I recently read the book The Giver by Lois Lowry. This is a science fiction novel and won the Newbery Medal for American literature for children. .
The main characters in the story are Jonas, a twelve-year-old boy and the Giver, the man who gives Jonas memories that no one else in their community has. Jonas? parents and his sister Lily, and his friend Asher are also very important throughout the story.
Jonas lived in a community where everything was the same. Everything was controlled to be perfect. The people had never felt pain, and anyone who was different was "released", what the people called being killed. Most of the citizens thought that being released meant leaving the community and going Elsewhere. December was a very important time for children there. Each year they received a new privilege or responsibility. For example, the nines got their own bicycle to ride and the tens got more adult haircuts. The ceremony of twelves, though was by far the most important. This was where the boys and girls would be assigned their careers that they were to have for the rest of their working lives.
Jonas was very apprehensive about this day that was to come soon. Unlike some of his friends who were almost positive what they would be assigned, he had almost no idea. When the day rolled around, Jonas was in for a very big surprise. He was singled out to be trained for the role of the receiver of memory. There was only one receiver of memory in the community and one had to be very special to receive the honor.
On the first day he went to work, Jonas had no idea what was in store for him. He arrived at where he was supposed to be, and met an old man who Jonas was to call The Giver. This man gives Jonas memories of doing and seeing all sorts of things not permitted in the community. There were fun, happy memories such as sledding down a hill and lying in the sun, but also sad, hard-to bear things such as war and the feeling of starving.
