The Giver

Ladies,

I finished this book on time. In fact, I took it to Utah over Labor Day and had Carolyn read it as well. I do apologize for not posting my blog until now, however. I have just been crazy busy with school and church! Speaking of Church . . . how does Moses 5:11 & 12 sound? "Eve, his wife, heard all these things and was glad . . . " that they were experiencing the good and bad in life. I, too, was certainly reminded of the need for opposition in order to experience joy.

In the book, when they talked about school and the regimentation and conformity that was part of it, it really gave me pause. In the name of classroom control, am I guilty of forcing conformity and taking away the individuality of my students? And the total lack of genuine feeling toward any other human being was chilling. There are many things in this world that can dull or "drug" our empathy and sympathy toward others. Violent media is only one, but it is certainly a powerful desensitizer.

The real enigma to me is "The Giver." Can you imagine how hard his life must have been . . . knowing what he knew, sharing what he knew with his daughter and realizing that she chose death rather than experience knowledge and pain, waiting for years for Jonas to grow up, feeling that there was nothing he could do to change things . . . and then coming up with a plan to bring "real" life back to the people in his care? An interesting thought just occurred to me while I was writing this post. How much of a "Heavenly Father figure" is he . . . giving the people in his care as much as they are capable of handling, protecting, counseling and teaching them? Just a thought.

As far as the ending is concerned, I am all for happy endings. I vote for their safe arrival "elsewhere" and a mortal life of many years filled with joys and sorrows. If not, they might just as well have been "released." In other words, I would like to think they were victorious in more ways that just choosing the way they would die.

Anyway, I loved the book and was surprised I hadn't read it years ago. I own and have read another Lois Lowry book, "Number the Stars." I told Rod that "The Giver" is one he really has to read. He has read "Leven Thumps" and is excited for me to be reading it. Evidently the sequal has just come out in paperback so I imagine it will be part of our home library soon.

Thanks for the incentive to read and the interesting shared insights upon completion! :)

--Karen S.