In some future version of our world, mankind has elected to go the route of "Sameness." There is no pain, no memories, no differences of any notable kind. The land is flat, the weather is regulated, color is nonexistent, and every aspect of life is segmented, pretermined, and utterly controlled. Nobody minds, because nobody has ever known any different. Nobody, that is, but the Giver.
Realizing the danger of permanently discarding the collective memories and emotions of society, the Elders have determined that one person alone should bear the weight of past experience. This person, the Giver, assures society is able to move along smoothly, and can be called upon as needed for advice when the wisdom derived from the memories is needed. When 12-year old Jonas is selected to be the next Giver, he has no idea what lies in store for him. As he begins to see the true emptiness of the world he has always known, will he be able to remain a part of it, or will knowledge destroy him forever?
Lois Lowry's "The Giver" is a highly-regarded classic of YA literature, and rightfully so. Within a relatively brief span, Lowry is able to paint a compelling picture of a unusual dystopian future - a future terrible not for its discord and misery, but for its pleasant, bland sameness. As the book moves into its highly symbolic, ambiguous final act, Lowry somehow manages to paint an abstract picture in words, providing a resolution that you inherently seem to understand is correct, without really answering any questions. But that's the way it goes with knowledge. Each answer only leads to more questions.
A beautiful work, "The Giver" truly is a book that has the power to live forever in the minds and hearts of those who read it. The ambiguousness Lowry veils her story in ensures readers will be mulling over the implications, and drawing their own conclusions, well after the last page has been read. A Newbery winner, "The Giver" remains a timeless classic for the ages, which children and adults can share.
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