Book: Lois Lois Lowry. The Giver. Houghton Mifflin, 1994.
Awards: John Newberry Medal
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Science/Social Fiction
Summary: In this book, Jonas is selected as the Receiver of Memories. He receives memories from the Giver of the world back and back and back. As he begins to feel pain, love, happiness and all sorts of emotions, Jonas starts to see his world as a dystopian society rather than utopian. Jonas and the Giver decide to do what they can to share these powerful emotions with the rest of their community.
Audience: I would use this book in a 5th, 6th, 7th or 8th grade classroom depending on the students' reading levels.
Themes: Memory and the importance of it is a major theme or idea in this book. Lowry was inspired to write this book after realizing the importance of memory in her aging father who had lost most of his long-term memory. Without memory, the people of the community did not have a way of feeling pain. Without feeling pain, they did not know pleasure or true happiness. Once Jonas experiences pain, he then experiences pleasure. Memory is essential in this book.
The relationship between pain and pleasure is also an important idea or theme in this book. Throughout the story, Jonas, as well as the Giver, show us that you can't have pain without pleasure and you can't have pleasure without pain. The Committee of Elders realized this so they eliminated emotions all together. They do not feel true happiness, pain, or sorrow. Therefore, it is not saddening when a member of the community dies. Once Jonas starts feeling emotions, all emotions come like a wave crashing into him at once. You can't have one without the other.
Evidence:
“I knew that there had been times in the past-terrible times-when people had destroyed others in haste,in fear, and had brought about their own destruction.”
I chose this passage because it explains the way Jonas thought in the beginning of his training. He thought that not feeling any emotion was better than feeling pain. This is why the Community did not have feelings.
“I liked the feeling of love,' Jonas confessed. He glanced nervously at the speaker on the wall, reassuring himself that no one was listening. 'I wish we still had that,' he whispered. 'Of course,' he added quickly, 'I do understand that it wouldn't work very well. And that it's much better to be organized the way we are now. I can see that it was a dangerous way to live.'"
I chose this passage because it shows the first time that Jonas experience love. It is a very powerful emotion for Jonas and it was filled with passion. He starts to feel love in his everyday life, especially for Gabriel. He understands why there isn't love anymore because it could be dangerous, but he soon realizes that he wants everyone to feel these strong emotions.
Connections: I would use this book as a Creative Writing activity. After reading the book, I would have my students write an alternative ending or write an additional chapter. This would be a great activity for the students to be creative and use the writing process. I would also use this book with Social Studies, governmental studies, and historical science. We would have class discussions about their form of government versus ours. We could make Venn diagrams about the differences and similarities between their world and ours, including all aspects, but especially focusing on social study topics.
Reactions: I really enjoyed this book. I liked the detailed descriptions of the Community. I had a very good picture in my head of what the houses, people, bikes, buildings, etc. looked like. I also enjoyed reading about the memories that Jonas received from the Giver. I could easily see and feel what Jonas was experiencing. Although, I did not enjoy the ending. Throughout the entire book, I was waiting for a big change. I was waiting for the Community to experience all of these memories and emotions and then I was expecting to read about how everything was going to be different from now on. But, I never got that. I guess Lowry left that for the readers to interpret for themselves. Nonetheless, I love this book.
Reception:
I really like this review from a reader.
"I do not have children, however I am a nanny to 3. The oldest is starting 5th grade and will read the book, among others, for me this summer. This book has violence. It has sexual content. It is about a supposed utopian community that has some of the most horrible values that it makes you want to rip it apart in anger. That is exactly why we should let these kids read it. So there's violence. What 5th grader hasn't seen harry potter, transformers, iron man, or any other movie? Kids these days love action movies and shows where the good guy conquers over evil and does a little butt kicking while he's at it. But 5th graders also need to figure out things on their own, for example: what is good? what is evil? how can something that was supposed to be good turn out to be evil? The Giver helps them discover for themselves what they believe is right as they discover more about how the book's society works. As far as the sexual content, its a boy going through puberty. Kids know what that's like. They know the confusion and the uncertainty that comes along with it. Parents say this book steers kids away from talking about puberty, but if parents are open and available yet not pushy then their kids shouldn't have a problem just because of this book. I didn't think twice about how it affected my life when i read it...i only ever thought about how strange the parents in the book were to close puberty discussions. And those horrible opinions i mentioned before? Killing unneeded babies, treating birth mothers as lazy, killing the old when they are no longer of use. These are all ideas similar to our own world: abortion, euthanasia, the modern working woman v.s. june cleaver. kids discover these all on their own soon enough, with the world telling them what to think on this subject and that. but with The Giver, as i said before, they are able to make their own decisions and feel their own feelings."
https://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/the-giver-book-1/user-reviews
On the other hand...
"My 6th grade son is in the process of reading this book. I am so thankful that he feels comfortable enough to come to me with this. I am only up to the 7th chapter and have found it to be sexually inappropriate "BIG TIME". I am not against talking about sex with my children at all. This book portrays the job of childbearing as only for the unintelligent and makes "stirrings" of a pre-teen inappropriate and bad (not natural). To read the reviews and hear that I am going to be reading about a father injecting a baby because it is "unfit" it beyond disgusting to me. I am not a fighting parent but this will definately be an issue on Monday morning. With all the beautiful books a child can read...... To have a young child read this book with no follow up discussion is so irresponsible. The book is just SICK!"
https://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/the-giver-book-1/user-reviews
Hyperlinks:
Scholastic Lesson Plans
Author Website
Awards: John Newberry Medal
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Science/Social Fiction
Summary: In this book, Jonas is selected as the Receiver of Memories. He receives memories from the Giver of the world back and back and back. As he begins to feel pain, love, happiness and all sorts of emotions, Jonas starts to see his world as a dystopian society rather than utopian. Jonas and the Giver decide to do what they can to share these powerful emotions with the rest of their community.
