The Giver (Giver Quartet)

Could I recommend this book? Perhaps, just because it was based on an interesting premiss and will give you something to think about. I liked the way Lois Lowry's imagination set up this total society where everyone was the same, having shed their personal differences in preference for a safe, pain free life. I just wish she had delved a little more on just how this whole society came to be this way, what happened, or didn't happen to make them so complacent and accepting of their fate. I loved the awakening, the choosing to choose. The realization that having no choices is not really living. Read it and then appreciate all the choices you make hundreds of times a day and how your life would be different if you couldn't do so. Easy read, something to think about but somewhat shallow on development.

Why this book is pigeonholed as Children's Literature is a mystery to me, perhaps merely because the protagonist is a twelve-year old, perhaps owing to the author's past works--I'm just glad to have found it. "The Giver" treats the most profound issues in a manner that speaks of deep understanding; the book will ring you like a bell, the ideas resonate and can not be forgotten. For this reason I call this the rarest of books; once read it will immediately and forever be a part of the reader--in a sense, our author becomes her own creation, she becomes the Giver of memory and her reader a Receiver.

It is a spare presentation of a dystopic future world where the "problems" of humanity have all been neatly resolved; everyone is polite, happy with their job, unthreatened by pain, sickness, conflict and even death. Though it becomes quickly evident that what the author really gives us is a rather convincing rationalization for the fact that evil, pain and suffering are necessary. Foes of religious belief often claim that the idea of pain and suffering is inconsistent with a loving God; but, even for the secular among us, Ms. Lowry shows how suffering and joy are linked. "The Giver" argues that granting unlimited license to those who would sacrifice individual choice in their attempts to achieve relief from war, famine and economic inequality could very well eliminate that which makes life worth living. "The Giver" says much about the danger of placing the interests of the community above the interests of individuals.

To say much about the story risks spoiling the slow exposition of the underlying flaws in the utopia, which was exceptionally well paced. At first the "community" seems vaguely creepy, by the end of the book it is horrifying. "The Giver" is a novel of ideas that begs to be discussed and argued over as the part of any moral education. It is powerful beyond my ability to express and like any truth, it offers something of value to any reader at any level.

Highest Recommendation.

The Giver by Lois Lowry was written for adolescents. Nevertheless, it leaves unanswered many serious questions: Was this imagined totalitalian village one of a kind? It envisions a village where the population accepts total mind control. Their lives are about as interesting as those of cows in a CAFO. Who were the string-pullers? Who gained by the experiment? The protagonist finally reaches freedom by escaping from his totally controlled environment with another child who also has the ability of question.. Whether they escaped to death or a more normal civilization is left open. For an adult it was a brief waste of time.

I have read the entire quartet. I loved the Giver. You get hooked early on, and it's a very fast read. Jonas was believable and easy to relate to. Gathering Blue was the second book, and I really loved Kira. The Messenger was good because it tied back in book one and book two. Jonas and Gabe re-surface. We know they are safe and we get a glimpse of their futures. We get to know Kira's Dad who we thought was dead most of book 2, and we got to know Kira's friend who in many ways became her brother. But book 4, The Son was my favorite so far of the books. It brought closure and had a lot of spiritual significance. I believe there is room for more, though, and hope the author agrees. There are other characters I would like to see flushed out, and I'd like to read more about Chloe, and Gabe. I would love to see Chloe and Einar reunited!

Outstanding book! What a concept, this world of Sameness. No hills, no sunshine, no rain, no snow.. No love, or other emotions we experience on a daily basis. A woman and man are paired together, they get each one boy and one girl.. job assignments.. Another big one is NO color..

What happens if you should get "released"? Lots of questions will be answered in this book.

When you are a "twelve" you get your job assignments. Jonas is so excited, but at the ceremony he is passed over. At first he is embarrassed but then he gets the greatest honor of all. To be a "receiver". Jonas has no clue what that is about, but what it is is, the "receiver" gets all the memories, good and bad and keeps them so that if the community has a question, they can go to the receiver and see if their idea is a good or bad one, because they know everything about why they made the rules the way they are, because of pain, hurt etc.

I hope I can explain it half as good as the book does. LOVED this story. I won't say any more, but if you haven't read this book YET, order it RIGHT now! You won't want to put it down! I recommend this book to everyone!

The Village constitutes a totally controlled society where people's lives have been stripped of every possible kind of experience -- the lack of sexual feeling, strong emotions, color, and music, are stressed, yet remain placid because they are provided the basic physical amenities. Control is exercised over children with punishment sticks whenever they break any rule. Repeated transgressions can lead to being "released", which children are led to believe means being sent away from the village. Anyone who has read this book will understand the goals of a totalitarian society to control every aspect of their people's "lives". I feel that even people robbed of memory and culture would still feel more need for self-expression and individuality than permitted, and not be so docile. I half-expected to learn that they were simply being raised as fodder for some alien race, so empty were their lives. I found nothing to praise about their lives, and hoped for a more general revolution.

