The Giver
by Lois Lowry
Published: April 26, 1993
Genres: Dystopian, Young Adult
Format: Hardcover (192 pages)
Source: Purchased
Jonas's world is perfect. Everything is under control. There is no war or fear or pain. There are no choices. Every person is assigned a role in the Community. When Jonas turns twelve, 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.
The Giver was moving, beautiful, and deep. The world reminded me a lot of Matched by Ally Condie. I’m glad I read it as an adult. It might have gone over my head if I’d read it in middle school. It was pretty deep and serious stuff. I’m still thinking about it. To be honest, I’m trying to figure out what happened at the end. It had a very high-brow literary feel to it, but it wasn’t hard to read. Good literature has three things: first, excellent writing, second, lots and lots of feelings, and third, a nice, ambiguous ending. The Giver has all of this and more. As ambiguous as the ending was, it was still beautiful and I walked away from the book having a better appreciation for life in general.
Content Rating: Mild, there are a few scenes that might be disturbing to younger people.
About Lois Lowry
Lois Lowry is known for her versatility and invention as a writer. She was born in Hawaii and grew up in New York, Pennsylvania, and Japan. After several years at Brown University, she turned to her family and to writing. She is the author of more than thirty books for young adults, including the popular Anastasia Krupnik series. She has received countless honors, among them the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, the Dorothy Canfield Fisher Award, the California Young Reader.s Medal, and the Mark Twain Award. She received Newbery Medals for two of her novels, NUMBER THE STARS and THE GIVER. Her first novel, A SUMMER TO DIE, was awarded the International Reading Association.s Children.s Book Award. Ms. Lowry now divides her time between Cambridge and an 1840s farmhouse in Maine.
My name is Jessica. I love to read Young Adult and classic literature. I’ve been a book blogger for six years and I haven’t gotten tired of it yet. I’m a very curious reader. Writing about all the questions and thoughts I had while reading a book is the best hobby ever.
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