I had never heard of this book (or the author) before my son came home from school with a permission slip for me to sign. The book has some "sensitive subject matter" in it (as far as the school is concerned) so they asked for parental permission before assigning the kids to read it. I looked up a blurb on the book, read a little about it, and listened to the first couple of chapters of the audiobook before I signed the slip. I would have signed it no matter what the content of the book. But I would have carefully read it so I could discuss it with my son if the story had sexual or other situations I thought warranted some parental involvement. I didn't feel the book warranted Mom-mode, but the little bit that I read did pique my curiousity. I spent today doing some heavy cleaning and packing up items to donate to local charity and I needed something to listen to while I worked. I remembered I still had the audiobook loaded on my phone. The unabridged audiobook is only 4 1/2 hours long....perfect companion for a day of housework.

The basics: Jonas is nearing his 12th birthday. When kids in his community turn 12, they get assigned their jobs in life. Everything changes....they start training for their vocation, there is less time for play with their former classmates, and they are on the track to adulthood. It's an important milestone. More important than their naming ceremony the first year, or the year when they lose their comfort item they've slept with since infancy, or even the 9th year when kids get their first bicycle. All of the other milestones pale in comparison to Twelve. Jonas is nervous. What if he gets wrongly assigned to a job he won't like? He's excited, but a bit scared too. He hopes that whatever he gets assigned that he will perform well and not make mistakes.People who can't follow the rules or make mistakes get corrected, and sometimes, if they mess up badly enough, they are released. Old people are released. Sickly infants are released. They leave the community to go Elsewhere and are never seen again. Jonas really doesn't wonder much about Elsewhere. He's sure they are happy and productive there. Jonas has no clue what his Twelfth year will mean for him....it will change his entire life.

I'm not going to give away any spoilers. But, I do understand why the school asked permission for sixth graders to read this book. It's not bad....nothing sexual or completely over the top....just some deep subjects that do require a bit of discussion. My son isn't quite to the part where I know he is going to have some questions -- or want to rant a bit. But I did let him know I've read the whole thing, and I'm ready for when he gets to certain parts. The plot isn't anything new......it's been discussed in many books before. But it does add some new elements to the story. When is it ok to control choices and limit decisions, experiences......and what happens when it goes too far? When does trying to prevent injury, pain and harsh life experiences become so total that other parts of what it means to be human also disappear? Things like love, the value of life, and individuality. Very interesting concepts....and the iffy portions of the subject matter are not graphic or over dramatized. The book is well-written...and chilling. I'm glad my sixth grader is reading it....and I look forward to discussing the book with him as he gets a bit further in the story.

The audiobook I listened to (Penguin Random House Audio Publishing) is just a bit under 5 hours long. Ron Rifkin narrates. He reads at a good pace and is easily understandable. I have hearing loss, but was easily able to hear and understand him. The recording quality is excellent.

The Giver is part of a 4-book series. I'm definitely going to read the rest of the series!

**Added 6/3/18 - The Giver is included in the list of 100 books for The Great American Read. The list of books is available here: http://www.pbs.org/the-great-american... Because I read this book within the last year, I'm not going to re-read it as part of The Great American Read. Counting it as #2 in my quest to read the books on the list. :) I enjoyed reading this book with my son. It gave us some great conversation. I think my son will grow into a very, very good man. And as a Mom, that gives me peace. **

To find out more about the author and her other books, check out her website: http://www.loislowry.com/

Oops—someone accidentally read The Giver in one sitting. It never gets old, still a harsh testament that utopia and dystopia aren't very different.

The Giver (The Giver Quartet, #1), Lois Lowry

The Giver is a 1993 American young adult dystopian novel by Lois Lowry.

It is set in a society which at first appears to be utopian but is revealed to be dystopian as the story progresses.

The novel follows a 12-year-old boy named Jonas. The society has taken away pain and strife by converting to "Sameness", a plan that has also eradicated emotional depth from their lives.

Jonas is selected to inherit the position of Receiver of Memory, the person who stores all the past memories of the time before Sameness, as there may be times where one must draw upon the wisdom gained from history to aid the community's decision making.