While the book is unexpectedly creepy, it has value as an extreme working out of the absurdity of the desire for a society where all people are the same. I believe it would be very disturbing, especially the ambiguous ending, for children.

I bought this book after hearing the author interviewed on NPR. I think I had read some of her books as a girl. And every now and then I will read a YA novel.
I read it in one afternoon-- I'd have gotten through it sooner, but had to look up and around the room and cry from time to time. I'll never see the color red in the same way again-- now it's something precious, a gift.
This book is far more than a dystopia for kids, or a simple allegory. Some of the ideas in the book-- the notion of group memory, the questioning of the "greater good"-- are very sophisticated and presented with great subtlety and art. But the power of the book lies in its story. The book takes us on a journey through a world that seems idyllic at first, and it is only gradually, and terribly, that we, with the main character, discover the sadness, the real horror, at the heart of the society. And perhaps the true horror is that the awfulness is not even understood by the people. There is no malice in this world. There is just absence-- absence of memory, absence of attachment, absence of all the complicated feelings that can lead us to love and grace.
As he accepts the responsibility to become the receptacle of society's memories, the main character learns how his society really works-- how it eschews, even destroys, those who don't contribute, how it abhors individuality, how it ultimately rejects the idea of love. And he begins to see in color.
This is all discovered through the eyes of a child, and told very simply. The final escape is much debated-- did he die, or find a better place? I firmly believe that he found a better place, but in the end it doesn't matter. What does matter is that once again a human being has discovered what it means to be human.
This book truly deserves its awards and should be read not just by teachers and students, but by anybody who enjoys a good story. Thornton Wilder has the Narrator say in his wonderful play OUR TOWN, to Emily's question, "does anybody realize life while they're living it, every, every minute?" "Poets and artists, they do some." After reading THE GIVER, you'll be inspired to remember to do that too. Life is precious, and its memories, even its painful ones, are an incredible gift.

I was a little disappointed with the book after seeing the movie trailer. I thought it would have been different but it was not a bad book, I actually liked it. I am going to assume that there were a lot of hints toward religion or the belief of it in here. I am not a religious person so I may have seen it a different way than was to lead to believe. I think the ending could have been one of two things, death or life, either way I am not sure. It does make a lot of sense in the story about how people like to ignore the bad things around them, even when it is in their face. I think the bravery for what he did speaks volumes. I am happy that he stood up for what he believed but I wish he could have done it without running. To make the people see the truth would have been so much better.

"The Giver" is the first book in a trilogy, although I understand the story doesn't really continue for the main character Jonas. This is a young adult book, and I can see why many teachers enjoy using this to spark discussion. It is short and easy to read, although it is filled with a lot of controversial topics that would be a wonderful source of discussion.

As the book unfolds, you slowly learn about a utopian society, but you start to realize they've paid a high price for "sameness". I find this somewhat similar to what Americans are doing for a sense of safety from terrorists and evil in general. Americans are willingly giving up many liberties for an assurance (or similitude of one) that they won't be attacked.

The geek inside of me struggled with some of the concepts in the book regarding memories and technology. This colored my review a little, but I still think this is a great book for middle-school aged kids to read and more importantly discuss with parents and/or their teacher and class.

The Giver is another dystopian novel. I, for one, never tire of reading the message set forth in these novels. With its seemingly utopian setting, the reader soon realizes these societies can never truly exist. Using twelve-year-old, Jonas, as her protagonist, Lois Lowry presents a strong case emphasizing all that we lose when striving for “Sameness”. Jonas is selected to be the Receiver of Memory and must be trained by the current Receiver to acquire all the memories from generations past. Except for Jonas, The Giver’s community is void of all color and its members of choices, individuality and all but basic emotions. All other only have one generation of memories, rendering them incapable of decision making.
Lowry uses both dramatic and subtle images to deliver the many layers of her messages, differences need to be celebrated, we must think for ourselves and love is what matters in the end. She opens the door for the reader to delve into the subject and truly think and question what it all means. The Giver’s community is “Sameness,” yet when identical twins are born, the smaller of the two is “released”. There is no color, but they have flowers beds. She specifically mentions geraniums, an annual that has the sole purpose of providing color. When Jonas is given the memory of an elephant being slaughtered for its tusk, he is given the memory of another elephant grieving the death. Yet, no human grieves another’s death in The Giver. I’ve thought a great deal and am still wondering about the significance of this. Is Lowry implying that animals have more highly developed innate emotions than humans? The book is filled with so many of these terrifically thought provoking views. The Giver is a book that can be read and read and read again. Each time, the reader will be presented with a new view of what perfection truly is.

This review will not reiterate the plot of the book. There are many others posted that do that very well. In passing, though, the book was very reminiscent of a movie closer to my generation, called Logan's Run. My grandson recently turned 13, and we took him out for ice cream on his birthday. We asked him how his school work was going because for the past several years he has had many problems. Among other things, he bores easily, doesn't connect with the learning process, and some subjects just come hard for him, all led to his being held back a year.

