In The Giver by Lois Lowry, Jonas is raised in a "perfect" society. Where Jonas lives, there is no unhappiness, no love, no illness, no violence, and absolutely no freedom. When Jonas turns twelve, he is chosen to be the Receiver of Memories. The Receiver of Memories bears all the past memories for the community.
As Jonas is receiving memories, he learns of war, color, trees, and snow. Jonas begins to learn that the "perfect" society he is living in isn't all that perfect. The people have no freedom to make any choices for themselves. He must choose between his world of sameness and the real world.
I recommend this book to anyone, young or old. Lowry shows the significance of memory. To get rid of pain, the community first had to get rid of memory. Would you sacrifice your memory to keep yourself from experiencing pain?
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