Search - The Giver

The plot of this book has been described, well and often, in the editorial and customer reviews already posted, and I will not repeat that.
The Giver earned five stars from me on two points: technical quality and content. Technically, this book is very well-written, with a fast pace, no lulls, three-dimensional characters, a well-described setting, and no plot contradictions.

It is the story content that really elevates this book to five-star quality, however. Diversity and conformity are issues that surround us, in the news, in our neighborhoods, in our schools, in government and politics, and in the courts. "The Giver" puts the debate under a microscope, and it leaves room for no simplistic answers. It portrays an artificial society where diversity has just about been abolished. It depicts the benefits of that society, the shortcomings of it, and the internal conflicts caused in the mind of the protagonist. "The Giver" gives no answers, but gifts us with a wonderful way to look at an important question. This is a great book for a classroom project, or for a parent to read with his/her child. There are discussion questions listed at the end, that can be used as a launching pad for an intellectual exploration of the issues portrayed.

A non-spoiler spoiler: The end is intentionally ambiguous. While I have decided, for myself, what the ending means, each reader must make his/her own decision on what happened at the end.

This book is supposedly for young adults, but, frankly, is so scary I'm not sure I'd recommend a teen-ager read it. It has won a half dozen major literary awards, and clearly deserves them; is probably going to become a classic distopia like 1984 or BRAVE NEW WORLD.
-----From back cover:-----
Jonas's world is perfect. Everything is under control. There is no war or fear of pain. There are no choices. Every person is assigned a role in the community. When Jonas turns 12 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.

Very interesting story once it gets started. Very quick read.

I had to read this in high school and it ended up being one of my all time favorite books. Short, so a somewhat quick read, but each page has so much more there than what is written.

In this book the future is made up of communities with rules and governed with a watchful eye. In these communities there is no war, no crime, no heartache. There is also no love, no feelings of want, no colors. So which would be better? Our ways now or the ones in the future? Jonas feels that the old ways (our ways now) would be the best. Jonas has been given the job of Receiver. That job entails learning all the memories from the past from the old Receiver. Only one person can be this Receiver and he must hold all the memories within himself so it will not be released to the others in the community. For pure chaos could happen. Jonas goes through many painful memories of loss, war, starvation, etc but he also experiences memories of happiness, love and starts seeing the colors in everything. He believes everyone should have these memories and these feelings and sets out to make this happen.
I do admit that the ending boggled me for a bit. I realized that I could make the ending out to be the way I felt it should. You will be able to do the same. It is a very charming book that leaves you thinking long after you have finished.

This book was suggested by my older son's teacher. I like the writer's writting style. Great book!