To my surprise, he proceeded to describe The Giver to me, verbalizing the story in such a way, and without giving away the crucial parts, that I was intrigued enough to read it myself. It was also apparent from his telling that he has made a connection to reading, thought about the implications of the story, and actually wants to read more books. Even though I am 61, the book is written so that it captured my attention as well as my grandson's. My husband will be reading it next.

The author's treatment of serious subjects, such as sexuality, suicide, and social order, in my opinion, were not in the least way inappropriate or offensive for a teenager. These are, at least so far, still aspects of life that should not be repressed in literature. I highly recommend this book and am giving it to my other two teenaged grandchildren to read.

...where everyone is taken care of. Infants are never neglected, are always well fed, and are always raised by parents who want them. Old people are never neglected, not just taken care of but entertained and comforted in every way possible. People thrive in workplaces that they are well suited for, and no one is "better" than anyone else, all are healthy and thrive. Well, unless you don't "fit in"...

This book really roped me in. It's easy to read and the characters make you want to root for them. It's hard to put down. I have just one complaint.

WAY TOO EXPENSIVE. It should be a Kindle single. It only takes 3 hours or so to read in entirety. So then you download the second of the quartet (which is a whole different sort of reality, but characters are just as wonderful and the tale just as compelling) and that's another $7.51 or something. The last of the quartet is almost $10 because it's new. All four of them together can easily be read in a week even for slower readers, and it costs about $35.00.

So I'm a little upset because I started 2 days ago with the first book and am 77% through the second already and really shouldn't spend so much money to finish the series, which I will surely do anyway within the next few days. I might suggest to others using Kindle that maybe they should wait until the whole quartet is available together at a reduced rate, because you will want the whole quartet anyway.

The Giver book does make you think about what could have have happen if Happynes and Love and Others your taken way from you and no color and no music. The end Of the book does kind end in a sim Clif hanger. Not a bad ending and and Great of a one either. But the Frist time I read it in 1996 I reimber in reading in class and we had to make our own ending to it. It was kind of fun then,but that was not the real ending. I just reread the giver again in 2014 But now there are other books that do contact to this story and the others in this Series now. some small cues you have to look for But it seems must wll be answered in the Last book of this series. So Read Gathing Bule, Messger and the Son. be Paintant with this books the do get more execiting as the go on. I didn't read the gift edition just the normal one. . Please keep in mind it is a story about Good and evil does. But not for very young kids. Middle School and up.

The Giver book does make you think about what could have have happen if Happynes and Love and Others your taken way from you and no color and no music. The end Of the book does kind end in a sim Clif hanger. Not a bad ending and and Great of a one either. But the Frist time I read it in 1996 I reimber in reading in class and we had to make our own ending to it. It was kind of fun then,but that was not the real ending. I just reread the giver again in 2014 But now there are other books that do contact to this story and the others in this Series now. some small cues you have to look for But it seems must wll be answered in the Last book of this series. So Read Gathing Bule, Messger and the Son. be Paintant with this books the do get more execiting as the go on. I didn't read the gift edition just the normal one. . Please keep in mind it is a story about Good and evil does. But not for very young kids. Middle School and up.

My granddaughter had to read this book for a summer AP project and I wanted to know what she was reading after she started telling us about the book--it seemed like a strange book for a 12 year old to read. I read it and discovered that was about the choices that are made in a world where everything is the same. I begin to think about our world where now everything has a political correctness--where no one wants to take responsibility for their actions or words. If your children are required to read a book to do a project on, I suggest that the parent or grandparents do the same to see what they are reading. I did like the book and started on the second one. My granddaughter said she thought it was boring but she was only half way through with it.

The Giver presents the reader to a dystopian society that has forayed the people's right to CHOICE in an odious fashion; but nonetheless, it can at times be furtively appealing in an hypnotic way. To analyze this society initially it is quite inscrutable to identify how a people could so ardently support such an articulated "guidance." While this book is merely fiction, it indeed sheds light on an ideology that either is intrinsically intelligent, or it is quite eloquently repugnant to the nebulous of human desire, freedom to endeavor. Being a Constitutionalist I prefer the latter rather than the former. To have one's perspective sculpted and wrought by a fashion of governmental control by means of familial degradation and division from a biological existence, sexual drive altered by compulsory pharmaceuticals, intricate scheduling of one's day, standards and virtues that are ubiquitous, one all encompassing day of "birth", population control, genetic manipulation, and procuring children and spouses by application and approval only, is quite destitute of any CHOICE. Is this inane? Is this madness? Or, if freedom was not known in the context that of which is lain before us in the U.S. Constitution-which both Republicrats and Demopublicans are obscuring-would this dystopia be so divisive? The society in this book is something one could indeed marvel by pretext to the actual context due to the lack of tyrannical behavior. We must not be disillusioned. We must not allow the propagators' evidence and statistical datum to dissuade us from having the penchant to pursue freedom as a virtue over security. For such a society in essence, no matter success, does indeed revoke the core and foundations of an inalienable right that our predecessors have fought eons for-FREEDOM! Articulating political structure is arduous and elicits much dissension along the way; however, do not let that make one despondent or draw forth consternation or political apathy. For if political structure, by and for the people, becomes a derelict, then for our children FREEDOM will be merely a vestige. Or, perhaps a more formidable coin, an antiquated myth.

