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Reading age
10+
Genre
Dystopian
Publisher
Clarion Books
Publication date
July 1, 1993
A 12-year-old boy is given a unique job with many burdens.
Jonas lives in a society where everything is orderly, and every day is the same as the other. It’s almost the ceremony of the Twelves, where Jonas will receive his job assignment. Jonas is nervous about his future and has a right to be. His job as the Receiver of Memory, the most crucial position, is to hold on to all of the memories since the remembering of everyone had been removed long ago. Jonas will try with everything he got and will discover a terrifying truth about his society.
I preferred to read it on my own accord because a book given as an assignment could be more enjoyable. After you read each chapter, you must be issued some work summarizing that part. That’s what makes the reading slightly unpleasant.
The story could have been better, it’s a bit dull, but the plot kept me wanting to read more. At first, the society in which Jonas lives seems like a perfect place to be. But who would like their memories taken away?
Jonas is a curious person. He was always open-minded to the memories he received. On the other hand, his little sister, Lily, was a little bratty. The Giver (Jonas’ mentor for his new job) is a mysterious character; I’d like to know more about him.
The theme of The Giver is that great power comes with great responsibility. I recommend this book to Dystopian fans who like a brave and capable hero.
My rating
About the author
“Lois Lowry, author of over twenty novels and twice winner of the Newbery Medal (for The Giver and Number the Stars), was born on 20 March 1937 in Hawaii. Her father was an Army dentist and the family lived worldwide. Now divorced, she lives in West Cambridge with her dog, Bandit, and spends weekends in her nineteenth-century farmhouse in New Hampshire.” – Book Depository.
More by the author
Number the stars; Please read my review here.