The Giver by Lois Lowry is a classic dystopian book. Jonas receives the Assignment or job of
Receiver of Memory. The old Receiver of Memory, otherwise known as the Giver, is giving
Jonas the memories of the world. The Giver begins by giving Jonas happy memories.
Memories of sledding and sunshine. But, the Giver must also give Jonas the memories of pain,
memories of war, starvation, and death. Jonas knows that there are many things wrong with his
community, and together he and the Giver develop a plan to show this to the community. But,
all their plans are changed when Jonas realizes he cannot wait, and must leave immediately,
this time with Gabriel. Gabriel is a baby Jonas has come to love. One night, Jonas takes baby
Gabriel and leaves the community, hoping that one day the memories he is carrying will make it
back to the community and make things right again. I read this book in school, and I would not
have picked it out on my own, but I’m glad I was able to read it in school. I enjoyed reading the
book and following Jonas’ journey. The only thing I did not like about it was that it did not have
a clear ending, leaving us to wonder what the true fate of Jonas and Gabriel really was.