Lois Lowry’s novel The Giver follows the twelve-year-old Jonas as he comes into maturity in his futuristic, dystopian world. Famine, poverty, and sickness are eliminated, and what is left is a world of equal opportunity ruled by an omnipotent Committee of Elders who have the final say in all decisions within the community. It is the Committee of Elders that assigns Jonas his role of Receiver in the community, preparing him to take the place of The Giver. In this position, Jonas realizes that his role becomes that of a burden bearer, taking on all of the painful memories of the community so that it can remain living in a state of peace and tranquility. The training that Jonas undergoes for this role, however, introduces him to the horrors that his community commits to maintain this state of peace. Jonas is then faced with the morally ambiguous choice of continuing to allow his community to commit horrors in the name of perfection, or force his community to face the crimes it has committed and ultimately plunge it into chaos and turmoil?​



     The Giver deals with very serious themes, such as sexual awakening, war, and even infanticide. Throughout the story, both Jonas and the reader face difficult decisions with no clear answers. It takes these themes and presents them in a way that forces young adults to think critically about them, encouraging a deep engagement with the text. The novel is complex, and Lowry trusts her readers fully to comprehend this complexity.



Lowry, L. (1993). The Giver. New York, NY: Bantam Books.

Reviews​​
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Check out some great book reviews of Lowry's The Giver here and here!



​​​Extras



The Giver Book Trailer



And check out Lowry's speech at the Book Expo America below, in which she talks about her new book Son, the fourth book in The Giver series.



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