I finished "The Giver" by Lois Lowry Sunday evening. It was such a creative story about a future community that has succeeded in completely removing pain, choice, color, variety, and individuality. Each individual is born and cared for in nurturing centers until December of their birth year when they all become a "level one" (instead of their actual birthday, each level, i.e. new age, is celebrated at a ceremony in December). At level 1 they are assigned to two parents who they are best suited for. Each level brings new responsibilities, like hair ribbons, or buttons, and eventually bicycles. At age 12 they receive their assignment for life. While his friends were being named Doctors, Laborers, Officials, Jonas, the main character, was given an assignment that would change his life forever.
Jonas is assigned to be the Receiver of Memories. He comes to find that the world around him is quite different, quite darker, than he could have ever imagined.
I wrote this exact post on my blog. I would love to hear what you all have to say on there without giving key plot elements away on here!
I highly recommend this one!
Sounds like an exploration of the planet from A Wrinkle in Time in which all the families live cookie cutter lives, all the children play outside at the same time with the same toys, bouncing the balls in the same rhythm...
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intriguing is a great word. a little disturbing too, but there's lots of good stuff in there to think about. actually, it was very similar to the planet in Wrinkle...good observation!
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