Module 4: The Giver

Summary: Jonas lives in a seemingly perfect world. Each person is given a profession that matches his or her personality. There are particular rituals everyone faces during their lives: the distribution of children to the family units, the first bicycles, etc. Jonas is due for his Ceremony of Twelve, in which he and all of his peers will be selected for their own professions. To Jonas' surprise, he is selected to be trained by the Receiver, the keeper of memories and knowledge. As Jonas trains with the Receiver (whom he calls "the Giver," he learns that his perfect society isn't so perfect after all. He learns of war and poverty and violence, and he learns that undesirables, such as the weak infants and the elderly, are euthanized. He also learns to see in color, to understand the beauty of the real world around him. Unable to stand the hypocrisy of his world, he snatches a baby due for "liquidation" and takes off into the wilderness to seek a better life.



Lowry, L. (2002). The giver. New York, NY: Dell Laurel Leaf.

My Impressions: I teach dystopian literature, and year after year, my students remember this book with great fondness. I was glad I had the chance to read it. The Giver is bleak, no doubt. As an adult, I could see where the treatment of the geriatrics was going before middle school students, but it did not lessen the impact of the revelation Jonas experiences. Lowry is gifted in making predictable scenes feel suspenseful, as the Ceremony of Twelve is. The reader knows from the cover, the blurbs, and from lots of clues that Jonas will be picked to be the next Receiver, but the Ceremony scene still urges us to keep reading, to continue on. As Jonas realizes that his perfect town is really a lie, the reader feels just as disillusioned and disheartened as he. We feel the weight of the burden that is being the Receiver as well as the beauty that comes with it. In this short novel, Lowry helps her readers appreciate the vast range of the human experience - the highs AND the lows.

Reviews:

"In a departure from her well-known and favorably regarded realistic works, Lois Lowry has written a fascinating, thoughtful science-fiction novel....The story is skillfully written; the air of disquiet is delicately insinuated. And the theme of balancing the values of freedom and security is beautifully presented." -- Horn Book

Flowers, A. A. (1993). The Giver. Horn Book Magazine, 69(4), 458.  Retrieved from EBSCOhost.

"Despite occasional logical lapses, The Giver, a powerful and provocative novel, is sure to keep older children reading. And thinking." -- New York Times

Karen, R. (1993). Children's books. New York Times Book Review, 26.  Retrieved from EBSCOhost.

Uses in the Library:

The Giver always tops the list of challenged books, so it is perfect for a Banned Books Week display.