The Giver

Lowry, Lois. The Giver. 2006. 179p. ISBN 0385732554. Available as a book at FIC LOW, as an eBook and as an audiobook on Overdrive.

Jonas lives in a perfect world. Designed to be self-sufficient, the citizens of the community do not suffer, but also do not experience pleasure. A committee of elders make all the decisions. At age 1, all children are assigned a name and are adopted by a family. At age 7, children get their own coats with buttons in front to replace those from previous years with buttons in the back, which require the help of another. At age 8, they begin volunteering at different jobs. At age 9, they get a bicycle, allowing them the freedom to circulate. And at age 12, they are appointed as apprentice to the job the committee determined they would be best suited for. Individuals who cannot meet the community standards or who are old and cannot contribute are “released.”

On the eve of his age 12 ceremony, Jonas’ world is changing. He’s getting ready to become an adult, and he is looking forward to it. But when he is appointed the Receiver of Memories, he is stunned. Only once in a great while is someone appointed to this position. Now, he will be trained to replace the current Receiver. The Receiver of Memories acts as a repository for all memories of the community from times past until now. Memories of love, of happiness, of snow, of sailing, of summer. But also memories of pain, war, famine, accidents. The Receiver holds on to all of these memories so that the community does not suffer them.

As new Receiver of Memories, Jonas does not know what to call his trainer. The man tells Jonas to call him the Giver, as he is giving him the memories one at a time. The Giver gives him memories, but as they share knowledge, Jonas begins to realize that the community and its underpinning social system is not necessarily just or better than societies in older times. Truths that have been hidden from him are slowly revealed. The removal of choice, Jonas notices, prevents people from making mistakes, but also deprives them of the pleasures he’s experiencing in his new memories. When Jonas finds out that “release” involves euthanasia, he is very perplexed. When he finds out that the baby the family has been taken care of is slated for “release,” he decides to intervene and kidnap it before its execution. Can Jonas find shelter for himself and Gabe before they die of starvation or worse, before they are caught by the community?

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