Jonas struggles with concepts of all the new emotions and things introduced to him: whether they are inherently good, evil, or in between, and whether it is even possible to have one without the other.

The Community lacks any color, memory, climate, or terrain, all in an effort to preserve structure, order, and a true sense of equality beyond personal individuality.

عنوانهای چاپ شده در ایران: «مامور خاطرات»؛ «بخشنده -کتاب نخست از چهارگانه بخشنده»؛ نویسنده: لوئیس لوری؛تاریخ نخستین خوانش: روز سیزده ماه آوریل سال 2006میلادی

عنوان: مامور خاطرات؛ نویسنده: لوئیس لوری؛ مترجم: لیلا نائینی؛ تهران، بازتاب نگار، 1385، در 170ص، شابک 9648223297؛ موضوع داستانهای نویسندگان ایالات متحده آمریکا - سده 20م

عنوان: بخشنده -کتاب نخست از چهارگانه بخشنده؛ نویسنده: لوئیس لوری؛ مترجم: کیوان عبیدی‌ آشتیانی؛ تهران، نشر چشمه، 1388، در 213ص، شابک9789643626921؛

کتاب نخست: «بخشنده»؛ کتاب دوم: «در جستجوی آبی ها»؛ کتاب سوم: «پیام رسان»؛ کتاب چهارم: «پسر»؛

داستان پسری به نام «جوناس» را، در دوازدهمین سال زندگی او، پی می‌گیرد؛ جامعه، درد و نزاع را، با تبدیل به «همسانی» از بین برده است، برنامه‌ ای که ژرفای احساس را، از زندگی‌ها زدوده است؛ در «بخشنده»، خوانشگر نخست با یک آرمانشهر رودررو است، خبری از مشکلات و نارساییها و جنگ نیست؛ اما سپس نارساییها، یکان یکان آشکار میشوند؛ مردمان در گروههای برساخته قرار میگیرند، و بچه های نسل نو، به سبب نقش خود، که از سوی شوراهای حاکم به آنها سپرده شده، شناخته میشوند، عشق و علاقه ای ندارند و ...؛ پیوند میان افراد، دوستی، عشق، حتی درد و رنج به زندگی معنی می‌دهد، و انسان در قالب همین احساسات است که هویت می‌گیرد، و جایگاه خود را در جهان هستی پیدا می‌کند؛ بخشنده‌ ی واقعی نه پیرمرد، که همان نوجوانی است که حالا با ذهنی باز و هوشیار، سعی دارد روح زندگی را به دنیا برگرداند، و از روح خود به انسان‌ها عشق و امید ببخشد؛ در دنیای خیالی این کتاب، تمام ارزش‌های انسانی، حتی رفتارهای غریزی او، مانند زاد و ولد هم از افراد گرفته شده، همه چیز از نو باز تعریف شده، و برای کوچک‌ترین رفتارها و رویدادها هم قوانینی وجود دارد؛ مهم‌ترین چیزی که در این میان از بین رفته، خانواده است؛ با از بین رفتن خانواده، تمام حس امنیت، عشق و صمیمیت از بین رفته است؛ حتی دیگر پدربزرگ و مادربزرگ هم معنایی ندارند؛ خانواده دیگر بستری امن و آرام برای رشد و بالندگی افراد نیست؛ چندان مهر و محبتی میان اعضای خانواده دیده نمیشود؛ آن‌ها تنها نقش پدر، مادر و فرزند را بازی می‌کنند، و وظیفه دارند تا از بچه‌ها مراقبت کنند، تا به مرحله‌ی بزرگ‌سالی برسند، زن‌ها و مردها براساس استانداردهای جامعه، و با نظارت سران حکومت، برای زندگی با هم برگزین می‌شوند؛ حتی نوزادان در شرایط یکسان نگهداری می‌گردند و با صلاح‌دید حکومت، به افراد سپرده می‌شوند؛ هر خانواده حق دارد تنها یک دختر و یک پسر داشته باشد؛ انسان‌ها حتی زن، مرد، دختر، یا پسر نامیده نمی‌شوند، افراد یا «مذکر» هستند یا «مونث»؛ خانواده‌ها باید تنها چهار تن باشند و داشتن فرزند سوم جرم سنگینی برای افراد شناخته می‌شود

