Book Information:
The Giver By Lois Lowry
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin 1993
Genre: Science Fiction, Dystopia
Awards: Newbery Medal 1994, Regina Medal 1994, William Allen White Award 1996.
http://www.loislowry.com/
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin 1993
Genre: Science Fiction, Dystopia
Awards: Newbery Medal 1994, Regina Medal 1994, William Allen White Award 1996.
http://www.loislowry.com/
Summary:
Placed sometime in our future, a teenage boy, named Jonas, was living in a "perfect" community where there is no hate and everything is planned and controlled. A committee of elders are the ones who decides what children go with which family and what jobs everyone will have to keep the community successful and peaceful. Jonas learns that he was picked for a job that no on else can hold, The Receiver of Memories. The rest of the community only knows what is going on now in their life where Jonas will learn what has happened in the past. He also will learn what true emotions and feelings are where the rest of the community has been stripped of that. Jonas is supposed to use his new found knowledge to help make important decisions for his community. But what he learns is that it isn't fair that everyone can't hold those memories. Through out the book, he is struggling with keeping his memories a secret or sharing them to help others.
Age Group: Jonas is 11 in the beginning of the book, but with subject matter and growth of characters and ideas, I believe this book would be appropriate for 13 years old and up. I think it would be a great book for freshmen in high school. The themes can help in those difficult years transitioning into high school and forming your own personality.
THEMES
Individuality:
In Jonas' community, "sameness" is very important. Differences are not allowed. this includes language, wardrobe and even color. No one can see color. It is considered shameful to be different or act different in this community.
When Jonas became the receiver and started to see things in color, or memories of the past and even hear music for the first time, I starts to think differently about the idea of "sameness." Although his community went this way to stay away from war and conflict, he realizes without the idea of individuality, no one would really know what true happiness was.
"Our people made that choice, the choice to go to Sameness. Before my time, before the previous time, back and back and back. We relinquished color when we relinquished sunshine and did away with difference. We gained control of many things. But we had to let go of others. " - The Giver, Chapter 12
Emotions:
The members of the community do not understand or have ever experienced the feelings of pain or great happiness. When the community was established, it was decided that emotional connections would be taken away and rules set in place to promote "sameness." The goal of this act was to keep everyone safe and to exclude any feelings of hate or anger. But by losing those feeling, joy and happiness were also left behind. Emotion was taken out of every situation. Mothers were "birth mothers" only to give birth. Babies were placed in "family units" made up of other people, not their own family. No one fell in love, people were chosen to live with each other. Anything you can think of that might have the smallest amount of emotion attached to it, was taken away from this community. Jonas starts to realize the things that have been taken from him when he starts to experience scenes The Giver shared with him. Jonas experiences love and happiness, but then also pain and suffering. But he knows that you can not have one emotion without the other and it was simply unfair to not experience either at all.
"I couldn't quite get the word for the whole feeling of it, the feeling that was so strong in the room."
"Love," The Giver told him." -Jonas and The Giver, Chapter 16
Age Group: Jonas is 11 in the beginning of the book, but with subject matter and growth of characters and ideas, I believe this book would be appropriate for 13 years old and up. I think it would be a great book for freshmen in high school. The themes can help in those difficult years transitioning into high school and forming your own personality.
THEMES
Individuality:
In Jonas' community, "sameness" is very important. Differences are not allowed. this includes language, wardrobe and even color. No one can see color. It is considered shameful to be different or act different in this community.
When Jonas became the receiver and started to see things in color, or memories of the past and even hear music for the first time, I starts to think differently about the idea of "sameness." Although his community went this way to stay away from war and conflict, he realizes without the idea of individuality, no one would really know what true happiness was.
