The Giver: A Newbery Award Winner

By Lois Lowry

In Lois Lowry’s Newbery Medal–winning classic, twelve-year-old Jonas lives in a seemingly ideal world. Not until he is given his life assignment as the Receiver does he begin to understand the dark secrets behind his fragile community.

Life in the community where Jonas lives is idyllic. Designated birthmothers produce newchildren, who are assigned to appropriate family units. Citizens are assigned their partners and their jobs. No one thinks to ask questions. Everyone obeys. Everyone is the same. Except Jonas.

Not until he is given his life assignment as the Receiver of Memory does he begin to understand the dark, complex secrets behind his fragile community. Gradually Jonas learns that power lies in feelings. But when his own power is put to the test—when he must try to save someone he loves—he may not be ready. Is it too soon? Or too late?

Told with deceptive simplicity, this is the provocative story of a boy who experiences something incredible and undertakes something impossible. In the telling it questions every value we have taken for granted and reexamines our most deeply held beliefs.

The Giver has become one of the most influential novels of our time. Don't miss the powerful companion novels in Lois Lowry's Giver Quartet: Gathering Blue, Messenger, and Son.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Apr 26, 1993
• ISBN: 9780547345901

Lois Lowry

LOIS LOWRY, author of over thirty novels and twice winner of the Newbery Medal for The Giver and Number the Stars,was born on the 20th of March 1937 in Hawaii. Her father was an Army dentist and the family lived all over the world. She went to Brown University, but left to get married and a raise a family of four children. She settled in Maine, and returned to college receiving a degree from the University of Southern Maine. She fulfilled a childhood dream when she started writing in the 1970s.

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Copyright

Copyright © 1993 by Lois Lowry

Ever After copyright © 2018 by Lois Lowry

Newbery Acceptance Speech copyright © 1994 by Lois Lowry

Educator resources additional content © HarperCollins Publishers LLC

All rights reserved. Originally published in hardcover in the United States by Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, 1993.

No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. For information address HarperCollins Children’s Books, a division of HarperCollins Publishers, 195 Broadway, New York, NY 10007.

clarionbooks.com

Cover photography © Lois Lowry (old man) and Getty Images (boy)

Cover design by Charles Brock, Faceout Studio, and Whitney Leader-Picone

The Library of Congress has cataloged the hardcover edition as follows:

The giver / by Lois Lowry

p. cm.

Summary: Given his lifetime assignment at the Ceremony of Twelve, Jonas becomes the receiver of memories shared by only one other in his community and discovers the terrible truth about the society in which he lives.

[1. Science fiction.] I. Title.

PZ7.L9673Gi 1993 92-15034

[Fic]—dc20 CIP AC

ISBN: 978-1-328-47122-2 hardcover

ISBN: 978-0-544-33626-1 paperback

eISBN 978-0-547-34590-1 v15.0821

Dedication

For all the children

to whom we entrust the future

One

---

I

t was almost

December, and Jonas was beginning to be frightened. No. Wrong word, Jonas thought. Frightened meant that deep, sickening feeling of something terrible about to happen. Frightened was the way he had felt a year ago when an unidentified aircraft had overflown the community twice. He had seen it both times. Squinting toward the sky, he had seen the sleek jet, almost a blur at its high speed, go past, and a second later heard the blast of sound that followed. Then one more time, a moment later, from the opposite direction, the same plane.

At first, he had been only fascinated. He had never seen aircraft so close, for it was against the rules for Pilots to fly over the community. Occasionally, when supplies were delivered by cargo planes to the landing field across the river, the children rode their bicycles to the riverbank and watched, intrigued, the unloading and then the takeoff directed to the west, always away from the community.

But the aircraft a year ago had been different. It was not a squat, fat-bellied cargo plane but a needle-nosed single-pilot jet. Jonas, looking around anxiously, had seen others—adults as well as children—stop what they were doing and wait, confused, for an explanation of the frightening event.

Then all of the citizens had been ordered to go into the nearest building and stay there.

immediately

, the rasping voice through the speakers had said.

leave your bicycles where they are.

