The Giver

       Hey guys! I'm back again with another Lois Lowry book. If you remember, I first told you about her in the blog post Gooney Bird Greene. She's an author with many award-winning books. The book by her I am talking about today is called The Giver. 

       The Giver takes place in a world very different from ours. Every single little thing is controlled and monitored. The main character is a boy named Jonas, with no last name. In fact, nobody has a last name. Nobody is even related to their parents. And that's not the only unusual thing. People do not choose their own jobs. They do not choose their spouses. They do not make their own food. They do not experience real feelings. They do not see color. When Jonas turns twelve, he is assigned a job, just like everyone else his age. But, he is assigned to have a special job. A special job known as Receiver of Memory.

       If you were curious about the parents thing, I'll explain it to you now. A woman is assigned the job of Birthmother. Her job is to give birth to a baby, and it is automatically put up for adoption. "Family units" then apply for a baby. A baby will be assigned to them, and it will be given a random name (however there are limits and restrictions). Each "family unit" will have one male and one female, no more and no less. Once the baby grows up, they leave their parents forever, having nothing to do with them or their sibling again. The parents will go into a Home for Childless Adults. 

The Giver

       I admire Lois Lowry's creativity in creating this world where every form of creativity is frowned upon (ha ha, irony, get it?). I admire how well she was able to portray Jonas's realization that the real world isn't actually as innocent as he thought. I admire how she was able to trick the readers into thinking that this was an utopian world, but is actually a dystopian one. I would recommend this book for many people, but I do have a warning. If you are an emotional person, keep in mind that this book could possibly be a serious cryfest. There are many sad moments in here that could make even the person with a hair of sensitivity start to find their eyes getting a little teary. Anyways, kudos to Lois Lowry for being able to do that. 

      Thanks for reading, and I'll be back next Sunday!

The Giver, by Lois Lowry, was made into an award-winning movie, directed by Philip Noyce and starring Jeff Bridges and Brenton Thwaites.