The book The Giver, by Lois Lowry, is about Jonas, a young boy living in an ultra strict society with lots of rules, restrictions, and no conflict.
Each year for the first 12 years of life, the community has a ceremony where children gain new rights. At age 7, they receive a jacket with buttons on the front. At age 9, they receive bicycles, and at age 12, they receive their jobs. This is a huge deal for the children, because their job is chosen for them.
Jonas is assigned a unique job with a man called, “The Giver.” As he learns what his job entails, he discovers fascinating and horrible things. Then one day, he learns something that will forever change him. “Jonas felt sensation inside himself, the feeling of terrible pain clawing its way forward to emerge in a cry.” After this event, he decides that a change must occur in the community.
I thought this was an excellent book. From the beginning, I had lots of questions about things that I didn’t understand in the book, but eventually most of them were answered by the end.
This book really got me to think. I started to compare our society to theirs. It was a really interesting story line with intriguing characters. The word choice that the author used helped me to really visualize what was happening in the book. I wish that there were more chapters at the end of the book. I’m still trying to determine what the ending means, and I wish that it had gone on. Overall though, I think this is a great book and a must read for everyone.