Instantly, obediently, Jonas had dropped his bike on its side on the path behind his family’s dwelling. He had run indoors and stayed there, alone. His parents were both at work, and his little sister, Lily, was at the Childcare Center where she spent her after-school hours.

Looking through the front window, he had seen no people: none of the busy afternoon crew of Street Cleaners, Landscape Workers, and Food Delivery people who usually populated the community at that time of day. He saw only the abandoned bikes here and there on their sides; an upturned wheel on one was still revolving slowly.

He had been frightened then. The sense of his own community silent, waiting, had made his stomach churn. He had trembled.

But it had been nothing. Within minutes the speakers had crackled again, and the voice, reassuring now and less urgent, had explained that a Pilot-in-Training had misread his navigational instructions and made a wrong turn. Desperately the Pilot had been trying to make his way back before his error was noticed.

needless to say, he will be released

, the voice had said, followed by silence. There was an ironic tone to that final message, as if the Speaker found it amusing; and Jonas had smiled a little, though he knew what a grim statement it had been. For a contributing citizen to be released from the community was a final decision, a terrible punishment, an overwhelming statement of failure.

Even the children were scolded if they used the term lightly at play, jeering at a teammate who missed a catch or stumbled in a race. Jonas had done it once, had shouted at his best friend, That’s it, Asher! You’re released! when Asher’s clumsy error had lost a match for his team. He had been taken aside for a brief and serious talk by the coach, had hung his head with guilt and embarrassment, and apologized to Asher after the game.

Now, thinking about the feeling of fear as he pedaled home along the river path, he remembered that moment of palpable, stomach-sinking terror when the aircraft had streaked above. It was not what he was feeling now with December approaching. He searched for the right word to describe his own feeling.

Jonas was careful about language. Not like his friend, Asher, who talked too fast and mixed things up, scrambling words and phrases until they were barely recognizable and often very funny.

Jonas grinned, remembering the morning that Asher had dashed into the classroom, late as usual, arriving breathlessly in the middle of the chanting of the morning anthem. When the class took their seats at the conclusion of the patriotic hymn, Asher remained standing to make his public apology as was required.

I apologize for inconveniencing my learning community. Asher ran through the standard apology phrase rapidly, still catching his breath. The Instructor and class waited patiently for his explanation. The students had all been grinning, because they had listened to Asher’s explanations so many times before.

"I left home at the correct time but when I was riding along near the hatchery, the crew was separating some salmon. I guess I just got distraught, watching them.

I apologize to my classmates, Asher concluded. He smoothed his rumpled tunic and sat down.

We accept your apology, Asher. The class recited the standard response in unison. Many of the students were biting their lips to keep from laughing.

I accept your apology, Asher, the Instructor said. He was smiling. And I thank you, because once again you have provided an opportunity for a lesson in language. ‘Distraught’ is too strong an adjective to describe salmon-viewing. He turned and wrote distraught on the instructional board. Beside it he wrote distracted.

Jonas, nearing his home now, smiled at the recollection. Thinking, still, as he wheeled his bike into its narrow port beside the door, he realized that frightened was the wrong word to describe his feelings, now that December was almost here. It was too strong an adjective.

He had waited a long time for this special December. Now that it was almost upon him, he wasn’t frightened, but he was . . . eager, he decided. He was eager for it to come. And he was excited, certainly. All of the Elevens were excited about the event that would be coming so soon.

But there was a little shudder of nervousness when he thought about it, about what might happen.

Apprehensive, Jonas decided. That’s what I am.

---

Who wants to be the first tonight, for feelings? Jonas’s father asked, at the conclusion of their evening meal.

It was one of the rituals, the evening telling of feelings. Sometimes Jonas and his sister, Lily, argued over turns, over who would get to go first. Their parents, of course, were part of the ritual; they, too, told their feelings each evening. But like all parents—all adults—they didn’t fight and wheedle for their turn.

Nor did Jonas, tonight. His feelings were too complicated this evening. He wanted to share them, but he wasn’t eager to begin the process of sifting through his own complicated emotions, even with the help that he knew his parents could give.

