Fabulous Finds: The Giver

This week's Fabulous Find is The Giver. I've read The Giver before but it was a really long time ago. I think at least 15 years as I was in high school at the time. However, I had this on my bookshelf and decided to give it another go when I saw it on the book list given by my professor. The Giver is the first of a trilogy (soon to be quartet as the author has finished a fourth book recently!) by Lois Lowry.

This is the book description of The Giver found on Amazon.com:

Jonas's world is perfect. Everything is under control. There is no war or fear of pain. There are no choices. Every person is assigned a role in the community. When Jonas turns 12 he is singled out to receive special training from The Giver. The Giver alone holds the memories of the true pain and pleasure of life. Now, it is time for Jonas to receive the truth. There is no turning back.

Short, sweet, and mysterious. Love it! This is the review given by me:

Jonas is not your typical soon-to-be 12 year old. He tries very hard to excel at everything he does. He chooses his vocabulary wisely, doesn't get into trouble, and wants very much to fit into his perfect community harmoniously. When he turns 12, he goes through a ceremony held by the entire community to assign Jonas to a specific job. He receives a job that is held to the highest honor and Jonas seems to be perfect to work closely with a man known as The Giver.
During his training, The Giver puts Jonas through a lot and introduces him to many wonders of a world Jonas knew nothing about. However, in addition to wonderful experiences, The Giver also introduces Jonas to turmoil and tragedy.
Jonas knows now that his world will never be the same. The way he sees his community, his friends, and even his family has forever changed.

I loved reading The Giver. Currently you can throw a stone and find at least 3 dystopian/utopian type novels at your reach but The Giver stands alone. In a way, The Giver paved the way for books such as Divergent, The Hunger Games, and Unwind.

Now my only complaint is the ending. There isn't really one. It leaves you hanging suddenly with a thousand questions on your mind. Now a friend mentioned that during high school, their assignment after reading this novel was to write their own continuation. If I was a high school teacher, that assignment would be perfect. Also, this book reminds me very strongly of a book called, Matched. That book also has a utopian society where everything is chosen for you. It would be interesting to have junior high or high school classes read both and do a comparison.

Until next week...Happy Reading!!
-CM (reading "The Hunger Games" by S. Collins....for the millionth time)