Lowry has definitely deserved to be upon the list of writer's that has hit a symphonic political note. While not as fecundated as George Orwell's (Eric Blair) writing, she has a latent exhortation for us, or at least for me. The book also has a rendition upon perspective of reality and that will certainly shift the tides of what constitutes this book's yield. I would suggest everyone to read this book, along with other dystopian and utopian classics. Each of those titles have their own way of exorcising the demons from both forms of society.

The end did irritate me slightly, I wanted a more pronounced and clarified ending. Nonetheless, following with the book's thesis, THE MATTER OF CHOICE, Lowry leaves it to the reader to bestow your interpretation; which is elating for some and exacerbating for others. My ending was grim which was evoked by random forethought rather than by intention.

Great series, and all four books can be read independently. Even so, Ms. Lowry does a great job closing out the series with "Son." These are written in such a thought-provoking way, so even after finishing the books you are left with questions that are good to ponder. Unlike some books that answer every single detail, these leave you to wonder -- but in a good way. Highly recommend them!

And if you watched the movie "The Giver" before you've read any of these, PLEASE do not reject the book because of the movie. The movie is a joke. Not a funny one, either. Could have been done so much better...but I digress.

Read the series. It is amazing.

This series is not what I expected. All 4 stories intertwine. The first and last very closely. These are stories of a fictional future that is devoid of any and all emotions. People are produced like vegetables or fruit. Crime, violence, hate, cruelty are nonexistent. As are love, joy, excitement, and passion. Humans are so empty, they only see in black and white. Until they don't...... Jonas is a brave child of only 12, who realizes how humans used to live. To save his life, he takes imperfect 1 year old Gabriel, straps him in the baby seat on his father's bike, and rides into the unknown. For he has begun to see colors, and feels love for the wee boy. These stories are full of hope, faith, love, and also sacrifice and loss. They filled me with joy. Everyone please read. When you finish, your heart will overflow.

I saw the movie, with Jeff Bridges and Meryl Streep based on this book. I have not read the book as I am not much of a '"book reader", that's why they make movies, I say. However, I bought the book for my daughter who is a book lover and she has been reading it since the holidays. Not that she takes long to read is that she gets involve in reading a series of books one after the one and she was already into another book when I gave her this one. Waiting for her to finish reading to watch movie together. which I thought was good in itself, with great acting from all, but mostly Jeff Bridges and Meryl Streep, but then again what else can you expect from them, right?

We purchased this book set online on the store for $18. The price was amazing! All books were hard cover and the set was very beautiful. Comparing this to The Giver single book, it's $8, which is almost half the price of 4 books for just 1 single book. Outstanding! Furthermore, the story is very exciting and unpredictable. It keeps me up reading this all night! I defiantly recommend this for anyone who wants The Giver series for a reasonable price!

Although I enjoyed the book, I had higher hopes for it.

I have read Lowry before, and as always, the writing is excellent. For this reason, I give it a 3.5. The reason I don't rate it higher, is because...well...it didn't really pull me in emotionally, as a reader. I wasn't drawn back to it and found that I had to push myself to continue reading, because I never got to the point where I really cared about the characters.

Without giving any spoilers, I realize that this may be because of the rather emotionless setting, so I plan on reading the next book in the series.

I will admit that this book is strange, disturbing and sad. I have no children, so I cannot say I recommend this for under 13 readers. Though I guess I would say to parents of under 13 to read before letting your kids read.

That being said, this was a fantastic book with an ending that left me very moved. Things that I didn't realize till half way through the book is that the utopian community can only see everything in black and white. Like an old black and white TV sitcom. There is no concept of color, only The Giver can see color. When the Reciever of Memories is chosen to be the next reciever, he begins to see colors that no one else can see. He begins to learn the truth about life that everyone is oblivious to. I don't want to say too much because I don't want to give anything away. For example, take Adam and Eve....when Eve bites into the forbidden fruit, she knows all knowledge and everything is different. The new reciever, inherits all memories of war, faminie, pain, suffering and what it means to love because 'love' is obsolete in the community. It really is a beautifully written, somewhat tragic story about the burden of knowledge. I read this book in one day.

Fabulous book! My 13 year old has not been reading the last two years and it has frustrated me as a parent as he used to be a great reader and has been uninterested in anything despite my attempts to present him with tons of options/subjects. He would not read this book when I first bought it. His english teacher assigned it as homework to read daily and discussed it in class. Once he started reading it for homework, after a few days, he did not stop reading until he finish the book!

