Lowrey, L. (1993). The Giver. New York: Bantam Doubleday Dell Books for Young Adults.
I’ve never been a big science fiction fan, beyond the old Star Trek television series, but I really like The Giver. When well written, it’s an interesting concept to me; what is going to happen in the future? In this future, humans basically have choices taken away from them, particuliarly the ability to have their own children and to decide how many to have.
When the protagonist, Jonas, turns 12, he becomes an adult. He also becomes The Receiver of Memory, meaning he, alone, holds all old memories of pain, war, etc. He gets this honor from The Giver, an old man who is the current Receiver of Memory. He and Jonas grow close, as the only two humans who have memory.
Jonas also develops a relationship with a small problem child, Gabriel, who is in danger of being “released,” or killed. The two escape the community but the ending of the book is left up to the reader to determine.
I like the story because it tells us that our feelings are what make us human. Taking emotions away leaves little more than robots and putting all those emotions and memories on one person is too much for them to bear. My daughter read this book for a class in middle school and I highly recommend it for all young adults.
ceejay78 - My brain is bigger 'cause I read! 