You go, Lily, he said, seeing his sister, who was much younger—only a Seven—wiggling with impatience in her chair.

I felt very angry this afternoon, Lily announced. "My Childcare group was at the play area, and we had a visiting group of Sevens, and they didn’t obey the rules at all. One of them—a male; I don’t know his name—kept going right to the front of the line for the slide, even though the rest of us were all waiting. I felt so angry at him. I made my hand into a fist, like this." She held up a clenched fist and the rest of the family smiled at her small defiant gesture.

Why do you think the visitors didn’t obey the rules? Mother asked.

Lily considered, and shook her head. I don’t know. They acted like . . . like . . .

Animals? Jonas suggested. He laughed.

That’s right, Lily said, laughing too. Like animals. Neither child knew what the word meant, exactly, but it was often used to describe someone uneducated or clumsy, someone who didn’t fit in.

Where were the visitors from? Father asked.

Lily frowned, trying to remember. Our leader told us, when he made the welcome speech, but I can’t remember. I guess I wasn’t paying attention. It was from another community. They had to leave very early, and they had their midday meal on the bus.

Mother nodded. Do you think it’s possible that their rules may be different? And so they simply didn’t know what your play area rules were?

Lily shrugged, and nodded. I suppose.

You’ve visited other communities, haven’t you? Jonas asked. My group has, often.

Lily nodded again. When we were Sixes, we went and shared a whole school day with a group of Sixes in their community.

How did you feel when you were there?

Lily frowned. I felt strange. Because their methods were different. They were learning usages that my group hadn’t learned yet, so we felt stupid.

Father was listening with interest. I’m thinking, Lily, he said, about the boy who didn’t obey the rules today. Do you think it’s possible that he felt strange and stupid, being in a new place with rules that he didn’t know about?

Lily pondered that. Yes, she said, finally.

I feel a little sorry for him, Jonas said, even though I don’t even know him. I feel sorry for anyone who is in a place where he feels strange and stupid.

How do you feel now, Lily? Father asked. Still angry?

I guess not, Lily decided. I guess I feel a little sorry for him. And sorry I made a fist. She grinned.

Jonas smiled back at his sister. Lily’s feelings were always straightforward, fairly simple, usually easy to resolve. He guessed that his own had been, too, when he was a Seven.

He listened politely, though not very attentively, while his father took his turn, describing a feeling of worry that he’d had that day at work: a concern about one of the newchildren who wasn’t doing well. Jonas’s father’s title was Nurturer. He and the other Nurturers were responsible for all the physical and emotional needs of every newchild during its earliest life. It was a very important job, Jonas knew, but it wasn’t one that interested him much.

What gender is it? Lily asked.

Male, Father said. He’s a sweet little male with a lovely disposition. But he isn’t growing as fast as he should, and he doesn’t sleep soundly. We have him in the extra care section for supplementary nurturing, but the committee’s beginning to talk about releasing him.

"Oh, no, Mother murmured sympathetically. I know how sad that must make you feel."

Jonas and Lily both nodded sympathetically as well. Release of newchildren was always sad, because they hadn’t had a chance to enjoy life within the community yet. And they hadn’t done anything wrong.

There were only two occasions of release which were not punishment. Release of the elderly, which was a time of celebration for a life well and fully lived; and release of a newchild, which always brought a sense of what-could-we-have-done. This was especially troubling for the Nurturers, like Father, who felt they had failed somehow. But it happened very rarely.

Well, Father said, I’m going to keep trying. I may ask the committee for permission to bring him here at night, if you don’t mind. You know what the night-crew Nurturers are like. I think this little guy needs something extra.

Of course, Mother said, and Jonas and Lily nodded. They had heard Father complain about the night crew before. It was a lesser job, night-crew nurturing, assigned to those who lacked the interest or skills or insight for the more vital jobs of the daytime hours. Most of the people on the night crew had not even been given spouses because they lacked, somehow, the essential capacity to connect to others, which was required for the creation of a family unit.

Maybe we could even keep him, Lily suggested sweetly, trying to look innocent. The look was fake, Jonas knew; they all knew.

