Week 51: The Giver by Lois Lowry

If I had gone to public school, I am sure that this book would have been required reading. But I didn't.

I have always wanted to read this book because I knew it was along the lines of Fahrenheit 451 - another reality - another world - another culture - completely different from that of our own. Imagine a world devoid of color, feelings, and love. Imagine a world without sadness, where families are created and put together, not made through normal means. This is the world of The Giver.

The communities in this book traded their emotions, guilt, pain, birth and death in for a safer world in which everyone was essentially the same. When Jonas, who is only 12, learns about these things, he realizes the importance of these human qualities, memories, and of the individual. Through Jonas, Lowry's readers can also appreciate individualism, knowledge of the past, and both joy and sadness. Despite all of life's tough times, our memories carry us through.

A great book, easy read. And for all you Phil-Monters out there, we missed out on something good. Pick it up if you haven't already.