The Giver... My take on it.

I finished The Giver in three days. Really it was two focused times of reading, maybe a few hours total (it is young adult fiction though so I guess I shouldn't feel too accomplished)! I now remember why I dont often read fiction- it is too addicting. I could hardly put the book down! I love this book! I had read it once or twice when I was young, and for some reason I was in the mood to relive it (i have so been in a reminiscing mood). Here is my take:

Things I liked about the book:

• The whole concept is so creative!
• It makes you truly think about how you live life, view others and what's important.
• It elevates love, true feelings, and family
• For some reason it makes me think about sin and choice, if you read it you might understand this too

Things that annoyed me about the book:

• The ending! In literary terms it is probably a great ending, suspenseful and all, but I want to be told how everyone ends up!!!
• There are parts that are super sad... like "release"

I totally reccomend everyone read it- it is one of my favorite books, and it is short and easy to read! Here is a summary I found online so you can get a better picture of what it is about:

Jonas turns 12 he is going to receive special training from the Giver. The Giver will take Jonas through the pain and the pleasure of life. Now it’s time of Jonas to receive the truth. There is no turning back. I recommend this book because it is unique and different.

“The Giver” is a futuristic science fiction novel set in a utopian society. In Jonas’s community, there are no feelings, no hunger, no inequalities, and no pain. Everything is created to be equal. Every family unit is uniform and prescribed according to the community leaders. Each member of the community is given their profession when they turn twelve. Jonas is selected to become the receiver of memory. As he trains with the Giver, he realizes the truth of the community he lives in. The people of the community do not get to feel love, true happiness, of any of the god qualities of life. On the other hand, they do not feel any of the negative aspects either. They live in a colorless society. Those who do not live up to the standards of this Utopian society are quickly “released”. Jonas later finds out that this release process is equivalent to that of death. He decides that it is up to him to return what has been taken from the members of the community. With the help of the Giver, Jonas escapes from the community, which will result in the release of all memories to the community. This memory release process initiates the community members to previously unfelt feelings of pain, famine, war, as well as human differences, love, and happiness. The resolution of this science fiction novel is up for debate and ultimately depends upon the discretion, opinion, and interpretation of each individual reader.

Review found here.