Lily, Mother reminded her, smiling, you know the rules.

Two children—one male, one female—to each family unit. It was written very clearly in the rules.

Lily giggled. Well, she said, I thought maybe just this once.

---

Next, Mother, who held a prominent position at the Department of Justice, talked about her feelings. Today a repeat offender had been brought before her, someone who had broken the rules before. Someone who she hoped had been adequately and fairly punished, and who had been restored to his place: to his job, his home, his family unit. To see him brought before her a second time caused her overwhelming feelings of frustration and anger. And even guilt, that she hadn’t made a difference in his life.

I feel frightened, too, for him, she confessed. You know that there’s no third chance. The rules say that if there’s a third transgression, he simply has to be released. Jonas shivered. He knew it happened. There was even a boy in his group of Elevens whose father had been released years before. No one ever mentioned it; the disgrace was unspeakable. It was hard to imagine.

Lily stood up and went to her mother. She stroked her mother’s arm.

From his place at the table, Father reached over and took her hand. Jonas reached for the other.

One by one, they comforted her. Soon she smiled, thanked them, and murmured that she felt soothed.

The ritual continued. Jonas? Father asked. You’re last, tonight.

Jonas sighed. This evening he almost would have preferred to keep his feelings hidden. But it was, of course, against the rules.

I’m feeling apprehensive, he confessed, glad that the appropriate descriptive word had finally come to him.

Why is that, son? His father looked concerned.

I know there’s really nothing to worry about, Jonas explained, and that every adult has been through it. I know you have, Father, and you too, Mother. But it’s the Ceremony that I’m apprehensive about. It’s almost December.

Lily looked up, her eyes wide. The Ceremony of Twelve, she whispered in an awed voice. Even the smallest children—Lily’s age and younger—knew that it lay in the future for each of them.

I’m glad you told us of your feelings, Father said.

Lily, Mother said, beckoning to the little girl, Go on now and get into your nightclothes. Father and I are going to stay here and talk to Jonas for a while.

Lily sighed, but obediently she got down from her chair. Privately? she asked.

Mother nodded. Yes, she said, this talk will be a private one with Jonas.

Two

---

J

onas watched as

his father poured a fresh cup of coffee. He waited.

You know, his father finally said, every December was exciting to me when I was young. And it has been for you and Lily, too, I’m sure. Each December brings such changes.

Jonas nodded. He could remember the Decembers back to when he had become, well, probably a Four. The earlier ones were lost to him. But he observed them each year, and he remembered Lily’s earliest Decembers. He remembered when his family received Lily, the day she was named, the day

Reviews for The Giver

[Sibabrata De · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Quite an interesting story, a fast read which one would like.

[madmattreader · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Wow this held my attention all the way thru. Could not put it down. Would not want to live like that in the land of Sameness. Appreciate seeing in colors and making my own choices and having real feelings. Amazingly told story!

[benkaboo-51322 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Summary: Little kid living in a community, starts to see things differently and has to make some hard choices about his future and his relationship with that community.

Things I liked:

* Short and powerful: I like it when a book delivers in a couple of hundred vs. 1000 pages.
* Sparse descriptions: reminds me a bit of the glass bead game and Kafke's 'The Trial' I like the style as I find myself focusing more on what is written and why. With more flowery prose I sometimes find myself skimming.
* An enigmatic ending that had me guessing down to the last crumb. I remember thinking towards the end that if Jonas and Gabe die in the snow, it might be an interesting validation of the whole community vs. individual argument. Either 'he broke away but as a result he starved to death' or 'he starved to death but at least he died free' both would make for interesting feeling/reading.

Things I thought could be improved:

* I think the section of the plot with the Giver and his plan to leave all occurred a bit to quickly, I would have liked a few extra scenes to justify Jonas's decision to flee with Gabe. For example the Gabe argument was a great one but was just thrown in on top (part of the reason he stole his Dad's bike). I felt that could have been a whole scene.

Highlight: The bit when he revealed that the whole community had literally been seeing things in black in white I remember I was like 'woah' a bit like the sixth sense reveal.

