Review of “The Giver,” by Lois Lowry

the giver lois lowry 194x300 “The Giver,” by Lois Lowry “The Giver,” by Lois Lowry is a Newberry Award Medal science fiction novel about a boy living in a Utopian community of the future. It is designed to be read in parallel with “Gathering Blue” and “Messenger.”

Twelve-year-old Jonas lives in a world that is seemingly perfect. There is no conflict, war, poverty or suffering. Everyone seems to be happy, respecting each other and working together. Everyone is employed, working special jobs chosen by elders who have observed them for years to determine their strengths.

In Jonas community there is a annual ceremony in which the twelve year olds are assigned the special jobs that they will work for the rest of their lives. When it comes time for Jonas to receive his job, though, he is given a special role that he has never heard of: Receiver of Memory. This special job places him under the apprenticeship of one of the most important people in the community, a man called The Giver.

As Jonas learns from this old man he comes to realize that the reality of his world is quite different from what he expected. The Giver helps Jonas to see things around him in an entirely different way by teaching him about the way life used to be in the past and by passing on hereditary memories from centuries ago. Suddenly Jonas realizes that the flat world that he has always known used to have hills and mountains. The eternal summer used to be broken up into four seasons. Even the people used to be quite different. Over the years science has modified human genetics so that everyone is color blind and can not hear music. The ordinary people around Jonas don’t know what real emotions are, because true love and joy have been taken away from them. Only Jonas and The Giver can remember the way things used to be in the past.

I feel that “The Giver” is a very meaningful book. Lois Lowry’s depiction of a world that has done away with variety and emotions in an attempt to avoid war and suffering is a striking warning for people today. As in her other books, Lois Lowry, has created a full featured world that has its own customs, legends, and rules. The characters in “The Giver” are also well developed. Their emotions and dialog in imparts a three dimensional effect that makes the unique plot stick in the reader’s mind long after the book is closed. I definitely recommend “The Giver” because it is a meaningful science fiction novel.

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