Imagine living life without a choice, color or freedom, being confined to a small community, and having to follow the rules of a group called the elders. It’s hard, isn't it? But this is how the utopian society in The Giver by Lois Lowry lived. This community lives by the rules made by the elders who no one even knows. Each person gets a spouse, but they don't get to choose that spouse, and each couple is entitled to 2 kids, one boy and one girl courtesy of the group of birth givers.

As the annual ceremony of twelve is coming up 12-year-old Jonas worries about the what he is going to be selected for. His dad, a nurturer who takes care of infants, and mom, a member of the department of justice, tell Jonas not to worry; the elders' decisions are always right. The ceremony of twelve has come and Jonas is selected as the new receiver of memories. With this selection, Jonas must undergo a lot of pain as well as gleeful moments as he receives all of the memories from the past. Jonas meets The Giver, the current holder of memories, who will transfer all of his memories of the past to Jonas. All of the memories Jonas receives are the things that are illegal in his society such as sledding, color, and sunshine. Jonas soon learns that his father had lied to him about “release,” in response Jonas makes a decision that will greatly impact his society forever.

Lois Lowry shows us the importance of memory in our lives. Lowry found that without memory we don't remember pain, and if you can't remember pain, then you might as well have not experienced it. Without experiencing pain you can not regret doing the thing that made you feel pain. Now, this may sound great, no pain, no injuries. However, pain is essential, without pain one can't know what the difference is between a good time and a bad time. The entire community is living thinking they are happy, but how can they truly know they are happy unless they experience something less than happy like pain? Lowry also explores the theme of choice -- the society Jonas lives in has no choice, everything that happens is controlled by the elders, everybody's name, spouse, children, and career are chosen by the elders. After receiving the memories from The Giver, Jonas realizes the flaws in the community. Jonas realizes people should have a choice.

Although some of the events are predictable, I believe this book is truly great. The Giver has a lot of suspenseful moments as well as heartfelt ones. This book is definitely one I would recommend to everyone, but especially to teenagers because of the deeper meaning in the book.