[authentico · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I first read this book in high school, but I'm glad I picked it up again to read.At the beginning, the author throws you straight in, which can make the reader feel like an outsider and not sure about anything.The copy I had (e-book) had a number of missing spaces between words, and weird line spacing (where the line would finish, then the next word would be on the next line). Both of these happen multiple times which sometimes may for some frustrating reading.There are a number of things that happen in the book that happen in real life,"But the committee would never bother The Receiver with a question about bicycles; they would simply fret and argue about it themselves for years, until the citizens forgot that it had ever gone to them for study."There are a couple of times where the author moves forward (or back) a length of time without indicating it to the reader, which comes across as confusing.When I finished the book (which I did in one day) I'm not sure if it ended on a positive or negative note. I was almost in a haze for the rest of the day."Jonas frowned. "I wish we had those things, still. Just now and then."""It's the choosing that's important, isn't it?""The life where nothing was ever unexpected. Or inconvenient. Or unusual. The life without color, pain, or past."

[agentx216 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed this book a lot. For the YA audience it doesn't treat them as fools which is refreshing to see in that area of books. The story is very smart and Lowry does a good job of creating a world while, at the same time, not giving you all the answers - which may be a negative for some. The characters might read as stiff or unnatural but there is a reason behind that. For the longest time I didn't know this was part of a series but it can stand on its own. A good dystopian story with a great look at the human condition that has stood the test of time in between my 1st and 2nd reads (about 15 years). The one big nitpick I have is the ending that has never made any sense and just comes out of nowhere. That has always turned me off to the higher praise I could give it but I hear the other books unpack it more - here's hoping. Final Grade - A-

[foof2you · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A world where sameness is the norm. No color, no dissent,where big brother is watching. Where families talk about how they slept and did they dream at breakfast and how their day was at dinner.

[pferdina · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

People in the Community have chosen Sameness so that everyone lives well ordered, non troubled lives. Only one member of the Community is designated to keep the memories for all. When Jonas discovers the truth at age 12, he has to decide how to continue within this very strange world.

[luminous4path · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

A little too YA for my tastes, maybe it leans toward the younger end of YA since I usually enjoy YA.

[jynell-71874 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I love this book - so well written! I love the alternative world it draws me to, the themes... I love that I can read it again and again and in 1 day.

[mstrust · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Jonas lives with his family unit in a tightly ordered community that celebrates the milestones of childhood each year. This year, his younger sister is old enough to be given a bike and Jonas, at twelve, is old enough to be assigned the occupation he'll have for the rest of his working life. His friends are assigned to occupations that are expected and make them happy, while Jonas is given a job that no one could have suspected: a receiver of memories. Most of the community didn't even know this job existed.Every afternoon, Jonas meets with the Giver of these memories, a very elderly and isolated man who holds the memories of many people, and who shows Jonas what cold, warmth, love and joy feel like. He sees color for the first time, something that had been breed out of his people when leaders decided everyone should be the same, without differences and talents that would lead to envy. The insights into what he and his people have been missing leads Jonas to take unheard of actions.

[emabbott-206119 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great book, important themes. Read it with my son and had some great convos.

[thinktink93 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was a re-read (first read was in middle school).It was just as good as I remember.

[charon07 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

It was very good as far as it went, but it didn't go far enough. What happened to the community after Jonas left? Did those two die at the end? What was "beyond"? There could have been a better consideration of the pros and cons of the community's way of life.

[101reasonswhy · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Not sure how I made it through childhood and years of working in a bookstore without reading this book. It is a quick read but very well-written and thought provoking. I see why it is on so many summer reading lists.

The ending reminded me a bit of To build a fire but with slightly more ambiguity. Really wish that there had been one more paragraph where someone walks towards them from a house with warm windows and a lit tree.

[quondame · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This book asks the imprisoned child in Omelas to bite her keeper and escape into the sun. Of course we all are the child and the citizens of Omelas with our clever gadgets, easily procured clothing and sundries, we live less than we could and give less than we should for the most part. Using dystopic-utopias to ask what it is and what it requires to be human is part, asking what it costs is something else.

