character development for Jonas is good as well. I can see how he changes throughout the book and how his perspective of the Community changes. The one thing I wish I knew was what happens to Jonas. I did some research and found that there are three more books in the series. They are definitely on my reading list and I hope I can share them with you too!

Until next time!

-Destinie