Goodreads Overview:
At the age of twelve, Jonas, a young boy from a seemingly utopian, futuristic world, is singled out to receive special training from The Giver, who alone holds the memories of the true joys and pain of life.
Review:
This was one of Preston's choice book selections for his English class. Jonas lives in a society that has perfected just about everything. Illness has been eliminated, the weather is controlled for ideal crop production, the landscape has been flattened for easier transportation, everyone is provided standardized housing, food etc. There is no violence because everyone has everything they could possibly need, but society is missing something. There is no free will, love, or ability to make your own choices. Nobody questions the elders or what they are told because they simply do not know any better.
The Receiver is the one person in their society who holds all the memories the elders do not want the rest of the population to be burdened with. He is called upon to advise the elders when needed, but it is otherwise a rather lonely and likely boring occupation. Memories have been passed down for a very long time and have been shouldered by this one individual. The current receiver is getting older, so it is time for him to pass the memories onto someone from the next generation.
When Jonas was first selected to be the new Receiver, he was just like everyone else in society. He complied with all the rules and was almost living a robotic life dictated by their society. As he learns more about the past, he begins to see what has been taken from them and decides things need to change. He cannot sit back with this knowledge and let society continue as he has always known it. The Giver agrees, but what can they do to reverse thing?
That is the premise behind this story without giving away any spoilers. It was action packed and very thought provoking. As soon as we finished reading the book, we watched the movie. Just a note for anyone who may consider watching the movie instead of reading the book, there are a TON of differences between the two. This would be the perfect opportunity for a teacher to catch students taking the easy way out. You will absolutely fail a quiz if you watch the movie instead of actually reading the book in this case. The movie was very good, but Hollywood made some significant changes to make it flashier on screen, which I'm not sure was necessary.
Overall, Preston and I both really enjoyed the book and movie. It has won numerous awards, but I have also seen it on some banned book lists. Some of the arguments for banning it really were not the focus of the book. In fact, they were used to create a contrast between the perfect society that was carrying out some unthinkable acts and a historical society that was far from perfect but allowed for love, freedom, and individuality. The book did not condone these acts but used them as a catalyst for change away from those ideas and practices. If someone is concerned about some of the topics, perhaps they should read it with their child and use it as a conversation starter to instill positive messages instead of avoiding difficult subjects. Banning a book isn't going to remove those elements from society, so why not discuss them in a controlled and safe environment. Alternatively, suggest another book for your child to read if you do not approve and let others decide for themselves vs. banning a book within an entire community.
No comments:
Post a Comment