Top 30  Modern Classics - XIII


The Giver
Lois Lowry

Wriiten by Lois Lowry, The Giver book was published in 1993.

Eleven year old Jonas, is approaching the upcoming Ceremony of Twelve, where he will be assigned to community. The community is under complete control of the elders, who control placement of children, decide marriage partners. Others do not have any say in these choices. The community has no war, hunger or suffering. Neither does it know love, music and color. All people of the community have surrendered their individuality and embraced "sameness"..

Jonas aches with the thirst for  for a life  in Elsewhere where there is diversity where life blossoms with color, love and music. Jonas is exposed to ceremony of "release" by an elder - the Giver. In the ceremony, Jonas sees a baby, one of a twin, being killed by lethal injection as the community rule does not permit twins. Together, Jonas and the Giver come to the understanding that the time for change is now, that the Community has lost its way and must have its memories returned. The only way to make this happen is for Jonas to leave the Community, at which time the memories he has been given will flood back into the people. Jonas wants the Giver to escape with him, but the Giver insists that he will be needed to help the people manage the memories, or they will destroy themselves. The Giver also wants to remain behind so that when his work is done, he can be with his daughter, Rosemary, a girl with pale eyes who ten years earlier had failed in her training to become the new Receiver of Memories and who had asked to be released.

The Giver devises a plot for Jonas to escape to Elsewhere, an unknown land that exists beyond the boundaries of the Communities. 

Their plan is changed when Jonas learns that Gabriel, the baby staying with his family unit, will be "released" the following morning. Jonas has become attached to the baby. He decides to escape with the infant. Jonas steals his father's bike and leaves with Gabriel to find Elsewhere. Their escape ride is fraught with dangers, and the two are near death from cold and starvation when they reach the border of what Jonas believes to be Elsewhere.  He and Gabriel reach a house filled with colored lights and warmth and love and a Christmas tree, and for the first time he hears something he believes must be music.

You will love this book.

Namaste

Prabir.