The Giver is an award winning book that is required reading for public school English classes in many states. I enjoyed the book until it was explained what would happen to the citizens if the Receiver left the community, at which point it became kind of a forced fantasy. The carefully worked out logic of the story's basis fell apart and a vague and mystical "poetic" ending didn't pull it back together. Not for me anyway.
In spite of that I recommend that everyone should read the book because what do I know? I've never won any awards for writing. Besides, poetic endings have a way of being interpreted differently by different people. You might think it's the most profound story ever written.

My 6th Grade daughter asked me to read this because they were reading it in school and she wanted to see the movie with me.
I was expecting a kids book but found it to be very much more. The direction the book goes is very thought provoking.
If you think as you read you can very easily call to mind a scale, place where we were a hundred years ago, were we are now and where the world in the book is and begin to put aside the idea that we could never get to that point. The book makes it easy to see that we have moved in this direction over time and how we could move more in this direction.
I think this book would be great to read with a group of friends and have discussions along the way.
Recommend reading with your brain engaged not as a relaxing read.

A classic book that everyone should read at least once. A good book for kid to read as well as to help they understand the way the world really is and that there are inherent truths to reality. I would also say that this book is pretty relevant in today's world and would want people to think about some of the ideas that are in it.

- - Personal Background - -
Back in Middle School (Jr. High), my English Teacher told me to read this book. I didn't. Years later, I'm a Computer Teacher and our school requires us to have a time for reading, too. My class read "Anthem" by Ayn Rand. That book reminded me of this one. So, I bought it and read it for my self.

- - The Book - -
It is obscurely apparent that this is a post apocalyptic Utopia. Good story all the way through...

- - The Ending - -
At first, I thought that there may be an error. Nope. Sequel to the cliffhanger? Not that either. According to the author, the ending is up to us... I bought the book because I wanted entertainment... because I don't have the discipline to write one myself. Think of it like the "Soprano" grand finale. Intentionally left blank.

- - Final Thoughts - -
Before I tell you whether you should read it or not, let me explain it as follows

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My English class is reading this book right now but, I wanted to read it for myself so I got it for my Kindle Touch. It was a bit pricey but it was totally worth it!!! This book makes you think and almost made me cry at the end. The end is a bit of a confusion though. But, this is an amazing science fiction/fantasy book and I really loved it. You should really get this book. I reccommend this to everyone. This book has love, feelings, and emotion as the main character, Jonas goes on a journey to give his people the feelings he feels and wants to give them, and to change something. You really should get this book! I'm 12 and I'm reading this stuff and it's great! But, I think some people exaggerate too much on the fact that there's some sexual content in there, as for me: I don't care. And it's just what we call a 'wet dream'. Calm down people, it's really not that big of a deal. (My only question: Does Jonas die or does he get to Elsewhere???) Again, LOVE THIS BOOK! Fans of Lois Lowry, like me, were BORN to read this!!!!

The Giver is much like other futuristic Utopian society novels. In fact, there are some parallels to 1984. What 1984 lacks (more love, more positive emotion), however, The Giver more than possesses. In a way, I suppose this could be 1984 from a child's myopic perspective.

Jonas is a young boy who can't wait for his next birthday, the day he gets to find out about his future occupation. All children are told what they will do for their occupation. It's a society in which there are nearly no choices, no fear, no love, no feelings. Along with that, unfortunately, is the fact that other simple pleasures and common knowledge is lost on the majority of society. It will be Jonas' job to remember everything that the others do not have to remember, that which they can't even comprehend.

The book reads quickly with very few lulls. It's definitely a "can't put down" book. In the end the reader is allowed to make a choice, to decide how the purposefully ambiguous ending is supposed to conclude. It is up to each reader to determine whether or not the tale is sad and gloomy, or happy and optimistic.

The Giver is a wonderful story for nearly all ages.

Description
Jonas, a twelve-year-old boy living in a Utopian society where memories, fear, pain, envy, and hate have been removed and life is dictated by a committee of elders. Jonas is selected to be the receiver of the community and bear the burden of society’s memories. The burden of receiving opens his eyes to the misguided ways of his society.

Analysis
Lowry’s book, the Giver deals with race, gender, sexuality, age, religion, and class. An idea of sameness within the utopian society was attained through the loss of being able to see color. The colorless society provides homogeneity, there is no sense of ethnicity, race or difference. The society did not stop at color, gender, age, religion and class were extracted as well. Gender was deemphasized because sex, love and emotions were removed. Age represents stages of life, coming to age and roles assigned within the society. The young and old are released, which is death, but there is no memory or sense of death or love, so being released is completed as just another task. Religion does not exist in order to maintain harmony. Class is not dictated by wealth, clothing or belongings. Instead, power still exists but only in a select few like Jonas’s mom and the elders; That power is hinged upon enforcing the rules.
The first turning point in the story where Jonas starts to question the legitimacy of the society is upon learning and feeling what love and family really are. This passage from The Giver is right after Jonas received a memory of family, Jonas discusses his feelings and thoughts, “But anyway, I was thinking, I mean feeling, actually, that it was kind of nice, then. And that I wish we could be that way, and that you could be my grandparent.” (Lowy, pg. 125) Jonas is seeing and feeling that there were wonderful ways of existing before the community and he is struggling with justifying the current way of doing things. Jonas goes on further to explain, “The family in the memory seemed a little more—He faltered, not able to find the word he wanted. A little more complete, the Giver suggested. I liked the feeling of love, he confessed.” (Lowry, pg. 126)
The knowledge and experience that Lowry brings to the text is constructing a dystopian society that has removed all the bad. Yet, in order to remove all the bad, most of the good had to be removed as well. Upon creating this wonderful society, the experience of being human was lost. For being human means to have and experience emotions. The very highs mean nothing without the very lows.