نقل از متن: («یوناس» قبل از آن‌که دستوری به او داده شود، چشم‌هایش را بست؛ دوباره نزدیکی‌ دست‌های مرد را در پشتش احساس کرد و منتظر ماند؛ اینبار، زودتر حس کرد؛ حالا دست‌ها سرد نبودند؛ او احساس گرما می‌کرد، کمی هم رطوبت؛ گرما در بدنش پخش شد و به شانه‌هایش رسید، بالای گردنش و بعد، یک طرف صورتش؛ او حتی آن را در قسمت‌های پوشیده‌ ی بدنش نیز حس می‌کرد: حسی مطبوع و نوعی هیجان سرتاسر بدنش را فراگرفت؛ وقتی که اینبار لب‌هایش را لیسید، به‌ نظرش آمد هوا داغ و سنگین است؛ حرکتی نکرد...؛ ناگهان کلمه‌ ای به ذهنش آمد؛ آفتاب؛ «یوناس» در حالی که چشم‌هایش را باز می‌کرد، با صدای بلند گفت: «آفتاب»؛ «خوب است، تو خودت کلمه را پیدا کردی؛ این موضوع کار من را ساده‌تر می‌کند، چون احتیاجی به توضیح اضافی نیست»؛ «و از آسمان می‌آمد!»؛ مرد پیر گفت: «درست است، همین‌طور بود».)؛ پایان نقل

تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 07/07/1399هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی

ATTENTION CITIZENS! OUR BROTHER COMMUNITY OF SAMENESS HAS FALLEN! DOUBLEPLUS UNGOOD! BUT DO NOT FEAR! OUR REVOLUTIONARY RHETORIC AND UTOPIC IDEALS REMAIN SACROSANCT! IN OUR BROTHER COMMUNITIES OF OCEANIA, ANIMAL FARM, PANEM, THX 1138-VILLE, AND FAHRENHEIT 451 TOWNSHIP! AND SPREADING FURTHER! DOUBLEPLUS GOOD!

brief synopsis: at some point far in the future, an 11-year old boy named Jonas comes of age in an unnamed utopic community. coming of age means he is given his life's work; in Jonas' case, he is chosen to be The Receiver. he is given memories of all that came before and the responsibility of advising his community by accessing those memories. and as he takes in those memories, he gradually comes to realize that his idyllic little community is not so utopic after all.

do you remember the first time you realized that other people had their own lives - ones entirely apart from you, that have nothing to do with you whatsoever? i do. my cousin Christie - who i had a sizable crush on - was talking about what she had done in the days before. it slowly dawned on me that there were things that happened when i was not around, things that were important and interesting and had nothing whatsoever to do with me. i remember looking around the room and seeing the adults, and realizing that they too did not just disappear when they weren't in my presence. and then, in a flash, understanding that they had their own feelings and thoughts and plans that were just as important to them as mine were to me. i suppose it was my first exposure to the idea of empathy, of seeing people living lives in parallel to mine - rather than just in connection to mine - and feeling feelings that i felt, but had nothing to do with me. it was a startling realization for a budding young sociopath.

all of the above came back to me when reading The Giver. my favorite parts of this children's book were those points where young Jonas puts himself in other's shoes, tries to understand the motivations of his friends & family & community, angrily rejects the choices that some make, and experiences empathetic connections with The Giver (whose job he is taking over) - his failed but brave predecessor, and the baby Gabriel. i thought those parts were genuinely thrilling, sometimes painful, and often beautiful in their simplicity.

and yet the concept of empathy is not really what The Giver is about. simply put, it is a perhaps rather familiar tale of the importance of Individuality and of Individual Choice. i have absolutely no problem with that message... i just don't have a whole lot to say on the topic. seems like a no-brainer to me.