[sunbox-557222 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Lois Lowry, an acclaimed American author of children and young adult books, describes a society of Sameness that holds a dark truth, learned by a twelve-year-old boy who became the key to bring back humanity to their community in the Giver (April 26, 1993, HMH Books). The novel won the John Newbery Medal in 1994 and was turned into a movie in 2012.The Giver is the first dystopian novel I read back in 2000 and it still fascinates me after reading it again. I am amazed at the world Lowry created, the rules, the way of living, and the things they give up just to avoid pain of love, loss, and being human as a whole. To be human is to feel love and pain; rejecting this truth brings more harm than good.As I read along, I enjoyed getting to know the characters that are memorable. The community with its own unique, bland culture is fascinating. The ending left me hanging though and I was curious as to what happened to Jonas, Gabriel, and the citizens when they remembered the memories.The Giver is an easy read but enjoyable. You get transported to a world so different from what we know. Our society is far from perfect but with love, life is more meaningful.

[ssperson_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Fantastic book. I've intended to read it for a while, but my oldest son encouraged me to read it now because he wants to see the movie.

It can sometimes feel like were overwhelmed with dystopian novels, so it's important to remember that this predates The Hunger Games and its contemporary counterparts.

I definitely need to get the rest of the books in the series, as my son and I are both curious to learn what happens next.

[raeganzuyus · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I really loved this book and think students can learn so much about the importance of self acceptance, individuality, and emotions. It follows a boy named Jonas as he discovers a desire for something more after being shown memories that show him the joy of things like color and snow, but that wisdom also comes with knowledge of the painful aspects that come with human emotions. So we watch Jonas struggle with himself and his society as he figures out what to do now that he holds the truth. I said middle school for this book because it deals with murder, killing babies, and just really complex themes that I do not think elementary students would be able to comprehend.

[emscape · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Upon reading this again as an adult, I found this book quite a bit more depressing than I had remembered. Several of the bigger themes must have gone straight over my head. I also remember having been disappointed about the ending, but back then I didn't know that there were sequels. I'm excited to read the rest of this story.

[064-699196 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book discusses story of Jonas, an Eleven who lives in a society where everything is peaceful and ordered. He is about to go through the Ceremony of Twelve, where he is assigned a job. When he does go through the Ceremony, he receives an extremely elusive job that teaches him a lot about his world. He starts to gain memories which could alter everything he knows to be true.When I first started reading this book, I was a bit skeptical. My initial thought was that this book was going to be a bit boring like the the rest of the books I have been required to read for school. This book turned out to be incredible! It was full of so many twists and turns! It gave me a new perspective on what perfect means! Overall, I would rate this book five out of five stars!

[book58lover · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Lowry's description of a world without color is amazing. What an imagination. I can understand the controversy surrounding the plot but that shouldn't stop anyone from looking at the broader issues.

[payday1999-430350 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I remember reading this in school and I remember liking it. I'm very interested in seeing the movie. I don't remember reading the other books because back than it wasn't easy to keep track which books were in a series.

I can't wait to see where the author decided to take her book.

[mike_b-645943 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This was only half a book. The book is short and the second half of the story is missing.

[sami7-951065 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Nice & easy read. Has its good food for thought moments. It is a children book that has gone wild & resonated with adult audience.

[james.d.gifford · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I'm torn over this book. I read it quite a while ago, or at least vaguely remember doing so, and listened to the audiobook version this time around. I wasn't taken with the audiobook performance, in particular its musical interludes, which I thought were a little corny and little too overt in trying to guide the listener's affective response. I'm also torn over the book's ideological commitments. In a sense, it reads like a simplistic anti-Communist Cold War era SF warning against utopianism (shades of Heinlein or Rand?), but at the same time it keeps itself vague enough that nothing is ever certain, apart from its support for conservative social norms of the nuclear & heteronormative family, individualism, and personal property (and a 1950s nostalgia for the same 3 images).

