The Giver by Lois Lowry

The Giver is the first book in The Giver quartet, but I feel like these books need to be addressed one by one because they are so different. The second book is nothing like the first one. There are some slight connections, but they are hard to pick up on and easy to miss. The third book connects to the second book and to the first book slightly at the end. The fourth book, Son, which I actually haven't read yet and will read after I finish The 5th Wave, I've heard ties all the books together and connects them all beautifully. I can't wait to read it and find out for myself.

I loved this book! I watched the movie first but I definitely recommend reading the book first - it's pretty similar to the movie but a lot better (aren't they always?!). It's a shorter novel, and I read it in just a few hours (but I read pretty quickly).

Here's the blurb for those of you that haven't heard of this novel before:
Jonas's world is perfect. Everything is under control. There is no war or fear or pain. There are no choices. Every person is assigned a role in the Community. When Jonas turns 12, he is singled out to receive special training from The Giver. The Giver alone holds the memories of the true pain and pleasure of life. Now it's time for Jonas to receive the truth. There is no turning back. 

There is little to no violence in the book, although there are some disturbing scenes where a character euthanizes a baby and elderly people in the head with a needle. In this dystopian society, anyone who is deemed unfit is "released" - it's seen as a happy, relieving event for the elderly, certain babies, and rule-breakers, but in reality, they are killing innocent people. Jonas realizes the value of human life and sees the consequences of a society that has no love or values.

Sexual content is extremely minimal. There is no kissing, although Jonas experiences feelings and "stirrings" towards girls for the first time at some point in the novel, but I remember it being very minimal. The teens bathe the elderly and nothing is described. Since the characters have no feelings, the teens don't feel grossed out and the vulnerable elderly aren't insecure.

I really loved this book. It was a fun read and easy to get through. The writing is creative and descriptive. In Jonas's world, there is no conflict or misery. But, there is also no love or happiness. I love this book because it very obviously depicts the importance of feelings, and personality, in society. We need sadness, anger, happiness and love in society because they work together to develop us as human beings. They make us unique as individuals, and I love how this book portrays that so clearly by the end.