The Giver accomplishes its goals with ease. the prose is simple and straightforward and clear. the narrative moves from the depiction of a rather pleasant and happy community to the portrait of a community that is horrifying in its blind need for pleasant happiness for all. because the reader quickly realizes that not everything is perfect in perfectville, there was an overall tone of slowly building unease that was expertly handled. whether it is wondering about what "Release" truly means, the reappropriation of the word "animal" to mean a "foolish person", or worrying about the eventual fate of the infant Gabriel, Lois Lowry weaves in her troubling undercurrents in a way that is understated and yet still manages to pack an emotional punch. i did not feel manipulated. all in all, this is a striking novel for kids, one with an important message, and i am happy it is required reading in many schools.

it is also a surprisingly controversial novel. the complaints seem to boil down to three major concerns:

(1) The Giver is either too sophisticated for children or too unsophisticated for adults

(2) The Giver does not stand up to literary criticism; The Giver has constant lapses into illogic

(3) The Giver is anti-socialist propaganda

okay, i was going to spend some time (and who knows how many boring paragraphs) in attempting to refute all of those criticisms, point by point. eh, who cares. people will always have their opinions. my major response right now is OH, GIVE ME A BREAK, THAT IS SUCH BULLSHIT. i did not see illogic in The Giver; i saw a pleasingly straightforward morality tale, a fable of sorts. i think this is a book that kids can easily handle and to think otherwise is to think little of a kid's capacity for understanding. as far as being too unsophisticated for adults or not standing up to literary criticism, honestly all i can do is yawn at such trite and trifling accusations. and regarding the novel being anti-socialist propaganda... i just have to roll my eyes and yawn again. the timeless message of The Giver certainly moves it beyond any pointed crique of any particular style of government. seriously... duh. stop hatin', haters. don't get it twisted. if you want something to hate, exert yourself over Ayn Rand instead - who takes a similar message and perverts it until the message about individuality becomes abhorrent and disgusting. unlike the atrocious Fountainhead, the message here is a pure one.

and that's that. this is a great book. if they haven't read it already, give it to the kids in your life; i know i will.

one last thing: The Giver reminded me a lot of the equally wonderful Shades of Grey: The Road to High Saffron. read that one too, it's awesome.

4.5/5
This book was so good! I really enjoyed the premise of the book and how simple things, like color, were foreign to the people in this community. The ending was completely open-ended and I wish we got to know more about what happened.
I couldn't give it a 5/5 because I was a little bored after Jonas was given the assignment of the Receiver, but it was still a great read.

dang I kinda don’t care? I think I’ve gotten too old to read books abt 12 year olds doing crazy impressive things.. it just doesnt make as much sense to me, you couldn’t pay me to care (jk, 5 bucks is 5 bucks) plus I don’t think I like dystopian.

anyways, a solid one star

I was a little creeped out when I first started reading this story. In fact, I almost didn't continue. It seemed like some kind of freaky propaganda for a fundamentalist society where everyone obeys without question and acts all fake nicey-nice and pretends everything is fine when it's not. I kept reading just to find out why the book is so popular. I really liked it once I found out what was going on. It's the opposite of what I thought at first. Conformity and uniformity are traps that rob us of life's riches. Jonas shows the courage it takes to step out of society's box of expectations and reach for something finer. For those who do, it's usually a lonely path.

I'm very glad I didn't read any of the "anal"ytical reviews here until after I'd read the book. It's a young adult book, for crying out loud! These people who pick it apart and assign it all kinds of evil intent and religious meaning really should not read fiction---especially not teen fiction. Yeah, I could have picked it apart too, but my junior high self would not have done so, and I tried to read it in that spirit.

How have I missed out on this book for so many years? The premise of living a life without agency is something to think about. I can't tell you how often I have wished (prayed) for a world filled with only peace and happiness, where no one feels pain, hunger or sadness. This book made me seriously rethink that wish and realize - once and for all - that without feeling the depths of sadness, we can never know happiness. What an amazing story!

This book is almost indescribably beautiful. It is comparable to the beauty of George Orwell's classic 1984. It is about the world in "sameness" when there are no more differences among its people, there are no more colors, no more music and people do not know what love is. Above all, it is a story of relationships between the Giver (who keeps the memories of those days pre-sameness) and the Receiver (who receives those memories). During the first part of the book, the main child protagonist, 12-year old Jonas is the Receiver. On the latter part, he is the Giver to a 1-year old Gabriel.

