The Giver by Lois Lowry

Should I have read this book years ago? Probably. Did I? No. The Giver is one of those books that has been on my list to read for years, but I never got around to doing it – until now. Man, was I missing out. The Giver is about a boy named Jonas who lives in a “perfect” society. No one fights. Everyone is precise in how they speak and never lies. At twelve, you receive your assignment for your perfect profession. And every family unit has two parents and two children. Sounds perfect, right? The only problem is to gain this perfection; they gave up everything that makes life worth living – deep connections/emotions, music, even color.

What makes this book so fascinating is how Lois Lowry can convey such tension without the use of loud or severe conflict. No major fight scene makes up the climax of this book. It was super easy to grade because the whole premise skews away from anything inappropriate for children. It earned straight As pretty easily.

While I enjoyed reading The Giver, its pacing is slower than the average novel today. I found this refreshing and exactly what this type of story needed. However, if you’re looking for something action-packed, this may not be the book for you. If you want a book that takes you into a fascinating world and shows beautifully why all emotions should be cherished, this book is perfect.

I can’t wait to read the rest of the books in the series.

If you want, you can buy The Giver here.