The Giver (The Giver, #1) in Classics Without All the Class

Jun 08, 2014 Audrey rated it really liked it

Shelves: award-and-honor-recipients, fiction, listens, juvenile, fantasy

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I remember seeing this book in the library as a kid, but the cover of the old man and the description of the plot never caught my interest. Since the movie comes out soon, I figured now would be a good time to finally check out this Newbery winner. I don't usually read this genre. In fact, I can't think of a single dystopian book that I've ever read. I found this one really intriguing, although it left me with a lot of questions:

Do the birth mothers also start their training and service at age t

I remember seeing this book in the library as a kid, but the cover of the old man and the description of the plot never caught my interest. Since the movie comes out soon, I figured now would be a good time to finally check out this Newbery winner. I don't usually read this genre. In fact, I can't think of a single dystopian book that I've ever read. I found this one really intriguing, although it left me with a lot of questions:

Do the birth mothers also start their training and service at age twelve?

It's odd how much stock is put in dreams and how little trust there is in reality. Why is this?

I don't see how the Giver could even plan to give Jonas all the memories. That would take so long! Is he just giving him the important ones? How did the current Giver acquire all those memories, though? It seems like transferring them is a tedious process, considering how many there must be.

Can the Giver still recall old memories that he has given to Jonas, even if he can’t feel them as acutely?

How do the kids in the community know about guns?

How did the crops grow without rain or sun?

During ceremonial days, who does the agricultural work and other vital jobs?

Why do they film releases?

Why did they outlaw wildlife? Did this mean that they did not eat any meat except fish? When he was trying to escape, how did Jonas know that he could eat a bird?

How do birds never fly over the community?

How’d the people on the other side, in the real world, never know about the communities? That seems odd. Was that why the plane mentioned at the beginning was so important?

The Giver couldn't have done anything to stop Rosemary's death?

The Giver frustrated me a little. He had so much power, but during all those years he never did anything to change the community? Surely he could've thought of something, done something. And he was wrong about allowing three kids being dangerous. It's mentioned that the community actually has leftover food, so there doesn't seem to be any immediate danger of people starving. Plus, more people just means more laborers, engineers, etc. to further increase food supply.

There’s a lot of music. The Giver could just give some of it to Jonas.

Why can’t Jonas ever go back after he left?

So, yes, lots of questions. But overall, I liked this book. I may not completely understand it (at one point I felt like it was either a conservative’s view of liberal extremism or a liberal’s view of conservative extremism. Then again, it could be neither of those options ... or both), but it did make me think about some things in a different way, as well as providing some interesting discussion points. I can see why this is one that elementary school teachers often read in class.

One theme that jumped out at me is how our feelings and free will are gifts. We can't let either control us, but by attempting to cut ourselves off from the pain that those emotions bring, we also cut ourselves off from the full experience of life—which includes pain, but also joy, love, and every emotion in between. It is what makes us human.

This book does deal with some heavy topics, but I think the intended middle grade audience could handle it, especially if it accompanied with some guided discussions.

Incidentally, there is also a reference to Jonas' sexual awakening (called "stirrings" in the book). I have a feeling this would go over a lot of young readers' heads, though, and thus I don't see it as particularly problematic.

The ending was a bit abrupt, but I guess it was supposed to be that way. I'm not sure if I want to read all the rest of the books in the series, as I've heard that this is the best one.

I'm vacillating between three and four stars for my rating. I think I will round up; this was a story that I looked forward to coming back to in order to discover what would happen next. I found it entertaining, unexpected, and original. ...more

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Jan 21, 2013 Kathy (ebookkat) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: library, reread, 2013-read, top-favorites, 2014-read, fiction

"The Giver" by Lois Lowry is the first book in The Giver series. It is a young adult dystopia novel which is enjoyed by both young and old. In the book the world is perfect and society is full of sameness and predictability. There are no armed conflicts, no apprehensions, and no physical suffering. At the age of twelve everyone is assigned a role in society. The book is less than 200 pages and a very quick read. I enjoyed the book a lot. It kept my interest from the first page to the last. I loo ...more

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Oct 15, 2011 Anindyta rated it really liked it

Pernah dengar pepatah yang mengatakan "Perfect doesn't feel so perfect" ? Itulah pepatah yang muncul di otak saya ketika membaca buku ini. Konsep ceritanya adalah tentang seorang anak laki-laki berumur 12 tahun bernama Jonas, hidup di lingkungan yang segala sesuatunya benar-benar teratur dan terorganisir. Lingkungan Jonas hidup benar-benar damai, tidak ada perang, tidak mengenal rasa sakit, tidak ada kerusuhan dan macam-macam.

Namun, saat Jonas mencapai umur 12 tahun dan profesi yang cocok untuk ...more

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