The Giver

Book #23 The Giver by Lois Lowry

Where Jonas lives, life is safe, orderly, and predictable. Rules are strictly adhered to; every aspect of a person's life is carefully planned. People rarely make choices on their own; everything is decided for them by the community. There is no snow or sunshine, no colors or music, no animals or nature.

People in the community take special care to avoid doing or saying anything different. In the community, one must not say anything that causes discomfort to others, and one must use language precisely. Husbands and wives are matched as couples by a Committee of Elders who reviews each individual to see if a person's characteristics will be compatible with those of his mate. Exactly two children-one male and one female-are assigned to each family unit.

At the Ceremony of Twelve, children are given their job. Jonas is given the job of Receiver of Memories, the one person in the community who has access to all the memories of the past. He must keep these memories within himself until he can train a new Receiver to whom he can pass them. The Receiver has knowledge of things that no one in the community has access to, but the Receiver also has the responsibility to shoulder the burden of sorrow and pain that the memories bring.

I have read this book many times and I absolutely love it! I tried reading it to my 5th grade class and they didn't really get it. It's probably my fault though. I wasn't being a great teacher at the time and I just read it. Didn't ask questions, didn't clarify, I just read it. We also didn't finish because I was done student teaching. I will probably read it to my 6th graders but do a better job.