The Giver (Young Adult Classics)

 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.

 

The Outsiders (Young Adult Classics)

   Hinton, S. E. (1967). The Outsiders. New York: PUTNAM BOOKS.

 The focus of my blog is changing from childrens literature to young adult literature. The first book I’m going to talk about is “The Outsiders.” This book was published nearly 45 years ago but holds up even today. We have copies of it available in our reading department at my high school and teenagers still enjoy reading it.

   I think this is due, in part, to the fact that it is still relatable to teens. Gangs still exist, although on a much tougher level than 45 years ago. It’s amusing to read the “gang” names, like Ponyboy, Sodapop, and Two-Bit. The plot is kind of “West Side Story” ish. The Greasers versus the Socials (the poor, wrong side of the tracks against the rich kids). There is romance among the two sides, there is fighting, and there is death. I think the fact that “The Outsiders” has been so durable is mostly due to the fact that it’s an entertaining story. By the time kids get to high school, most of them have read this book in middle school. And I don’t see that changing any time soon.