The Giver
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| The Giver | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Author | Lois Lowry |
| Cover artist | Cliff Nielsen |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | The Giver trilogy |
| Genre(s) | Soft science fiction,dystopian fiction |
| Publisher | Bantam Books |
| Publication date | 1993 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback &Paperback) |
| Pages | 180 p. (paperback edition) |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-553-57133-8(paperback edition) |
| Followed by | Gathering Blue |
The Giver is a 1993 soft science fiction novel by Lois Lowry. It is set in a future society which is at first presented as a utopian society and gradually appears more and more dystopian; therefore, it could be considered anti-utopian. The novel follows a boy named Jonas through the twelfth year of his life. The society has eliminated pain and strife by converting to "Sameness", a plan which has also eradicated emotional depth from their lives. Jonas is selected to inherit the position of "Receiver of Memory," the person who stores all the memories of the time before Sameness, in case they are ever needed to aid in decisions that others lack the experience to make. When Jonas meets the Giver, he is confused in many ways. His door was locked, which was against the rules in his society. The Giver was also allowed to turn off the Speaker (frequent announcements of reminders and events to the whole community). As Jonas receives the memories from the previous receiver—the "Giver"—he discovers how shallow his community's life has become.
Despite controversy and criticism that the book's subject material is inappropriate for young children, The Giver won the 1994 Newbery Medal and has sold more than 5.3 million copies.[citation needed] In Australia, the United States and Canada, it is a part of many middle school reading lists, but it is also on many banned book lists. The novel forms a loose trilogy with Gathering Blue (2000) and Messenger (2004), two other books set in the same future era.
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