This is neither 1001 nor 501 although a winner of John Newberry Medal award. However, this is as beautiful if not more deserving that some of them that made those lists.

I bought this from Fullybooked 4 years ago when my daughter Jillian was looking for a book to report. I recommended this as the book is thin and it has that golden stamp bearing the Newberry seal. I kept on telling myself that I would read this soon but failed to do so until the Filipino group asked for nominations for January 2010 YM Theme and thought of nominating this so I would be forced to finally give it a go. It lost to Suzanne Collin's THE HUNGER GAMES. I also really liked that book but this one is just amazing!

Read in 2005, this book has been responsible for my future enthusiasm for books! :)

The story is about Jonas, a young lad in a happy totalitarian society, where individuals are free from emotional strife and happiness is granted to all. Happiness, that is chemically induced ataraxia...

Every member has to take daily medication to rid themselves of emotion. They cannot see colour. And their parents are not their actual parents. And their elders are nowhere to be seen.

Now, when his time has come, Jonas is assigned a job unlike any other. He is to be instructed by The Giver, to become the next Receiver of Memories, the only depositary of all mankind's emotions and history.


Music to play along :
Jean Sibelius - Valse Triste

-----------------------------------------

Parmi les premières lectures marquantes.

L'histoire, c'est celle de Jonas, un jeune garçon dans une société où le bonheur est un acquis commun. Une société qui a su éradiquer l'émotion.

Chaque membre de la communauté suit un traitement contre les émotions. Ils ne voient pas en couleur. Et leurs parents ne sont pas leurs véritables parents.

Seulement, Jonas fait connaissance avec le passeur. L'unique dépositaire des émotions de l'humanité.


Support musical :
Jean Sibelius - Valse Triste

Hay un chiste de Quino donde Mafalda quiere saber si en este mundo somos todos iguales, así que se lo pregunta a su padre. Su agotado progenitor la manda a dormir, respondiendo rápidamente que sí, que somos todos iguales y que no se preocupe más. La niña asegura que no se preocupa en absoluto. En el siguiente cuadro la vemos despertándolo, en plena madrugada, para preguntarle inquieta: "¡Pst!...¿Iguales a quién?"

La igualdad, precisamente, es la premisa y el desvelo de esta sociedad "ideal" sin frío ni calor, ni dolor, ni guerras, ni grotescos impulsos sexuales, ni recuerdos. Un grupo que se expresa con precisión absoluta (no sea cosa de caer en la exageración, prima hermana de la mentira) e ignora, tozudamente, las diferencias entre sus miembros. Señalar alguna, por pequeña que sea, es el culmen del mal gusto y la incorrección social (me suena conocido, pero no sé...). Una sociedad gris que no distingue lo que es, ni quiere hacer nada para cambiarlo. Intuyen que elegir no es fácil y, tal vez, tampoco sea bueno porque uno corre el gran riesgo de equivocarse. Por eso, al llegar a los doce años cada uno recibe y acepta la asignación de lo que será su futura ocupación (y un emotivo "Gracias por tu infancia") Y bueno, por ahí anda Jonás, el protagonista del libro. Intranquilo con su "Ceremonia de los Doce" y sin saber que debería estarlo, aún, mucho más.

Un libro conciso que va a lo suyo y, por el momento, deja gusto a poco. Un pantallazo de esta sociedad igualitaria (en el sentido de forzadamente homogénea) que pretende priorizar el respeto mutuo pero expone, sin inmutarse, contradicciones crueles y dolorosas. Vale la pena reflexionar sobre esa especie de estado de continuo bienestar del que gozan sus habitantes. ¿Es que han alcanzado la felicidad entre tanto orden, fraternidad e igualdad? Y si lo han hecho ¿Es justamente por ignorar que existen cosas mejores? ¿O por adivinar que existen muchas peores? ¿Es posible la felicidad sin la existencia de su opuesto? Un libro "juvenil" que nos recuerda a todos que los extremos, muchas veces, están terriblemente cerca.

YA & futuristic. Not a happy world. The Giver tries to give his wisdom to a young man. But nothing comes easy, not now, not then. Growth is painful. So is truth.