Book Review: The Giver

Jonas's society has eliminated pain, fear, hunger, war, hatred and the "burden" of choice. His career as "Receiver of Memories" is chosen for him at age 12, and he soon learns that in order to live in a society free from the bad, good was eliminated in the process. Emotions are stifled; love is forbidden, and even the ability to perceive color has been genetically wiped from the people. The "Receiver of Memories" keeps the memories of all of these emotions and details about the past. Once Jonas is given these memories, he is awakened to the realization that life void of love and even pain is not a meaningful life at all. Jonas makes efforts to change the society for the better, meeting trouble along the way.

I love The Giver. I would teach it in a classroom because not only is it a great lead-in to other books such as 1984, Fahrenheit 451, and more, but it brings up so many ideas about humanity. This simple book is very powerful, and is a great introduction to dystopian literature. It also raises the question of what defines humanity and causes the reader to reflect on the social structures we create. - Becca (Sunset)