The Giver Book Review

What would your community be like if everyone was completely equal? Who would be in charge? What information would be withheld from citizens? Lois Lowry's book The Giver is a great story that tells about the struggles of a young boy in this type of community.

The setting of this book is sometime in the future. The weather is always the same with no rain or snow. There are no hills and the temperature is always mild. Jonas lives in this community with his family. Here, students go to school until they are twelve then they are assigned their occupation. From then on, they spend their time working at this specific job.

When Jonas turns twelve, he goes to his assignment ceremony and is told he will be the next "Giver." Unsure of what this job actually is, Jonas is nervous to start. On his first day, Jonas goes to see a man who is the current giver. He tells him that the giver is the one chosen to hold all the memories of the past. They keep these memories from the public because some are much too painful for the average person to deal with. The giver then begins to transfer all his memories to Jonas. Some are happy and loving but others are harsh and show scenes of war, hate, and other negative things that don't exist in Jonas's time.

Will Jonas be able to handle all of these truths? How will he react to some of the harsh realities that he has been sheltered from his entire life? I would highly recommend this book to anyone. It was a great story and really inspired me to think outside the box.