Review Detail

Somebody recently told me they didn’t like Lois Lowry’s "The Giver" because it was a dystopian novel disguised as a utopian book. I gotta say to that: “Gurl, whachoo smokin’?!”

I thought it was obvious that this book is about a totally undesirable dystopian future. Who wants to be told as a preteen what he is going to be doing for the rest of his life no matter what he might think. Who wants to be told, as in this "Giver" “utopia,” that she will be forced to give birth for the rest of her life?! Talk about labor pains. This is so completely socialism gone awry that even sight is affected as nearly every living human being now sees in black and white.

Now I don’t know about you, but that certainly does not seem like a utopia to me. Lowry writes this book in such a brilliant way, however, that you can sympathize with the people of this "Giver" world for thinking they are living the perfect life. No war, no disputes, no violence or fighting of any kind. With each essential task assigned to a community member, these people can live in peace knowing that their village will continue to function for years to come. Without that pesky free will to get in the way, nobody need ever worry about anything ever again.

We know, however, that free will ain’t all that bad. It’s that knowledge that makes it glaringly obvious this world is no utopia, but a dystopia. The only time free will is ever okay to be taken away is when wearing the Sorting Hat. That little guy knows which Hogwarts House I should belong to way better than I ever will.

With a thought-provoking plot and characters I can’t help but connect with, "The Giver" is a definite must read.