Sociological
The Giver challenges the idea of how our individual and collective memories shape who we are today and how they influence our future. The history and actions of others teach us how to be better human beings moving forward. In the Giver we see what happens when all the memories are taken away. The society does not end up eliminating the evil or the bad from the society. Instead, they use precise language, obey curfew, wear the same clothing, take medication and never lie. The bad has been given other names and hidden from society through routine daily jobs. Without the memories and associated emotions the people within the society do not fully understand anything.

This the store Kindle book is a thinly veiled religious tale about the coming of Christ and his entrance into larger society. I found that it was tedious and not highly imaginative in that the "rules" of people living in this existence were simple and one sided. And as quasi science fiction it lacked developed characters and an intelligent re-imagining of the alleged birth. I would have preferred to see what Isaac Asimov might have done with a similar theme. Personally, I will probably not bother to see the movie version as often so much of a book is lost to formatting and reinterpretation into a movie. It seems as if the author has plans for sequels this being Book 1!

Lois Lowry brings important questions about humanity and society to the forefront in The Giver. The Giver follows Jonas, a young boy living in a utopian society that has eliminated all aspects of individuality within the community in order to achieve Sameness. In Jonas’s community, everyone and everything is standardized and memories are nonexistent as they are thought to be the source of pain and grief – which the text suggests are not feelings people experience in an idealistic word. By eliminating all memories the individuals within the community are no longer burdened with all of the negative feelings they are associated with.
As a Newbery Medal winner, The Giver undoubtedly made some important contributions to American literature. The Giver is essentially a critique of idealistic utopian societies, presenting readers with a transparent viewpoint of life in a “perfect” society through the eyes of Jonas. The well-developed plot, delineation of character and setting in conjunction with the complex themes and questions concerning memories and the difference between being alike and being equal in The Giver together suggest this utopian society is not as ideal as it may sound. The Giver described to Jonas, “Our people made that choice, the choice to go to Sameness. Before my time, before the previous time, back and back and back. We relinquished color when we relinquished sunshine and did away with difference. We gained control of many things. But we had to let go of others” (p. 95). This quotation reflects the view from an outside perspective of the dysfunctional aspects within the “perfect” community, as the individuals within the community cannot see that their lives are dull, colorless, meaningless, and uninteresting because they do not have the ability to think for themselves. As the Giver explains to Jonas, the ability to experience happiness and live colorful interesting, diverse lives was sacrificed to avoid feeling pain and grief. While everyone in the community lives peacefully, their lives have become meaningless because they have no individuality and each individual’s experiences are almost identical to everyone else in the community. In other words, all personal freedom is sacrificed in order to promote peace.
In fact, it becomes clear that this “utopian society” in which everyone is living peacefully among each other and everything is standardized is actually the opposite of perfect. The community is actually a dystopian society, in which no one ever learns from mistakes because they have no memories and no one ever experiences happiness or develops independent characteristics. Through the eyes of Jonas, readers are able to see that peace and harmony does not exactly equate to an idealistic society. This book is very controversial as it deals with the use of drugs, death by lethal injection (“release”), suicide, and issues of brainwashing in a society that could be considered similar to a cult. All of these concepts addressed within the book are primary reasons that this book has been banned at some schools throughout the country. However, The Giver is an important piece of American literature addressing some complex questions that children and adults alike can learn from.

Citation:
Lowry, Lois. The Giver. New York: Delacorte, 2006. Print.

I was substitute teaching and the students' assignment was to listen to the audio recording of Lowry's book Gathering Blue. I found it fascinating and ordered the entire The Giver Trilogy for my Kindle. To my surprise I realized I had read the first book on a previous substitute gig, then I followed it with this book. It's a good book, but I wish somewhere in the Kindle version it was marked third in the series so that I would read the books in the proper order. This is, I believe, the third and I read it second. This is the second time I've read a series in the wrong order (Kindle again). On the plus side, I think these books are a good way to engage young readers to quality literature. I'm way past my middle school years, but Messenger was an enjoyable read for this AARP member.

I understand this book is often assigned in middle school or early high school. The protagonist is a young person who has to grow up fast and accept the responsibility of a hero. There are many themes in the book which would be perfect for classroom discussion: The whole notion of Utopia; the essential flaws in collectivism. the age old concept of believing versus knowing. There are echoes of Orwell in that the State controls all and all citizens are under constant surveillance. (Except the Giver.)
The literary conceit of collective memories being off-loaded to one person is unexplained and takes the story out of the sci-fi world and into Fantasy. As far as the ending goes, I just thought it was somewhat weak, as well as some of the dialogue and narrative toward the end. There is no climax and no denouement which might have made for a five star book.
I really enjoyed the movie and especially Jeff Bridges' contribution to it.