"Our people made that choice, the choice to go to Sameness. Before my time, before the previous time, back and back and back. We relinquished color when we relinquished sunshine and did away with difference. We gained control of many things. But we had to let go of others. " - The Giver, Chapter 12
Emotions:
The members of the community do not understand or have ever experienced the feelings of pain or great happiness. When the community was established, it was decided that emotional connections would be taken away and rules set in place to promote "sameness." The goal of this act was to keep everyone safe and to exclude any feelings of hate or anger. But by losing those feeling, joy and happiness were also left behind. Emotion was taken out of every situation. Mothers were "birth mothers" only to give birth. Babies were placed in "family units" made up of other people, not their own family. No one fell in love, people were chosen to live with each other. Anything you can think of that might have the smallest amount of emotion attached to it, was taken away from this community. Jonas starts to realize the things that have been taken from him when he starts to experience scenes The Giver shared with him. Jonas experiences love and happiness, but then also pain and suffering. But he knows that you can not have one emotion without the other and it was simply unfair to not experience either at all.
"I couldn't quite get the word for the whole feeling of it, the feeling that was so strong in the room."
"Love," The Giver told him." -Jonas and The Giver, Chapter 16
Reaction:
There has been a lot of criticism about this book. It has been on the banned book list in multiple places for the subject matter in the book, including sexual situations, explanations of "releasing" or the killing of people and for the miscommunication that this is the way life should be lived.
"INAPPROPRIATE AND SICK
My 6th grade son is in the process of reading this book. I am so thankful that he feels comfortable enough to come to me with this. I am only up to the 7th chapter and have found it to be sexually inappropriate "BIG TIME". I am not against talking about sex with my children at all. This book portrays the job of childbearing as only for the unintelligent and makes "stirrings" of a pre-teen inappropriate and bad (not natural). To read the reviews and hear that I am going to be reading about a father injecting a baby because it is "unfit" it beyond disgusting to me. I am not a fighting parent but this will definately be an issue on Monday morning. With all the beautiful books a child can read...... To have a young child read this book with no follow up discussion is so irresponsible. The book is just SICK!" Parent of a 11 year old Written by momthatcares
www.commonsensemedia.org
It obvious that this reviewer didn't understand the author's goal of the book. But that is a risk any author has to take.
"Fabulous book!
Absolutely loved this book. Promotes thinking about issues of free will and choice. Helps kids understand the benefits of our society as they compare/contrast the society in the book. Excellent for conversations about responsibility and individuality. Certainly doesn't promote ideals from the society, as others suggested. Rather, the exploration of the society helps students appreciate their own society and the importance of their beliefs." Parent of a 5 year old Written by mdjohnson
www.commonsensemedia.org
I agree with this mom. I believe the book offers a great opportunities to have conversations about what is happening in the book. What I really believe will get teens attention, is they are allowed to "disagree" or "challenage" how the characters live in The Giver. What does a teenager love more than challenging something? Nothing! This book offers great topics for situations all students can relate to!
"INAPPROPRIATE AND SICK
My 6th grade son is in the process of reading this book. I am so thankful that he feels comfortable enough to come to me with this. I am only up to the 7th chapter and have found it to be sexually inappropriate "BIG TIME". I am not against talking about sex with my children at all. This book portrays the job of childbearing as only for the unintelligent and makes "stirrings" of a pre-teen inappropriate and bad (not natural). To read the reviews and hear that I am going to be reading about a father injecting a baby because it is "unfit" it beyond disgusting to me. I am not a fighting parent but this will definately be an issue on Monday morning. With all the beautiful books a child can read...... To have a young child read this book with no follow up discussion is so irresponsible. The book is just SICK!" Parent of a 11 year old Written by momthatcares
www.commonsensemedia.org
It obvious that this reviewer didn't understand the author's goal of the book. But that is a risk any author has to take.
"Fabulous book!
Absolutely loved this book. Promotes thinking about issues of free will and choice. Helps kids understand the benefits of our society as they compare/contrast the society in the book. Excellent for conversations about responsibility and individuality. Certainly doesn't promote ideals from the society, as others suggested. Rather, the exploration of the society helps students appreciate their own society and the importance of their beliefs." Parent of a 5 year old Written by mdjohnson
www.commonsensemedia.org
I agree with this mom. I believe the book offers a great opportunities to have conversations about what is happening in the book. What I really believe will get teens attention, is they are allowed to "disagree" or "challenage" how the characters live in The Giver. What does a teenager love more than challenging something? Nothing! This book offers great topics for situations all students can relate to!