The Giver by Lois Lowry

I, unlike most people by the time they reach college, had never read The Giver and was very anxious to see what all the excitement was about. When I read the first few chapters I was definitely interested in what the rest of the book would be about but I thought it was very strange. However, I quickly realized that the concepts weren't really that strange at all when looking at the world we live in now.

The story is about a community that has everything equal and there are no differences between anyone or anything and no one ever has to make decisions on their own. There is no color, no weather, no pain, no inconveniences, no rudeness; everything is "perfect." When Jonas, the main character, is selected to have the responsibility of Receiver of Memories he realizes that feelings and colors and all the things his community is lacking, are all things that everyone should experience. They are not just things that the Receiver should get to know about and know how to deal with.

As I said before, I thought this story was very strange when I began reading it. Now, I think this is very similar to what people in our country want to become. The idea of everyone being equal and there being no differences in any aspect of life. If everything and everyone are equal then there is no diversity and I think that, although there are many people pushing for equality, it is at the price of all of the diversity that makes our world so amazing! I also think that this book made me appreciate the little things that I seem to think for granted on an every day basis; the color of flowers, music, being able to make choices about my own life without being told what to do. I think this book is great because it is open to a variety of interpretations and I love that it can start so many vivid conversations.