I was substitute teaching and the students' assignment was to listen to the audio recording of Lowry's book Gathering Blue. I found it fascinating and ordered the entire The Giver Trilogy for my Kindle. To my surprise I realized I had read the first book on a previous substitute gig, then I followed it with this book. It's a good book, but I wish somewhere in the Kindle version it was marked third in the series so that I would read the books in the proper order. This is, I believe, the third and I read it second. This is the second time I've read a series in the wrong order (Kindle again). On the plus side, I think these books are a good way to engage young readers to quality literature. I'm way past my middle school years, but Messenger was an enjoyable read for this AARP member.

I understand this book is often assigned in middle school or early high school. The protagonist is a young person who has to grow up fast and accept the responsibility of a hero. There are many themes in the book which would be perfect for classroom discussion: The whole notion of Utopia; the essential flaws in collectivism. the age old concept of believing versus knowing. There are echoes of Orwell in that the State controls all and all citizens are under constant surveillance. (Except the Giver.)
The literary conceit of collective memories being off-loaded to one person is unexplained and takes the story out of the sci-fi world and into Fantasy. As far as the ending goes, I just thought it was somewhat weak, as well as some of the dialogue and narrative toward the end. There is no climax and no denouement which might have made for a five star book.
I really enjoyed the movie and especially Jeff Bridges' contribution to it.

This book is highly deserving of the Newbery Medal that it earned. Don't be turned off that it is recommended for ages 12 up. I am 71 years old, and can assure you that it has universal and multi - generational appeal. It is one of the most compelling and imaginative literary masterpieces that I have experienced recently. At the end of the book, I advise readers to also read the author's acceptance speech given during the award event because it provides tremendous insight beyond the book itself. I have seen previews to the upcoming movie, but I am not yet convinced that I want to change my vision of the setting, characters or even tinkering with the plot.

Definitely one of my favorite books. I have just reread it as an adult and it's so much deeper than I remembered.
This is truly a book that makes you think and ponder. I can't help but agree fully with Jonas with my heart, but then, my mind, on some level, challenges him.
A reflection on society, on humanity, on good and evil, on emotions and facts, on the herd and individualism... What makes us who we are? Why do we live? Whatever for? To just survive and be productive as a community? Or is there more?
Is it ok to lose our feelings, our emotions, what makes us unique, if it means that we get rid of pain, torture, and suffering?
This story made my brains hurt in the best possible way.

Didn't like it. There were several things that did not make sense wherein the author described a certain state of being which was later contradicted by the actions of one or more of the characters. In addition, the ending was so abrupt i was left feeling that the author either could not come up with a reasonable ending so just abruptly cut it off, or the author left it hanging in mid air on purpose to leave an option to write a sequel. Either way, it felt like the end of a chapter rather than the end of a novel. The idea for the book was great, it was simply poorly executed.

I just finished MESSENGER last night. I read GATHERING BLUE last weekend, SON two years ago, and I've been teaching THE GIVER for over 10 years. What I'm about to write probably has SPOILERS, so go read the books instead of my review.

First of all Art mirrors Life and not the other way around. Lowry has created high art with the quartet.

The character who would become Healer mirrors Jesus in his efforts to heal the world and those who live in it.
The sled from THE GIVER is on display in a museum. This makes me think of the bicycles and motorcycles on display at the Indian Motorcycle Museum in Springfield, MA. You should all go to Springfield if you like: motorcycles, Dr. Seuss, Winslow Homer, dinosaurs, stars, basketball, potato pancakes, or ice cream!
Lowry includes a playful puppy named Frolic. I pictured him as identical to my miniature wire-hair dachshund Benji. I was so sad to think Frolic had passed away, but Lowry is the ultimate Trademaster. We had to trade one life to keep another.
The gaming-machines drew parallels to video games. I often think that kids/people do not get anything back for the time they trade into video game machines, which are similar to gambling machines. I found the arc of Mentor's character to be fascinating. He is described as a good teacher who becomes bad and is redeemed back to good; kind of like Darth Vader if Darth Vader was Robin Williams's character in DEAD POETS SOCIETY played by Mikhail Gorbachev. What really sent me into the TWILIGHT ZONE was close to the end when Mentor recites a poem by A.E. HOUSMAN. I myself recited A.E. HOUSMAN poetry to my students just last week, completely unaware of this poem in this book. Art mirrors Life.

Also, this book connects Kira, Christopher/Seer, and Matt from GATHERING BLUE with Jonas/Leader from THE GIVER. There is very little about Gabe here, but that is why it is a quartet. I might have to read SON again, but after reading MESSENGER I am completely satisfied with these stories. MESSENGER makes the other three books better.

One last thing; if you liked THE GIVER, look up Candido Godoi in Brazil...TWIN TOWN!

