Throwback Thursday: The Giver

Lesley Anne and I are life-long readers; that is, we have loved reading our whole lives. Sure, we played football at recess with the boys, but we also had at least 4 books checked out from our school library at all times. We thought a fun way to showcase the books that solidified our love of literature at a young age is to put a bookish twist on the ever-popular Throwback Thursday meme. If you, too, started your love affair with books as soon as you learned to read, you will probably recognize a lot of these titles. If your love of reading was something acquired later in life, you might have missed these gems. These books are near and dear to our hearts in a special way; it is through them we first learned the hidden power of words and imagination. The beauty of these books is that they remain just as wonderful to re-read as an adult. Ahh, the power of nostalgia :)

The Vitals

The Giver  by Lois Lowry

Release Date: 1 January 1993

Page Count: 179

Genre: Fantasy [Dystopian]

Target Audience: Middle Grades, Young Adult

Series: The Giver Quartet #1

Source and Format: Purchased; Paperback

Summary (From Goodreads)
Jonas' world is perfect. Everything is under control. There is no war or fear or pain. There are no choices. Every person is assigned a role in the Community. When Jonas turns twelve, he is singled out to receive special training from The Giver. The Giver alone holds the memories of the true pain and pleasure of life. Now, it is time for Jonas to receive the truth. There is no turning back.

Notes on The Giver

It is really hard to pick books for this particular post. There are so many books that are near and dear to my heart that I want all of you to know them and love them as I do. When I found out a couple of weeks ago that Hollywood is turning this timeless tale into a movie I knew this had to be my next TBT.

Everyone needs to read this book at some point in their lives, preferably before the movie comes out.

I first read this book in 5th grade and I have been unable to shake it ever since. It was a first for me in many ways- my first understanding of what it meant to be "other", my first dystopian novel, and it awakened an understanding that knowledge can be painful. It helped me to understand that the world is a big place and not to shun things I do not understand. Sounds like a lot for a children's book, I know. But it is true, nonetheless. These are still things I mull over as a 26 year old grad student; these are issues that I discuss with my undergrad students. And I can trace these questions and thoughts and musings and fantasies back to a single source- The Giver. Its brilliance lies in the fact that it communicates big, universal questions in a way that elementary age kids can grasp and begin to think about on their own. Does everyone immediately feel this way about it? No, I would imagine not. I know I didn't as a 5th grader. But the more you ponder it and the more life you live, the more you are able to understand the complexity of the story.

Please don't think this book is an existential nightmare and will keep you up at night pondering the mysteries of the universe. It won't. It is a story, with memorable characters and world building. You will be drawn into the story by Lowry's writing style. It fits the story perfectly; it is not too flowery or too stringent. She captures 12 year old Jonas' voice perfectly. This to me is dystopian at its finest. It is not that the monstrous beings have taken over the planet or that war has caused a nuclear meltdown and everyone is trying to rebuild. The focus of the dystopia is people in general; everyday people just like you and me. I don't want to give anything away, but it is similar to very popular trilogy that has been published in more recent years. Even if you do not love dystopian fantasy, I am fairly confident that you can find it in you to appreciate what Lowry is doing. And perhaps, even to identify with Jonas a bit.

Overall Diagnosis

Memorable Quotes

“They were satisfied with their lives which had none of the vibrance his own was taking on. And he was angry at himself, that he could not change that for them.”

“The worst part of holding the memories is not the pain. It's the loneliness of it. Memories need to be shared.”

“He knew that there was no quick comfort for emotions like those. They were deeper and they did not need to be told. They were felt.”