Book Club Guide

The Giver

by Lois Lowry · 1993 · Dystopian

Key themes

Sameness as the price of peace — and whether it is worth it
Memory as both burden and gift
The choice that has no precedent

About this book

At the age of twelve, Jonas, a young boy from a seemingly utopian, futuristic world, is singled out to receive special training from The Giver, who alone holds the memories of the true joys and pain o

Published in 1993, The Giver won the Newbery Medal and has become one of the most discussed and challenged novels in American schools. Lowry has described it as a novel about the dangers of sameness and the importance of human connection.

Discussion questions

The community Jonas lives in has eliminated pain, war and choice — along with colour, music and memory. How does Lowry develop the case for and against this trade-off — and does she allow any genuine sympathy for the community's goals?
The Giver carries the community's entire history. What is Lowry saying about the relationship between memory, pain and what it means to be fully human?
Jonas's assignment as the next Receiver is a privilege the community cannot understand and cannot protect him in. How does Lowry use this isolation — and what does it say about what knowledge costs?
The ending is deliberately ambiguous — it is unclear whether Jonas survives. How does Lowry use this openness — and does the ambiguity serve the story's argument?
The Giver is one of the most assigned and most challenged books in American middle schools — some find it too dark, others find it essential. Where do you come down — and what does the controversy reveal about what we want children's literature to do?