I also resisted the gradual enveiling of what really ought to have been obvious to the reader from the first few pages (euthenasia). I could easy see pre-teens and early teens enjoying the narrative and not really sensing what its political commitments would be, apart from "freedom good" and "killing babies bad." I'm not sure where the author positions herself either, but if I had to choose between Ursula Le Guin's "The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas" and /The Giver/, it's the former. Then again, I want more than simply a narrative, and Lowry does give a decent narrative, so I may be expecting too much.

The ending also troubled me because it's, in many respects, so very close to the closing pages of Henry Treece's anarchist (not libertarian) stone age children's novel /The Dream Time/. Except that we see fairly clearly what Treece's ethical and ideological commitments are, even if his novel never strays into didacticism – and Lowry doesn't give us that…

[thetruebookaddict · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is the book that will make you very thankful for everything you experience, for everything you have, in life. The pleasure, the happiness, along with the pain and suffering.

What would life be like if everyone and everything were the same? The "sameness" in The Giver means there are none of the things I love...books, pets, holidays (Christmas), individuality, solitude, and the one thing which made me sob amidst the pages...family. Yes, there are "family units," but the parents are no longer involved in the lives of their children once they are grown. So, no grandparents being able to share the love of grandchildren. I can't even fathom it. I can't imagine my parents not being present in my whole life.

The Giver makes you think about what we sacrifice for sameness. Do we want to live in a society with no color, no individual freedoms? A society free of hunger, war, pain, yes...but at what cost? Never knowing joy, or true feelings of love for a child, or a significant other. This is a Dystopian society which seems not so bad, perhaps even ideal, on the surface, but the implications are far more concerning.

Once again, I saw the film (several years back) before reading this, and once again, the book is better. In Lowry's introduction, she mentioned receiving letters/emails from people stating the book was life changing. It is that. This is a book which needs to be picked up every so often to remind us of how precious our freedoms, and the lives we lead, really are, and to hold on to them at all cost.

[fuzzi_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I don't generally care for dystopian themes, but after getting a recommendation I decided to give this story a try.The reader is introduced to a society in which all feelings are reduced to the use of precise words, puberty is suppressed by medication, and nothing is ever upsetting. Everyone learns their role within the community, and those few who don't obey are removed, permanently.The author handles the subject well, through the eyes of 12 year old Jonas, showing how he begins to grow beyond the boundaries of the regimented world in which he lives, learning of emotions such as love. I was horrified along with Jonas as he discovered the total lack of empathy in the people around him, a reality he'd not been aware of before he started his sessions with The Giver.Recommended, definitely.

[leslie398 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Great dystopian novel for children - the society is clearly different from ours but isn't too miserable (such as in "The Hunger Games"), at least at first sight, so it is suitable for younger readers. Lowry does a great job through the character of the Giver of showing the choices that had been faced in the past to create the society, letting the reader ponder on whether the choice was good or bad or somewhere in between. As an adult reading this for the first time, certain things seemed obvious to me (such as the probable nature of being released) well before Jonas discovers the truth about them.

One comment about this Kindle edition - Don't read the past Chap. 23 to "Ever After" if you plan on reading the other books in the series! Lowry's discussion in this section is interesting but full of spoilers.

[obtusata · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

As someone who’s always questioned why we should do things just because they were always done this way, I was really drawn into this story. It does a good job of exploring the notion of “ignorance is bliss” while also showing how numbed we are to things that we are taught.

I’m not sure the characters were fully developed, especially not the Giver, though he was a one of the most important characters. And, Fiona, who felt more like a reason to see red hair, than anything.

Nonetheless, the book was incredibly thought provoking and I’m looking forward to the next in the series.

[drardavis · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I was a bit unsatisfied with the ending. It seemed too convenient. I was reading it as some sort of precognition, balancing the theme of memory. The magical transmission of memory was a good metaphysical sci-fi theme, and the dystopian society made me imagine PC culture gone further amok. But the ending troubled me, so I searched the electronic memory of the world, the internet. It appears I should have been reading the conclusion more symbolically. Several of the suggested of meanings make the book perfect for me. Thank you Sparknotes.