Look for the interconnectedness of things in life.

Wow. Really great book. And great warning. Also super-heavy. Too heavy for under 10...or12. Your kid may be quite mature and understand quantum physics, quarks and recite pi to the 79th decimal but he isn't ready for this. Heck, the main character, a 12 year-old isn't ready for it. (Spoiler alertish) No one is ready for a very graphic explanation of a child seeing his father murder an infant (and Dad doesn't really seem to mind at all) - creeeeepy, nightmare material, wish-I-could-wave-my-hands-and-snap-my-fingers-and-unread-this material. Nope this is for you, not your kid. Can't wait to see the movie, which I WON'T be taking my kid to.

I liked the first and last books the best. Overall I felt the series wasn't great; most of the books are very short and the endings are often annoyingly convenient. Plus there were many unresolved issues in the series that I would have liked to see further closure on.

This book is thoroughly show the Utopia. Jonas` world is so amzing.
This community shows by common agreement to this law.
This community people was equal without distinction. Also, that can't feel any emotion.
Only everything was done in accordance with the decision of the elders.
This community different to our society. We have a lot of emotion.
Of course, this a lot of emotion is not always brought only happiness for us.
Sometimes gives the pain, and bring chaos. If we get rid of every emotion.
We are perfectly happy?. We don`t want war, pain, and hunger.
The world is equal without the difference between rich and poor.
That is not truth. If Jonas see the this world. He would be envy to us.
and What is it really the most important thing in life?
This book shows the 12 years old boy story. Emotion is most important thing in our lives.
This book has a lot of problem of present society. This books show the with out of feeling society.
This book gave me a lot of think.
Obviously, I don`t like a Jonas community.

Lois Lowry’s The Giver is a dystopian young adult novel that hints around what would have made it an adult novel. Jonas is a young boy is growing up in a safe, carefully planned community, where there is no pain, no danger, no war, but there is also no love, individualism, or sexuality. His small view of the world is turned upside down when his career assignment leads him to become the Receiver of memories for his community, and it is then that he learns the ugly truth of his perfect world. Lowry makes us contemplate how great and happy a world like Jonas’ would be. No suffering and pain should be what everybody wants, but Lowry’s depiction of such a world shows the reader that without knowing pain and suffering we can never really be happy and aware of the beauty of the world. By taking away the characters’ ability to see color, their world is literally and figuratively black and white. The Giver is an excellent work of dystopian literature for young adults that can be a stepping stone to other titles like 1984 and Brave New World. In our current turbulent times, we are terrorized by ISIS and plagued by preventable diseases. It should be a no brainer for us to wish for a world with no terrorists and no disease, but where does it stop? Do we then wish for no religion to prevent fighting? And no sex so there are no STDs? With the good comes the bad, and The Giver exemplifies what would happen if both were taken from us.

The Giver was recommended to me by my granddaughter as her favorite book. I found the early chapters a bit confusing as to how the community structure was evolving in such a foreign way. It mystified me if this story was a human, animal, or unknown species. As the story unfolded I felt for young readers could be frightened or mislead by the structure and rules of the community, on how the community tolerated inhumane rules and violations of human dignity perpetrated on all ages. From the killing of young babies, the elderly, and the match making of couples in order to marry, as well as only allowing 2 children per family unit. Where did democracy, freedom, and individual choice disappear to, especially after all the past wars fought to protect FREEDOM for ALL!

A well written story the words flowed so you were eager to read the next. BUT, she has a well fleshed out opening to a novel but as a short story, which is what it truly is, the plot dries up quickly as it becomes extremely the ability predictable. It is almost as though their were 2 authors. From the excerpt the next book in the Quartet seems as though it is of the same caliber of writing as the 1st part of "The Giver" but if the 2 books are connected other than they are alternate reality books it is not obvious and probably loosely. I was hoping for a true series instead of a set of open ended short stories.

After reading The Giver with my niece for school I went on to read Gathering Blue which I felt was a sequel to The Giver. Then I read The Messenger and was sure this was book 3 . Lois Lowry was doing a book signing a few hours away and a friend went & took all our books to have signed. When she asked at the signing if the 3 books were a series she was told empathically by Ms. Lowry the 3 books were not related. Now all of a sudden 8-10 years later there's a 4th book Son and Lowry is now saying it's the end of The Giver series? Lady, make up your mind! The Messenger I thought continued the story from Gathering Blue . I loved it. The end I didn't like, was sad. Don't want to give away any details. I do wonder how Lowry wraps it all up in Son.

After seeing this book on reading list for years and years I finally purchased a copy and read it. It is disturbing and makes you take a hard look at your beliefs and values. It is scary to think of a society without love and joy--without choice. This shows you how that might look like. There is a scene three-quarters of the way into the book that turns into a pivotal moment for the MC that was so upsetting to me. I see why it is on reading lists for teens, it is very provocative and would be interesting to hear youth discuss. I recommend it to everyone who can read! Will be interesting to see how they work it all out in the upcoming film.