The Giver, Louis Lowry

Jonas, an 11 year old boy who is giddy with excitement for his 12 year ceremony, lives in a community where everything seems to flow quite smoothly. The people who run the community, (the committee), make sure that no one makes their own unguided decisions. Each person is given what job they will do, who their spouse will be, and even what they talk about each night with their families! When each child turns 12, they are given the occupation that they will do for the majority of the rest of their life. On the day of Jonas’s 12 year ceremony, he is given the honorary job of the Receiver. The receiver is the one person in the community who holds all the memories of the past generations. When his training begins, he is faced with some happy memories which he has to obtain, along with many brutal ones that cause intense and real pain. Jonas feels proud to have been chosen to be the Receiver, but he is unsure of whether he can handle the pain, responsibility, and truth that comes with this great honor. After he has trained for over a year, Jonas begins to feel more confident that he can handle what has been brought before him. But when Jonas finds out the truth of what this job really has in store, he is no longer so sure. He is faced with a life altering decision. He wants to find the truth. What lies in store for Jonas? What decision will he have to make? The only way for you to find out is to read it for yourself.