“The Giver” Book Review
By Ryan, Grade 12
“The Giver” is a science fiction novel written by Lois Lowry. It was released in 1993 and was also adapted into a film that was released in 2014. The book takes place in a seemingly ideal society where nobody has to experience any pain or suffering, and everyone experiences “Sameness”. In this simple and orderly society, there is one person selected as the “Receiver of Memory”, who is responsible for keeping all of the memories of what society was like in the past before “Sameness” became the norm. It is so unsettling to think about living in a world where things like emotions, fear, colour, hunger, and freedom do not exist. Lois Lowry does a wonderful job at showing how a controlled world that is supposed to be perfect is actually representative of a dystopian society. Overall, I would rate this book a 3/5 stars.
The book is about a 12-year-old boy named Jonas, who is selected to be the next Receiver of Memory at his Ceremony of Twelve. This is the ceremony where all children aged twelve are assigned a career by the Elders for the rest of their life. Jonas meets the previous Receiver of Memory, called “The Giver”, and he has to start his training. Jonas begins receiving memories of things like going down a snowy hill on a sled and rainbows. While he enjoys the feelings that these memories bring him, he also has to experience the pain of memories about things like war and hunger.
I would recommend reading “The Giver” to people who enjoy the genre of science fiction and who especially like to read about dystopian societies. The book is filled with interesting details about how the society functions with “Sameness”, and it is fascinating to experience everything through Jonah’s eyes, as he begins to compare the society that he knows to the memories that he receives of the past. Lois Lowry writes about a very intriguing concept, and it is a great book to read if you want to reflect.