Summer Read: 'The Giver' by Lois Lowry

Over the summer, I read The Giver by Lois Lowry. The Giver is about a boy named Jonas, who is given the job as the giver’s apprentice, only to know that this job is very unique and no one has ever been given it, in 27 years. Jonas lives in a community where you can’t leave and where rules are so serious that if you break them then you will be killed.  Jonas has to learn all of the Giver’s gifts, so that he can take over. But when Jonas’s memory of the outside world becomes more vast, he realizes that situations in his community are very wrong. When Jonas finds out that his family aren’t always what they seem, he flees his community, something that if you do and are caught, you will be killed. He flees with a new-born baby, to try and save his life, and they both realize what life is like outside in the real world.

This book teaches you the lessons of hope, because no matter what Jonas went through, he never gave up on his mission. It teaches readers that people can go against their fate and choose their own path in life. The author created a simple character and transformed him into an adventurous and mysterious boy towards the end of the book. It shows the life of a boy people who looked past but changed to be a man that no one would have expected.

Throughout the book, I was always intrigued by Jonas’ character. Jonas was a very mature boy for his age and the way he approached things made me have more of a focus on his character. He was very passionate about his assigned job and would stop at nothing until he got what he wanted. He was very passionate, especially towards learning about his work. Jonas, made me make a connection with other people like him in the world. It made me realize that there are some people in the world, who I extremely bright and intriguing but they are looked over by people because of their race, background or personality. I thought that the author portrayed the character of Jonas really well. It is important for me, when I read a book, that I can make a connection with the main character to reality. How are they similar? What would they have done in this situation? All of these questions I asked myself especially when Jonas was outside in the cold with a new-born baby and was on the verge of starvation. The author showed Jonas’ struggles very well in a way that I could relate to them.

I really liked this text, because it showed how some people address certain situations but how others address the same situation. When Gabriel is at a point, where if he doesn’t improve he will be thrown out of the community, Jonas thinks that his family should help him. But his father thinks that Gabriel won’t improve. Luckily, most of the family agreed with Jonas, so the baby was staying for improvement. I like how the text portrayed this situation because it showed a boy saving someone’s life and future.

However, I didn’t like how the book ended. I thought that the ending was too abrupt. For example, the ending was roughly 30 pages long. Personally, I don’t like the type of books where there is a short ending because I like everything to fall into one at the end of a book, not just stop short and quick. Also, I didn’t like how the author stopped writing about Jonas’ friends halfway through the book, because I think that these were very important people to recognize Jonas’ change in personality and his achievements.

This text connected with me because I could connect with the relationship between ‘the giver’ and Jonas. It started off to be very edgy and weak but as the story progressed, their bond grew a lot stronger and as a reader, I could really notice how similar and alike these characters were. This is similar to the way I have felt in the past with friendships, you begin to not know people but then you realize that you are very similar and enjoy the same things as a ‘stranger’.

Overall, I really enjoyed this text because it was very informative and made a great connection with the outside world. Not only, did I connect with the character Jonas, but also with ‘the giver’ and the mum, because I noticed that they go through subtle, less obvious changes and events throughout the story. I would most definitely recommend this book to someone else because it was really eventful and interesting yet an easy and educating read. I would definitely read this book again, but I am not sure if I will watch the movie as it seems very different and I wouldn’t want to ruin the book.