The Giver
discussion
Does anyone besides me not like this book?
message 51:
by
Hamilton
(new)
-
rated it 4 stars
Sep 08, 2012 10:30AM
I thought it was weird only because it seemed very erotic.It almost seemed like a mystical sexual rite when he was with the old man...or was it just me.
reply
|
flag
When my son was in 7th grade, we read The Giver (he for school, I on his recommendation). We both enjoyed it and had some interesting discussions about it. As for the ending, each of us arrived at our own, very different, conclusion - something we still occasionally joke about 6 years later - a great example of how a story can speak to each reader differently. Personally, I thought The Giver was a reasonably well written, thought-provoking book.
omg i hated this book and i regret every single second of my life that i wasted reading this book . it was just pointless and weird like that giver seriously creeped me out and the stupid ending made me soo frustrated i almost burned that book .
I wasn't crazy about it. My problem with it is that it seems to be given and recommended universally to children too young.
I liked this book. it made me think that as "flawed" as this world can be. I would NOT want to be part of the life lived in the Giver. some of it was so disturbing , like when you turned 12 you were assigned what you did the rest of your life. such as "birth mother" forcing to carry a baby for someone else who "put in an order for a baby' very chilling.I read this as an adult since it was not published when i was a kid. I thought it was a good interesting read.
When I read this book it made me uneasy although it's hard to explain exactly why. Dystopia is everywhere these days so it wasn't that. Maybe it was because it's suggested so often for kids - then again, perhaps only older readers might find it chilling vs. just 'creepy' as do the younger ones. The disturbing factor for me could be the fact that I didn't find it 'weird'. What made my skin crawl was the occasional, not-too-weird glimpse of possibility.
when i was forced to read it in school i think 6th grade, i didnt like it but i went back and reread it not to long ago, and i understood it better and actually liked it
I actually love the book but I can understand why you don't like it.
I really really disliked this book. I found nothing about it to like. It was contrary to everything I believe and was a frightening scenario if it was to give a possible picture of the future.
i didnt like it either
Didn't like this book at all. I agree that is was weird and disturbing, and I would never recomend it either.
did not like the book , it took forever to read because it a school book i had to read
I think with books like this. The reader is meant to suspend their disbelief a little bit and see the world from another perspective. Supposed get you thinking and processing things in a different way. I don't think you can go in reading it in such a straight forward way as any other YA book or even fiction story. Not only that but I think it is meant to disturb you and in a since appreciate what we have in our world cause not everyone has the same things.
I really liked the book, though a little disappointed with the ambiguous ending. Also thought it was strange to find it in the children's section of my library, not ' young adult/ teen'!
I loved it I read it in my 7th grade langue class
Was forced to read it with my class. I would never have picked it myself. Very disappointed with the ending of the book.
I actually enjoyed the book and the odd scenario. I read it when I was around ten... I remember being shocked by some of the action.But then, the ENDING. I remember it was the first time in my life that I was so disappointed by a book's ending. I remember thinking to myself that it was ridiculous, too easy, as if the author had stopped caring. I can't stress how disappointed I was; I wanted to fling the book across the room. But still, I have it one my shelf and, 18 years after my first read, I still cherish it. Except the ending. I skip that part, haha!
I think a lot of people dislike the book because it's startling and disturbing. It's out of people's comfort zone and offers no clear answers. But, it's suppose to be that way. It's a form of dystopian literature and rather mild at that compared to some that have been written in the last 5 years. I personally love the book, but I think I understand why some people don't.
I loved it. You should also go and read the latest in he series which tells the story of Gabe's mother...and what happens to Gabe.
I absolutley loved the book!!!
I absolutely loved the book!!!
Amanda wrote: "Maybe one reason the book seems 'wierd, odd, slightly disturbing' to you is that it was meant to disturb. I don't claim to know what Lowry was thinking, but I think the book is supposed to make you..."The book is saying that occasionally there are prople who will resist the powers that be, but that actions like that are useless--it's just a form of suicide. I don't like that message.
I personally do not care for the book and I think my main problem is that I had such a mind-blowing experience with 1984 that no other dystopian novel could ever compare. (Although I do like The Year of the Flood.) However, I've taught it to 8th graders, and I came away with a different perspective. I think one of the services that such a novel can provide is to help teens think about how different societies are set up. The majority (from my experience) believe that our way of life and how we've developed as a people is very natural and is, if I can paraphrase Dr. Pangloss, "the best of all possible worlds".
I always start out by having them come up with some of the worst social ills in our society. (Divorce, child abuse, domestic violence, drugs, bullying are some of the perennials.) I try to get them to see the good of the society that's depicted, because there's always a strong negative reaction based on how different it is to ours. I think that the one that has probably the best discussions is when we get to the discussion about how they pick jobs for everyone, because they hold it in such high value how people get to choose their jobs and be whatever they want. Yet, in reality, many people choose unwisely and are not suited to the jobs that they take. Many are unsatisfied with their jobs, because they aren't using the skills that they have. Our way doesn't necessarily lead to a worker's utopia.
