The Giver

I have been on a book kick lately and there is no hiding it. After finishing Insurgent, I decided to hurry and read The Giver by Lois Lowry. It is a short and fast read that you won’t want to put down. I remember reading it once while I was in high school or junior high. All I could remember was that I LOVED it. My feelings were similar as I read through it this time, but I was much more enlightened. The first time I read The Giver, I was naive to the world. I had suffered very little pain, had few true friendships, and hadn’t experienced anything too hard. At that point it was just a dystopian book that kept me entertained. After reading it a second time 10 years later after graduating from college, serving a mission in New York, being married, having constant medical problems, and seeing loss it meant something different to me. As I read through it this time my mind considered the possibility of a world of consistency and complete similarity. It seems so perfect. A citizen knows for the most part what is going to happen at each age during their life, no surprises unless you’re the receiver. There is no war, no turmoil, no hate. It sounds like a dream world. As you delve deeper into the book though you realize what a “release” means. To the characters it means nothing but that the person was old or exhibited bad behavior and they received their punishment.  Unlike those people we know release means death, ceasing to exist. Death is not something humans tend to celebrate often. It is usually a sad event that changes our daily lives. Unlike those in The Giver, we can feel pain and remorse. This book made me think about life. Which would I choose? Would I rather live in a life that was controlled by others (they do cook all of the meals, that is nice) or would I want to feel things, the good and the bad. After suffering from an excruciating migraine this week, I pick the latter. It caused me pain to the point where everything was blurry, I had a fever, I was shaking, and throwing up. It reminded me how lucky I was to choose my husband who took such good care of me. Once the migraine began to subside, I remembered how good it feels when my head isn’t about to explode with a migraine. I wouldn’t know the difference if I lived in The Giver’s world, I wouldn’t be able to feel the relief take over my body and the normalcy of vision come back. I just can’t imagine a world in which I wouldn’t be unique, and wouldn’t be able to do what I want. I loved this book because it made me think. It’s reading level is low, but its meaning is not. I am excited for this movie to come out in August! What are your thoughts after reading this book?

(C)LV-B2014