The Giver by Lois Lowry

The Giver begins with the semblance of a utopian novel, but as the reader continues the society begins to seem more and more dystopian.  Jonas is twelve years old and part of a society in which everyone has agreed to "Sameness".  This policy of "Sameness" has eliminated much pain and strife from the lives of the population, but we gradually see that it has also resulted in a loss of feeling.  Jonas is chosen to be the "Receiver of Memory" and is made to understand that his purpose is to retain the memories of the time before "Sameness" in case the society has need of someone with experience to resolve problems.  The "Giver" is the previous Receiver of memory, and we find out that he can break some of the rules that the others have to adhere to.  

      Upon receiving the memories, Jonas realizes the trade-off that has occurred.  Although the people in the society think that they are happy, they are only happy because they don't know any other way of life.  Jonas has to make an important decision: Will he stay with the society he was raised in and take on the role intended for him, or will he venture out in search of a better life?

Analysis:  This book would make a great early introduction to the dystopian genre.  It is very easy reading, and sets forth its ideas in a subtle way that is not as outright disturbing as other books in the genre such as Brave New World.  It still manages to get its point across, however.  When Jonas sees his father euthanizing a baby, the reader cannot help being disturbed by the lack of feeling in the act.  Dystopianism arose as a counterpoint to utopianism, and it is interesting how this novel disguises itself at the start as a utopian novel and gradually reveals its true nature.  This book would be appropriate for 6th-10th graders.

Class Ideas:  This book would be a great introduction to the dystopian genre.  The real strength of this book is that it presents complex ideas in a way that is easy to understand, providing a gateway to a genre that would otherwise probably have to be saved for older readers.  This book would contribute well to a reading ladder that ends with Brave New World: it has the same gradually encroaching feeling of "wrongness" that Huxley's book has, but without the overt sexual and narcotic themes.  The Giver could be read by much younger students than Brave New World, but the main line of thought is the same.  Could book ladders be constructed that cover multiple grades or even the middle-school-high-school boundary?  This idea might be difficult to implement but there is no rule that says a book ladder can only cover one year of school.