The Giver

This book disturbed me on so many levels.  But I liked it too and felt like the lessons it taught were applicable to a wide range of ages.  Some feel it is too juvenile for this list but I don't agree. I think it is a good one for young adult and adult alike.
The book is disturbing though because it portrays a society where people have an expiration date.  For some, it is when they are babies.  Others expire when they reach a set age.  Once your time is up, it is up.  You have no real choice in what you do with your life.  You are trained to be a certain thing and you are that thing.  You are matched up with the "perfect" mate.  You are allowed one male child and one female child that the leaders choose for you and give you. But you don't have emotion. You don't have any real depth of feeling.  Everything is just wonderful.  People don't hurt, they don't have good dreams or bad dreams, they don't have lofty ambitions.  They just are.   This is made possible by the Giver who takes all the bad away and makes it good for everyone. Jonas is a 12 year old boy who is chosen to be the next Giver.  He will have to undergo the training and learn how to handle the memories and feelings that he will be required to keep inside, hidden away from the people.

My daughter had to read this in 7th grade and she thought it was creepy.  She did not really understand the concept of a utopian society but she kind of liked the book.  She re-read it this year in 9th grade on her own and still found it off-putting but was able to grasp a little more of the problems you encounter when you try to control the lives and minds of other people.  I would say that if I were to reccommend it to an age group, it would be 7th grade and up.  Depending on what you were trying to show someone, you could even have a college class read it as part of a study on pros/cons of the idea of a utopian society.  I don't know that I would even read it to younger kids because it is a little disturbing.  My youngest child read it and she was worried that her Nana is going to expire and have to go away.  She is only 8 but it was a litte upsetting for her.

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