The Giver
has seared the top-ten bestseller bookshelves, sold over 10 million copies, and
made into a movie that's presently in the cinema.…twenty years after its
publication.
You'd almost think it
was dug out of grandpa's yard sale.
But then again, Time!
The corrector when our judgments err, as Lord Byron mournfully puts it: a
reminder that we are pretty darn dense when it comes to knowing what's good for
us. Poor old Poe probably had a fit when people finally started getting
into his poetry…when he was already dead.
Great dystopians, as you’ve
probably noticed, are the 'jeggings' of the modern book world. Maybe it's the
growing fear of advancing technology gaining its autocratic control, harvesting
your secret thoughts and emotions, storing them in a big scary system...oops,
no, that's Twitter.
But let’s get back to
Lois Lowry’s buzzing sensation, which, I must add, was also awarded the 1994
Newbery Medal: "the
most distinguished contribution to American literature for children"
(Which is, pretty much, the Lamborghini of cars as far as awards go).
What
is this book about:
Jonas lives in a seemingly 'utopian' community, where everything from family,
to food, to spouse, to career, is carefully pre-selected. When he turns 12, he
is given the job of 'Memory Receiver'.
What I think about this book: Simplicity’s got a loud
voice. The writing makes for an exceptionally easy read that simultaneously
leaves you to grapple with unexpected profundity: growing up, fear and courage,
human values, and free will. How perfect is perfection? Are we safe in
ignorance? And, most intriguing, what can you change once you have the power of
knowledge?
Who should read this book: The blind, the seekers, the young and the old
