Giver, the (Readers Circle (Paperback))

I finished this over a week ago and unfortunately I have forgotten pretty much everything I wanted to say about it. I'll just say that it was everything I love in my dystopia science fiction and leave it at that. The details of life in the Community were perfect and creepy (I especially like the line about young children having buttons on the back of their jackets to encourage...more

I finished this over a week ago and unfortunately I have forgotten pretty much everything I wanted to say about it. I'll just say that it was everything I love in my dystopia science fiction and leave it at that. The details of life in the Community were perfect and creepy (I especially like the line about young children having buttons on the back of their jackets to encourage interdependency) and having the novel narrated by a child did much more than simply allow young readers to relate to him. Jonas's innocence nearly mimicked the reader's own ignorance for the first half the book. The difference, however, is that we can quickly deduce what is really going on behind the scenes and the pretty words where Jonas isn't capable of even suspecting. All in all, I'm glad this was a purchase rather than a borrow and I'm likely to come back to this story again. Great book.   hide

Imagine a community where everyone has everything they need. Imagine a place where every pain is erased as soon as it occurs, where people work together for the benefit of everyone, where every child is carried for by parents who are perfectly suited, not only for the children, but also for each other. Imagine a place where there are no worries, no war, no hunger, no sadness. Would it be worth it...more

Imagine a community where everyone has everything they need. Imagine a place where every pain is erased as soon as it occurs, where people work together for the benefit of everyone, where every child is carried for by parents who are perfectly suited, not only for the children, but also for each other. Imagine a place where there are no worries, no war, no hunger, no sadness. Would it be worth it to live there? Would it be worth it if you have to give up true depth of feelings and emotions, if you had to give up color and music and beauty and love and every memory you've ever had? Jonas lives in just such a place. But at the Ceremony of Twelves, when children are designated for their life's work, Jonas is not assigned a job, instead is is selected to be the next Receiver of Memory. Over the next year, as he learns how life was before Sameness, he has to answer those questions for himself. Is it worth it, not for him, but for everyone he has learned he cares about.   hide

This book will be used as 8th grade literature reading this year in my school, and since I'd never heard of it before, I thought I'd read it before I actually had to teach it..;) It could be labeled as childrens' science fiction, if you're into categorizing books, but that would be supremely patronizing (to this book) at the very least. The Giver is a great contemporary story for anyone living in...more

This book will be used as 8th grade literature reading this year in my school, and since I'd never heard of it before, I thought I'd read it before I actually had to teach it..;) It could be labeled as childrens' science fiction, if you're into categorizing books, but that would be supremely patronizing (to this book) at the very least. The Giver is a great contemporary story for anyone living in this ever-condensing world of 'others', and the increasing need for people to reach out and surround themselves with what feels familiar and safe. So, 'elsewhere' cannot disturb the surburbia we have created for ourselves in our minds. Wow. What a message for children across the world to learn about life and living. I love it! This is a powerful book. It can change lives.. and I'm sure it has.. It's message: Live. Do not anaesthetize yourself from the world. Truly LIVE.   hide

This is a really wonderful book! Definitely in the same league as Ender's game, and akin to it in the sense that it is perfectly satisfying for a mature adult to read and yet very accessible and meaningful for older children who can handle a few very intense situations, including the telling of a suicide (lethal injection). Teachers really love this one, because it delves deeply into...more

This is a really wonderful book! Definitely in the same league as Ender's game, and akin to it in the sense that it is perfectly satisfying for a mature adult to read and yet very accessible and meaningful for older children who can handle a few very intense situations, including the telling of a suicide (lethal injection). Teachers really love this one, because it delves deeply into the issue of independence vs interdependence, freedom vs slavery. You wouldn't think from the cover that it is futuristic sci-fi, but the cover design and especially black-and-white vs. color will make perfect sense once you read the book.   hide

This book is intended for a younger audience, but I highly recommend this book for adults and children.This story is a fine example of why the idealistic visions of a utopian society are completely fruitless and a highly improbable reality for any civilization. Although the story may leave the adult reader wanting for more depth, the ideas are simply presented in a format that allows for...more

