Genre: Science Fiction

Can you imagine living in a utopian world; a world free of pain, suffering, and injustice? A world without love? This is the world that Jonas was raised in. Lois Lowry’s book, The Giver, takes place in a perfect community with a strong governmental system. No one remembers what it is like to live in a world with color, feelings and emotions…except for one. The Giver is the keeper of memory, and the time has come for him to pass down his work. Jonas, a teenage boy, is selected as the Giver’s apprentice. The story tells the tale of Jonas’s training, as each day he is given a new memory to treasure, and how he plans to share it once more with his community.

When there is no love…there is no suffering and pain. This statement plays a large role in the theme of The Giver. When elders of Jonas’ community decided to create their utopian world, they decided to remove love, feelings, and emotions, because they caused pain and suffering. The book’s lesson shares that love is a vital part of life; a person’s feelings are an essential part of what makes them who they are. I highly recommended this book because it is a real page turner. The reader follows Jonas as he rebels and schemes against his community, striving to bring back memory to remind everyone that there are more  important things in life. The Giver communicates an important message. You cannot have a perfect world, you can only do your part to make it the best that it can be, and that in order to do so, a person needs love.