Nothing is every really perfect. There can be the illusion of perfection. And if everyone is happy and there is no war and no worry and not even any unfavorable weather, why wouldn't the citizens of such a future think of their lives as perfect? Jonas grew up this way, with no worries, until he got his assignment at the age of twelve. He starts training with the Giver and it opens his eyes. Now, Jonas knows all the things mankind gave up for their "perfect" world and he finally understands the full truth of the world he lives in. And it is far from perfect.

The method by which Jonas learns he "sees beyond." I don't want to spoil it, but it was one of my favorite aspects of the book. Because of the way it progressed and because of what it revealed about the world.

Run out and buy the next two books in the series, Gathering Blue and Messenger.

It's one of those important reads--for all ages. Maybe this kind of message gets pounded into reader's heads too much, but maybe not. Lowry does it in a way, with an innocence and progression, that's spellbounding and beautiful.

This is part of my Reading Resolution:

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Created Feb 02, 2007 at 2:09am • Submit your own review...