2004 About the Book
The Giver
| In a utopian community where there are no
choices—where everyone has his or her place in the world assigned
according to gifts and interests—the time has come for 12-year-old
Jonas to become the new Receiver of Memory. He will be the one to bear
the collective memories of a society that lives only in the present,
where "Sameness " is the rule. But Jonas soon recognizes the losses
and discovers the lie that supports his community. He decides he will
change his world—but he cannot predict how that change will come
about, or what that change will mean for himself and the "newchild"
Gabriel, whom he has resolved to protect.
—from Random House materials |
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Reviews
"The simplicity and directness of Lowry's writing force readers to
grapple with their own thoughts.. . ."—Starred, Focus Review/ Booklist
"A richly provocative novel."—Pointer, Kirkus Reviews
"The final flight for survival is a riveting as it is inevitable. This
tightly plotted story and its believable characters will stay with readers
for a long time."—Starred, Publishers Weekly
"The theme of balancing the values of freedom and security is
beautifully presented."—Starred, The Horn Book
"A powerful and provocative novel."—The New York Times
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. With
echoes of Brave New World, in this 1994 Newbery Medal winner, Lowry
examines the idea that people might freely choose to give up their
humanity in order to create a more stable society. Gradually Jonas learns
just how costly this ordered and pain-free society can be, and boldly
decides he cannot pay the price. —Amazon.Com |