The Giver

The Giver by Lois Lowry gives and interesting perspective on how a utopia could work. With Lowry's great presentation of moral issues and thought provoking ideas, I found myself addicted to her book.

The themes of The Giver are very complex. The "community" as it is called has many moral issues, of witch most people are oblivious. The possibility of a utopia is also explored.

Lowry's characters are not well described, however this does not matter. A principle theme of the book is that all the characters are more or less the same and differences are not mention. Given that the book is from the point of view of a "community" member, people are not described.

The Giver is set in a futuristic Utopian community. All parts of the community life are controlled to a point were accidental deaths are very very rare. Genetic engineering has made all members of the community more or less the same. This setting gives Lowry's novel an interesting feel, as it is so different.

Jonas is an eleven in the "community." His ceremony of the twelve is coming shortly and Jonas is becoming nervous. The ceremony of the twelve is the time when a child is assigned his or her career for the rest of his or her life. Jonas is not nervous he will not get his desired job, as people take extensive notes on the children to ensure the right selection. He is more apprehensive about what his career will be. Then when his turn comes to be given a career, the announcer skips. This seemingly clerical error leads Jonas into a life that he never expected to have or even knew existed.

I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone. For kids, the plot is simple and easy to understand. For adults, the plot provokes many moral conversations and thoughts.