The Giver by Lois Lowry (1993)
Cover of The Giver
One-sentence summary: The Giver depicts a dystopian society where all choice is removed from life, but one person is chosen to remember what life used to be like, with all its pain, yes, but also with its true emotions and its beauty, which have been lost.
My rating: Between 4 and 5 stars
When read: January 2008
Why read: I was catching up on dystopian young adult classics published after I was no longer a young adult.
Impressions: This book was published too late for me to have read it as a child, although it would have been something I would have really enjoyed back then. This book is a bit too simplistic for the adult reader, but it’s a nice introduction to some weighty themes for younger readers.
Current status: I kept a copy of this book for my son to read someday. I would probably reread it with him.
Fun facts:
- The band Jonas Sees in Color chose their name based on this book, citing the story’s protagonist’s inability to see in color until he takes on the role of the Giver.
If you liked this book, then you might also like:
- A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
- Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
- The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
- Lord of the Flies by William Golding
A wrinkle in time and the rest of that series were my favorites, then became my son’s favorites as well. Haven’t read the Giver, maybe one of these days.
Comment by livingsimplyfree — June 30, 2012 @ 5:46 pm
I don’t think that The Giver necessarily doesn’t work for an adult reader. True, the writing style is simplistic and geared for children, but that doesn’t negate the power of its story, its message, and its lovely ambiguity (assuming, of course, that you pretend that the “sequels” do not exist as continuations of this story…). Granted, I read this as a kid, but even when I revisit it as an adult, I’m struck by the many themes and issues raised that I was fully able to grasp as a child and can further delve into as an adult.
Comment by Biblibio — July 4, 2012 @ 4:20 am
Biblibio – That was just my impression. I’ve found that rereading childhood favorites as an adult is more rewarding than reading them for the first time as an adult, because you can compare and expand your understanding, as you say. Maybe it would also be better to read these books aloud to a child and discuss the book with them.
Comment by Shannon — July 16, 2012 @ 9:40 am
[...] novel reminded me quite a lot of a grown-up The Giver. Loss of autonomy, individualism and freedom of choice is the trade-off for absolute security. The [...]
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