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The Giver: Summary

Everything you need to know about Lois Lowry's The Giver, in 1 paragraph.
An illustration of a reader enjoying The Giver by Lois Lowry in a cosy interior
A reader enjoying The Giver by Lois Lowry
The Giver is a dystopian novel by Lois Lowry about a 12-year-old boy named Jonas who lives in a seemingly perfect world where there is no war, pain, or suffering. He is chosen to become the new Receiver of Memory and receives all the knowledge and emotions of the past from The Giver. Through this, he discovers that his community has given up personal freedom in order to maintain its safety and stability. Jonas learns shocking truths about his society and decides to take action, ultimately leading him and the other members of his community to discover a new way to live.

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What is The Giver about?

The Giver is a 1993 young adult novel by Lois Lowry. It is set in a dystopian society where there is no pain, fear, war, and hatred. The protagonist of the story is 12-year-old Jonas who lives in a community where everything is carefully controlled and all emotions are suppressed. He has been selected to become the Receiver of Memory, who will store all the memories of the past so that the community can make decisions without any emotional bias. Through his journey, Jonas learns about the beauty and joy of life but also the harsh realities of pain and suffering. He ultimately decides to share this knowledge with his community in order to bring balance and understanding to their lives. The key themes of The Giver include: -Individuality vs Conformity -The Power of Memory -Freedom vs Control -Choice and Consequences -The Value of Human Life

The Giver: Book Club Questions

  1. What themes were explored in The Giver?
  2. How did the characters in The Giver change throughout the story?
  3. In what ways was Jonas' community similar to and different from our own society?
  4. How did the memories that Jonas received affect his view of the world?
  5. What messages about freedom and choice were presented in The Giver?
  6. How did the ending of the novel make you feel?
  7. What message does The Giver send about how communities should be organized?
  8. What was your favorite part of The Giver?
  9. How do you think Jonas was able to accept his new role as Receiver-in-Training so easily?
  10. In what ways do you think The Giver can help us see our own lives differently?

What to say about The Giver

  • The Giver is an extremely thought-provoking story that explores the consequences of a society without any emotion or memory.
  • The book raises important questions about our own society and its implications for individual freedom.
  • I found the way Jonas's character evolves throughout the novel to be particularly interesting.
  • The Giver provides a unique perspective on the idea of utopia, and how it can limit our understanding of reality.
  • I was impressed by the way Lowry uses symbolism to convey her message throughout the novel.
  • The themes of power and choice are explored in depth throughout the text, creating an engaging narrative.
  • Lowry cleverly intertwines aspects of science fiction with elements of social commentary in The Giver.
  • One of the most powerful aspects of The Giver is its exploration of morality and how it relates to personal freedom.
  • It was fascinating to see how Lowry used language to depict the different emotions experienced by characters in the novel.
  • The Giver is a timeless classic that is sure to leave readers with plenty to think about long after they finish reading it!

Top 5 Quotes from The Giver

  1. "When people have the freedom to choose, they choose wrong."
  2. "The worst part of holding the memories is not the pain. It's the loneliness of it. Memories need to be shared."
  3. "The rules are for your own protection."
  4. "Stirring up emotions was thought to be dangerous."
  5. "Sometimes people don't want to hear the truth because they don't want their illusions destroyed."

Adaptations of The Giver

1. The Giver (2014) – A feature film adaptation released in August 2014, directed by Phillip Noyce and starring Jeff Bridges, Meryl Streep, Brenton Thwaites and Alexander Skarsgård. 2. The Giver (1995) – A made-for-TV movie adaptation of the novel, produced by Hallmark Entertainment and released on CBS in December 1995, starring Ted Danson, Katie Holmes and Beau Bridges. 3. The Giver (2016) – An audio drama series based on the novel, released as a podcast by Audible in July 2016 and featuring an all-star cast including Meryl Streep, Jeff Bridges, Danny Glover, Brenton Thwaites and Alexander Skarsgård. 4. The Giver: A Radio Play – A radio play adaptation of the novel released in October 2004 on BBC Radio 4 and starring Aidan Gillen as The Giver and Michael Maloney as Jonas. 5. The Giver (Theatre Production) – A stage adaptation of the novel was performed in September 2017 at the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia. It was directed by Nick Olcott and starred Aaron Himelstein as Jonas and David Oyelowo as The Giver.

Other books by Lois Lowry

  • Number the Stars
  • Gathering Blue
  • Messenger
  • Son
  • The Silent Boy
  • A Summer to Die
  • Us and Uncle Fraud
  • Anastasia Krupnik
  • Attaboy, Sam!
  • Anastasia Again!
  • Switcharound
  • Gooney Bird Greene
  • See You Around, Sam!
  • All About Sam
  • Find a Stranger, Say Goodbye
  • Autumn Street
  • Rabble Starkey
  • Stay! Keeper's Story
  • Gooney the Fabulous
  • Bokko
  • Zooman Sam

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The Giver is the first book in the Newbery Medal-winning quartet by Lois Lowry.