The Giver

The Giver (ISBN 0440237688) by Lois Lowry is a novel set in a possible future society that can be described as either a utopia or dystopia. For example, the society remains orderly by matching up husbands and wives based on personality compatibility, yet it has lost most of the idea of "family" and "love." All children are born to the "Birthmothers" and then adopted, and when they become adults they are expected to completely ignore their adoptive parents. People are required, beginning at puberty, to take a pill that suppresses their sex drive and any capacity for romantic emotions.

Another feature of this society is that a council of elders assigns each 12-year-old the job he or she will perform for the rest of his or her life. People are bound by an extensive set of Rules touching every aspect of life, and if violated require a simple, but somewhat ceremonious apology. In more severe cases, the offender may be punished by "release," the exact meaning of which is unknown to most people in the society. Every person is eventually released when they reach a certain age, and it is sometimes used for children deemed "inadequate" because they have developed slowly or abnormally. The council of elders uses a system of loudspeakers in every house to make announcements, including veiled censure of people who break minor Rules, and to monitor the activities of all people.

The book's protagonist, Jonas, is selected to be "Receiver of Memory," because of his unusual "capacity to see beyond." He trains for the position by receiving memories from the aged incumbent, whom he calls the Giver. These memories are images from the world we know--things that no one else in Jonas's world remembers. The people of Jonas's world, it turns out, cannot see color, and this is the "beyond" that he had first seen. The climate is somehow technologically controlled so the weather never changes.

Through the Giver, Jonas learns about everything from the horrors of war to the joy of love. Eventually, these revelations prompt Jonas to seek an escape from the colorless community in which he lives.

Lowry was awarded a Newbery Medal in 1994 for The Giver.

Rodman Philbrick cited The Giver as inspiration for his novel The Last Book in the Universe.

A film adaptation of The Giver is currently under development by Walden Media.

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