This is one of the best books I've read in a long time!
Jon-austen wrote: "I read it for 8 hours straight, I do feel that it was meant to disturb... but it is all around a beautiful book. It signifies that if people know their past there will be pain but an ultimate gain ..."I totally agree! I absolutely loved this book!
This truely disturbed me. If I hadn't had to read it for school I would have stopped reading it before I got halfway through it. I really didn't like it. Normally I LOVE wierd books but this one was off the charts. So much that I never want to touch it again.
It is kinda odd, but I thought it was brilliant. It's different and has a purpose and sends a powerful message.
I had to read The Giver in 7th grade Language Arts, and I just couldn't get into it! I love to read, but I just couldn't get interested in the book. I found it a little confusing at first, but after I understood what was going on, I just didn't find it interesting. Personally, if I didn't have to read it for school, I probably wouldn't have finished it.
Agreed. Just not one of my favorites, and as a 7th and 8th grade English teacher I could never let my students know this, but for some reason it just never resonated with me. It was OK, but I have never been in love with it like some have. Although, I believe that many of our dystopian books we see coming out lately have their roots firmly planted in books like "The Giver".
I dont like this, I LOVE ittttt!
Meh wrote: "Wow, you must not read very much science fiction. The Giver is pretty tame stuff, even old hat. The situation is a classic that has been used ever since science fiction has been around. I didn'..."I agree with you here. The Giver is very much old hat.
i hate this book, too bland
How do people find this book disturbing? I read it for the first time when I was about 12 and didn't think it was weird at all. It seemed pretty straightforward, and like some others have mentioned, was pretty tame compared to other dystopian/sci fi/paranormal.
It was kind of teachy to me. But still a good read.
Meh wrote: "Wow, you must not read very much science fiction. The Giver is pretty tame stuff, even old hat. The situation is a classic that has been used ever since science fiction has been around. I didn'..."Yeah I usually think of The Giver as the children's version of 1984. I really enjoyed the book.
Donna wrote: "I read this book because a lot of schools are banning it and many parents are not letting their children read it because it refers to suicide. I agree that a 12 year old should not read it, Maybe ..."Donna, it actually doesn't refer to suicide. That's where I thought perhaps Lowry was going when I first read it, but then I read Gathering Blue where Jonas is referred to as an adult in another community years later. I know for sure that this is what what Lowry's reference was because I heard her speak once. She said her publisher made her change the part where she referenced Jonas by name. They asked her to remove his name to please readers who hadn't read The Giver.
I see that many people who disliked The Giver didn't like it because it felt bland. It was supposed to! That was the point. A perfectly safe world isn't exciting at all and, as Jonas decides, isn't worth being a part of. Many of you also said you disliked it because it disturbed you. Again, that was the point.
Kudos to Lowry for a well written and disturbing look at a bland utopian society.
I loved this book! But I can addmit its really confusing...
You didnt like it because this is written for a middle schoolers comprehension. try stepping it up. This is a really tame book. cake. Try Of men and monsters by william tenn. Or the wasp factory if you need a brain shake
I didn't like it at all to childish
How about, I HATE this book! There are two troubling aspects. The first could be forgiven if this book were not so often geared toward adolescents, and that is creepy thing the child sees his father do to a twin baby. But the deal breaker for me is the ending. WHAT is the ONE UNIVERSAL SYMBOL of ALL HUMANITY??? EXCUSE ME??? Methinks the author is just a teeensy bit ethnocentric ("teeensy" meaning, "blindingly").
I read over the summer and I hated it but then I read it again with my class and I thought it was a great book
Amanda wrote: "Maybe one reason the book seems 'wierd, odd, slightly disturbing' to you is that it was meant to disturb. I don't claim to know what Lowry was thinking, but I think the book is supposed to make you..."Yes!
The ENDING is the part I hate, and it was supposed to make us all feel better. It is horribly ethnocentric. Christmas trees are NOT a universal, world-wide symbol. This is what really did it for me.
I think that its very good, our society is viewed as going down hill year after year and it kind gives you an idea of how radical of an idea of "fixing" societies downturn and making life better through control.
While I agree that the giver is pretty well, tame I guess, it is just written for a younger audience than it should be and none of the bad things of the society are written about in enough detail (like explaining y) and the whole book was just disturbing because of this. At this point I won't give an example as I FAIL at writing but ya.
And has anyone else noticed how an assigned job given at 12ish is birthmother? Ummmmm....
I did not like this book. It was recommended to me by a fellow teacher. I read it aloud to my 5th grade class. I was embarrassed and I thought it was a little perverted. (And I am NOT a prude.)
all discussions on this book
|
post a new topic