Audience: I would use this book in a 5th, 6th, 7th or 8th grade classroom depending on the students' reading levels.
Themes: Memory and the importance of it is a major theme or idea in this book. Lowry was inspired to write this book after realizing the importance of memory in her aging father who had lost most of his long-term memory. Without memory, the people of the community did not have a way of feeling pain. Without feeling pain, they did not know pleasure or true happiness. Once Jonas experiences pain, he then experiences pleasure. Memory is essential in this book.
The relationship between pain and pleasure is also an important idea or theme in this book. Throughout the story, Jonas, as well as the Giver, show us that you can't have pain without pleasure and you can't have pleasure without pain. The Committee of Elders realized this so they eliminated emotions all together. They do not feel true happiness, pain, or sorrow. Therefore, it is not saddening when a member of the community dies. Once Jonas starts feeling emotions, all emotions come like a wave crashing into him at once. You can't have one without the other.
Evidence:
“I knew that there had been times in the past-terrible times-when people had destroyed others in haste,in fear, and had brought about their own destruction.”
I chose this passage because it explains the way Jonas thought in the beginning of his training. He thought that not feeling any emotion was better than feeling pain. This is why the Community did not have feelings.
“I liked the feeling of love,' Jonas confessed. He glanced nervously at the speaker on the wall, reassuring himself that no one was listening. 'I wish we still had that,' he whispered. 'Of course,' he added quickly, 'I do understand that it wouldn't work very well. And that it's much better to be organized the way we are now. I can see that it was a dangerous way to live.'"
I chose this passage because it shows the first time that Jonas experience love. It is a very powerful emotion for Jonas and it was filled with passion. He starts to feel love in his everyday life, especially for Gabriel. He understands why there isn't love anymore because it could be dangerous, but he soon realizes that he wants everyone to feel these strong emotions.
Connections: I would use this book as a Creative Writing activity. After reading the book, I would have my students write an alternative ending or write an additional chapter. This would be a great activity for the students to be creative and use the writing process. I would also use this book with Social Studies, governmental studies, and historical science. We would have class discussions about their form of government versus ours. We could make Venn diagrams about the differences and similarities between their world and ours, including all aspects, but especially focusing on social study topics.
Reactions: I really enjoyed this book. I liked the detailed descriptions of the Community. I had a very good picture in my head of what the houses, people, bikes, buildings, etc. looked like. I also enjoyed reading about the memories that Jonas received from the Giver. I could easily see and feel what Jonas was experiencing. Although, I did not enjoy the ending. Throughout the entire book, I was waiting for a big change. I was waiting for the Community to experience all of these memories and emotions and then I was expecting to read about how everything was going to be different from now on. But, I never got that. I guess Lowry left that for the readers to interpret for themselves. Nonetheless, I love this book.
Reception:
I really like this review from a reader.
"I do not have children, however I am a nanny to 3. The oldest is starting 5th grade and will read the book, among others, for me this summer. This book has violence. It has sexual content. It is about a supposed utopian community that has some of the most horrible values that it makes you want to rip it apart in anger. That is exactly why we should let these kids read it. So there's violence. What 5th grader hasn't seen harry potter, transformers, iron man, or any other movie? Kids these days love action movies and shows where the good guy conquers over evil and does a little butt kicking while he's at it. But 5th graders also need to figure out things on their own, for example: what is good? what is evil? how can something that was supposed to be good turn out to be evil? The Giver helps them discover for themselves what they believe is right as they discover more about how the book's society works. As far as the sexual content, its a boy going through puberty. Kids know what that's like. They know the confusion and the uncertainty that comes along with it. Parents say this book steers kids away from talking about puberty, but if parents are open and available yet not pushy then their kids shouldn't have a problem just because of this book. I didn't think twice about how it affected my life when i read it...i only ever thought about how strange the parents in the book were to close puberty discussions. And those horrible opinions i mentioned before? Killing unneeded babies, treating birth mothers as lazy, killing the old when they are no longer of use. These are all ideas similar to our own world: abortion, euthanasia, the modern working woman v.s. june cleaver. kids discover these all on their own soon enough, with the world telling them what to think on this subject and that. but with The Giver, as i said before, they are able to make their own decisions and feel their own feelings."
https://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/the-giver-book-1/user-reviews
On the other hand...
"My 6th grade son is in the process of reading this book. I am so thankful that he feels comfortable enough to come to me with this. I am only up to the 7th chapter and have found it to be sexually inappropriate "BIG TIME". I am not against talking about sex with my children at all. This book portrays the job of childbearing as only for the unintelligent and makes "stirrings" of a pre-teen inappropriate and bad (not natural). To read the reviews and hear that I am going to be reading about a father injecting a baby because it is "unfit" it beyond disgusting to me. I am not a fighting parent but this will definately be an issue on Monday morning. With all the beautiful books a child can read...... To have a young child read this book with no follow up discussion is so irresponsible. The book is just SICK!"
https://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/the-giver-book-1/user-reviews
Hyperlinks:
Scholastic Lesson Plans
Author Website