By Lois Lowry
I thought I'd start my blogging with one of my favorite books. This book is written for the 5th or 6th grade reader, but as I read it, I thought it leaned more toward an older crowd. This book is set in an alternate/futuristic world where everyone sees in black and white and their world is
tightly controlled through medication and early career placement. Children are born to surrogates and raised by non-biological parents and the weather is even controlled by scientists. When the children turn twelve, they are given a career path that will shape the rest of their schooling and future. While his friends are given assignments to become teachers, birthmothers and farmers, Jonas is chosen to be the next Receiver. This assignment pairs Jonas with the aging current Receiver and gives him the memories, pleasures and pain of life. Jonas receives the truth of their way of life and what he does with this truth is the basis for the rest of the book. This book is the first book in a trilogy which is followed by Gathering Blue and then The Messenger.
I read this book in two days and immediately went out and bought the sequel. I love novels that question mass control of populations (see the bottom of this post). This novel is brilliantly written and catches your attention from page one and doesn't let go.
WARNING: There is a scene of infanticide described in detail. It adds to the sense of hostility towards the control of the population, but it did make my stomach quesy.
Similar Novels: Anthem by Ayn Rand and 1984 by George Orwell
Copyright: 1983
Length: 179 pages
I thought I'd start my blogging with one of my favorite books. This book is written for the 5th or 6th grade reader, but as I read it, I thought it leaned more toward an older crowd. This book is set in an alternate/futuristic world where everyone sees in black and white and their world is
tightly controlled through medication and early career placement. Children are born to surrogates and raised by non-biological parents and the weather is even controlled by scientists. When the children turn twelve, they are given a career path that will shape the rest of their schooling and future. While his friends are given assignments to become teachers, birthmothers and farmers, Jonas is chosen to be the next Receiver. This assignment pairs Jonas with the aging current Receiver and gives him the memories, pleasures and pain of life. Jonas receives the truth of their way of life and what he does with this truth is the basis for the rest of the book. This book is the first book in a trilogy which is followed by Gathering Blue and then The Messenger.I read this book in two days and immediately went out and bought the sequel. I love novels that question mass control of populations (see the bottom of this post). This novel is brilliantly written and catches your attention from page one and doesn't let go.
WARNING: There is a scene of infanticide described in detail. It adds to the sense of hostility towards the control of the population, but it did make my stomach quesy.
Similar Novels: Anthem by Ayn Rand and 1984 by George Orwell
Copyright: 1983
Length: 179 pages
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