Hi, Page Turner here again! I am here again to write about my next book on the 30 day journey of 15 Fiction Books Every Person Should Read (a book every two days). I think that books are a blessing God has given us to love Him more, be creative, and be inspired. I love reading, and hope you enjoy these books!
Yesterday's book was The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. Today, I'll be writing about The Giver. I read this book in 9th grade and was completely immersed in Jonas' world. While I understood the deeper allegory behind this deeply-stirring book, it wasn't until this year that God fully connected the dots I had read in The Giver. This book has deeply affected my life-- I hope you enjoy this book review, and give The Giver a try sometime this summer!
The Giver--a Book Review
Jonas’ world was crashing apart. It was career day in the Community, the day when Jonas and his friends were assigned jobs. Jonas was in shock. The woman at the front of the auditorium at skipped him. No one was skipped for a career—ever. Not in Jonas’ world.
Yesterday's book was The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. Today, I'll be writing about The Giver. I read this book in 9th grade and was completely immersed in Jonas' world. While I understood the deeper allegory behind this deeply-stirring book, it wasn't until this year that God fully connected the dots I had read in The Giver. This book has deeply affected my life-- I hope you enjoy this book review, and give The Giver a try sometime this summer!
The Giver--a Book Review
Jonas’ world was crashing apart. It was career day in the Community, the day when Jonas and his friends were assigned jobs. Jonas was in shock. The woman at the front of the auditorium at skipped him. No one was skipped for a career—ever. Not in Jonas’ world.
Jonas world existed in black and white. Jonas never knew this until one day he and his best friend Asher were playing catch with an apple. Flash! Something Jonah couldn’t describe happened to the apple he tossed to his friend. It changed somehow. It’s the first time Jonah experienced “seeing beyond," the first time he experienced the color red. It would continue. It was one of the reasons why he had been skipped on career day.
Jonas was the only one who could see color--everyone else in the Community was content with their well-ordered and meaningful lives. Jonas lived with his family, rode bikes with his friends, and awaited the day when he would be assigned a job. The Community was nurturing, safe, and ordered. Lives were well-lived, all with meaning. The Community looked out for each other, and the wise Elders made the choices. Families were apportioned, jobs were allocated by the elders, and precision of language was highly valued. Emotions were repressed and memories of anything beyond this Community, of his own years, were nonexistent.
Jonas was the only one who could see color--everyone else in the Community was content with their well-ordered and meaningful lives. Jonas lived with his family, rode bikes with his friends, and awaited the day when he would be assigned a job. The Community was nurturing, safe, and ordered. Lives were well-lived, all with meaning. The Community looked out for each other, and the wise Elders made the choices. Families were apportioned, jobs were allocated by the elders, and precision of language was highly valued. Emotions were repressed and memories of anything beyond this Community, of his own years, were nonexistent.
Jonas always wondered what his career would be. His father worked in the nurturing center with the infants before they were assigned families, and many of his friends had varied jobs based on interests. Trying to discover what he was passionate about, Jonas volunteered at the center for the elderly. He watched as the Old were “released” in a beautiful ceremony. No one knew what happened to the Old when they were released, but Jonas knew that they were happy. Everyone in the Community was happy. The Elders made sure of it.
Only, the Elders seemed to have not chosen a job for Jonas. Jonas couldn’t believe it. He was shocked—and afraid. A few hours later, however, Jonas learned that he was given, in secret, different career: a special career. He was given an envelope with a list of instructions, one of which was that he was allowed to lie. Jonas’ blood ran cold. On his first day of work, Jonas learned where all of his Community’s memories had gone, the memories of any life outside of the Community, of history, love, war, music, family, and color. They had been given to a man known as the Giver. Jonas would receive all that the Giver knew and one day become the Giver himself.
Only, the Elders seemed to have not chosen a job for Jonas. Jonas couldn’t believe it. He was shocked—and afraid. A few hours later, however, Jonas learned that he was given, in secret, different career: a special career. He was given an envelope with a list of instructions, one of which was that he was allowed to lie. Jonas’ blood ran cold. On his first day of work, Jonas learned where all of his Community’s memories had gone, the memories of any life outside of the Community, of history, love, war, music, family, and color. They had been given to a man known as the Giver. Jonas would receive all that the Giver knew and one day become the Giver himself.
The more Jonas’ learned about real history, about what existed before the Community—about families and music and sailboats and Christmas and death—the more he learned that life is mixed with pain. If one attempts to remove pain, all of beauty and what it means to be alive is removed as well. Eradicating pain only ushers death.
Jonas learned this all too well. The Old were not released—they were killed. Unwanted and unhealthy babies were not released, either—they, too were killed and disposed of. Jonas took the love and life from the memories the Giver hands him, but he took the pain, too. As he began to see the Community in color, in reality, he sees straight through their well-intended but deadly façade. And Jonas takes action.
The Giver is breathtaking. It’s painful. And it’s real. The readers are given memories, not from the pages of the book they hold, but of their own world. They are introduced afresh to the wonder of a sled ride in the snow—and the horror of infanticide and euthanasia. The Community, both calming and foreign to the reader, begins to look familiar, we begin to see our faces in the lives of these characters. This tiny novel reminds all of us that life is valuable: all of it, and everyone.
That's a memory definitely worth passing on.
Jonas learned this all too well. The Old were not released—they were killed. Unwanted and unhealthy babies were not released, either—they, too were killed and disposed of. Jonas took the love and life from the memories the Giver hands him, but he took the pain, too. As he began to see the Community in color, in reality, he sees straight through their well-intended but deadly façade. And Jonas takes action.
The Giver is breathtaking. It’s painful. And it’s real. The readers are given memories, not from the pages of the book they hold, but of their own world. They are introduced afresh to the wonder of a sled ride in the snow—and the horror of infanticide and euthanasia. The Community, both calming and foreign to the reader, begins to look familiar, we begin to see our faces in the lives of these characters. This tiny novel reminds all of us that life is valuable: all of it, and everyone.
That's a memory definitely worth passing on.
Note:
I hope you enjoyed this post on The Giver! Jesus' love is so beautiful and astounding. He cares about you, personally, and offers forgiveness and hope to all who come to Him. I hope you find time to read this book. If you have any questions about euthanasia or abortion, I suggest a free resource from Focus on the Family, "https://focusonthefamily.webconnex.com/co-sohldohlt," as well as a prolife resource by Focus on the Family at "https://focusonthefamily.webconnex.com/co-sohldohlt." Local prolife resource clinics are always available to provide care and support for free, and talk and pray with anyone who comes in. If you have any questions or are interested in more resources, comment below.
I'll be back in 2 days for a review of the Great Gatsby, one of my favorites! Page Turner, over and out!
---page turner
I hope you enjoyed this post on The Giver! Jesus' love is so beautiful and astounding. He cares about you, personally, and offers forgiveness and hope to all who come to Him. I hope you find time to read this book. If you have any questions about euthanasia or abortion, I suggest a free resource from Focus on the Family, "https://focusonthefamily.webconnex.com/co-sohldohlt," as well as a prolife resource by Focus on the Family at "https://focusonthefamily.webconnex.com/co-sohldohlt." Local prolife resource clinics are always available to provide care and support for free, and talk and pray with anyone who comes in. If you have any questions or are interested in more resources, comment below.
I'll be back in 2 days for a review of the Great Gatsby, one of my favorites! Page Turner, over and out!
---page turner
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