Just as Good in Round Two

When I married my husband, we began two immediate collections: board games and books. These are two categories of must-haves for any growing family. In the acquisition of books, Eric suggested The Giver. I had never read it before and was curious after his explanation. I quickly devoured the book and loved it. There's so much in those pages! Choosing it for Book Club required me to re-read it since it had been four years. This is one book I won't mind reading and re-reading. I'm immediately in the society and can see it in my mind's eye. After reading and thinking about it this second time, I love it even more. Part of that may also be my exposure to other novels similar in theme such as Fahrenheit 451 and 1984. The drabness enforced upon the societies in order to achieve "sameness" is similar in both The Giver and 1984. The trash receptacles, rules, and punishments all hum a similar tune. The lack of culture found in literature and art are missing, all in the pursuit of different yet similar goals.
We gave a copy of this novel to one of our nephews for Christmas. We didn't just randomly choose it. It's one of our favorites because it has so much to teach within those pages.