This book is intended for a younger audience, but I highly recommend this book for adults and children.This story is a fine example of why the idealistic visions of a utopian society are completely fruitless and a highly improbable reality for any civilization. Although the story may leave the adult reader wanting for more depth, the ideas are simply presented in a format that allows for profundity in even the youngest reader. Furthermore, The Giver encourages the young reader to not only embrace individuality, but to also appreciate freedom and reject the thinly guised socialist Marxism they will no doubt be spoonfed throughout their academia. The Giver is an instant classic and should be added to the curricuulum vitae of every junior high student in America. This small piece of fiction is a great foundation for the future leaders of our country.If you have a free afternoon go to the library; check out this book, read it, then pass it on to your kids.   hide

A reminder of the “awe”someness (both awe-inspiring and awful) of the human experience. I always think of this book when I think of people undergoing paradigm changes…people suddenly experiencing the world in new ways, both frightening and wonderful. Imagine what it would be like to live in a grayscale world and suddenly experience color for the first...more

A reminder of the “awe”someness (both awe-inspiring and awful) of the human experience. I always think of this book when I think of people undergoing paradigm changes…people suddenly experiencing the world in new ways, both frightening and wonderful. Imagine what it would be like to live in a grayscale world and suddenly experience color for the first time…or warmth. Would you even have the words to describe it? From Amazon.com “In a world with no poverty, no crime, no sickness and no unemployment, and where every family is happy, 12-year-old Jonas is chosen to be the community's Receiver of Memories. Under the tutelage of the Elders and an old man known as the Giver, he discovers the disturbing truth about his utopian world and struggles against the weight of its hypocrisy.”   hide

Like most young adult fiction, The Giver is easy to read with a well-paced storyline. This book is about a future time in which people have given up the extremes in life in favor of a sort of bland contentment and predictability. (The theme is reminiscent of Anthem by Ayn Rand.)The Giver reminds us we cannot miss something we don't remember having, and that we cannot know...more

Like most young adult fiction, The Giver is easy to read with a well-paced storyline. This book is about a future time in which people have given up the extremes in life in favor of a sort of bland contentment and predictability. (The theme is reminiscent of Anthem by Ayn Rand.)The Giver reminds us we cannot miss something we don't remember having, and that we cannot know true joy without the existence of pain. My only reservation with recommending this book is the ambiguous ending, which oddly enough brought out in me a stubborn optimism I never knew was there. An enlightening read, indeed.   hide

Very good though a little anti-climactic. The book poses some interesting questions and ones particularly relevant for our time. Lowry draws a mild, inoffensive society representative of the utopian ideal then deconstructs and exposes the ugliness of such a world through the eyes of the only people able to experience real emotions. It forces the reader to ask what such a "perfect"...more

Very good though a little anti-climactic. The book poses some interesting questions and ones particularly relevant for our time. Lowry draws a mild, inoffensive society representative of the utopian ideal then deconstructs and exposes the ugliness of such a world through the eyes of the only people able to experience real emotions. It forces the reader to ask what such a "perfect" world would cost its citizens, and whether or not the price is worth it. The end is a little ambiguous, but seems to suggest the ending that is a little more discouraging, so points off for that. All in all, a very good read.   hide

This book is set in the future, where your life is laid out for you. Your spouse is chosen for you, your home, your kids, your job, your food. They live in a community of equality and they try to avoid any of the prejudice issues. They have 'magically' turned the world into black and white, where your skin and hair color don't define who you are as a person. One person is the bearer of all the...more

This book is set in the future, where your life is laid out for you. Your spouse is chosen for you, your home, your kids, your job, your food. They live in a community of equality and they try to avoid any of the prejudice issues. They have 'magically' turned the world into black and white, where your skin and hair color don't define who you are as a person. One person is the bearer of all the things that ever happened, like wars and fights and hateful things and also fun things like snow, carousels, exc. He is like the Head Decision Maker in the community. And now, he is passing down his job. A very interesting book for those who wish things were perfect or different. A well written book just to see from a different lifestyle. it is shocking and amazing.   hide