Posted in The Giver

I want to say thanks to Cassidy for insisting that we read this book…lol. ;-) I probably wouldn't have read it otherwise. I tend to spend most of my time in the old classic literature and sometimes ignore "contemporary classics," if I can call them that. I know that Lois Lowry has won many awards, and now I can see that they're well deserved.

Discussion Notes

I think it's neat to look back and see how much Jonas changed over the course of the book. At the beginning, you could sort of tell that he was special, but there was something that was just so monotone about his life. In both a literal and an analogous way, there was no "color" in him, just occasional flashes of what might potentially be color. By the end, he had grown into the person who he really was. None of his family--parents, sister, or friends could truly be themselves because something was holding them back.  They didn't have the capacity to feel or to love. Their souls were suppressed, and there was no way that they could grow.

I think this can open our eyes to the answer of Sunday's discussion question. Which is better--having the ability to experience both pain and joy, or living without either one? I would ask, what is the point of living if you don't have the capability of loving? Life wouldn't be worth it. It wouldn't truly be life.

When people ask why God would allow terrible things to happen, they need to realize that if He didn't, He also wouldn't be able to allow us the free will to love. He loves us so much that He wants us to experience the ultimate joy of being with Him, but with that incredible choice comes responsibility and consequences for wrong decisions. The community gives a peek into what life would be like without those blessed and yet dangerous choices.

Discussion Questions

1. How did the Giver change over the course of the book?
2. What do you think it would be like living in a community where you were the only one with the capacity to have true feelings?
3. How do you think the community will respond to the new feelings?
4. In what way did Jonas show his love to the Giver, the community, and especially to Gabriel in the last couple chapters?

Thanks again, sweetpotato, for so faithfully posting in the discussions! There would be no group without you. ;-)

Some quick announcements

According to the poll that we did in December, the book that most of the members wanted to read was Till We Have Faces by C.S. Lews. We'll plan on reading that in another two weeks or so. Make sure you'll be able to get your hands on a copy!

Also, please welcome our newest member, Lillian. We're very glad to have her join us! I hope to see a boost in numbers for this next book. I'll try to get the word out as much as I can.

Until next time,
Sylvia

Posted in The Giver

I’m liking the idea of reading 3 chapters a day. That means we’ll finish our last chapter on Tuesday. Yes, it is ending all too soon! Perhaps sometime we'll read the sequel Gathering Blue. I know I have really enjoyed this so far, and Lois Lowry is an excellent author. I'll put it on the already long list of books!

Discussion Notes

I kind of already knew that the setting of the book was in the future, but I didn't fully grasp it until I read Chapter 11. What makes this book so fascinating is that it forces the reader to think outside the box. Imagine what a world would be like with "Climate Control" and "Sameness." What kind of shock did you get when you realized that no one in the community saw any color? When I read that Chapter 12, I simply set the book down and tried to wrap my head around it. What an awesome thing it would be to suddenly discover color after living without it for 12 years!

I think that the main thing I've gotten out of this book so far is the idea that if we have wonderful joys then we must also take the "risk" terrible pain. You can't take one and not the other. You can't take the joy of drinking in the sunshine without also having the risk of getting a sunburn. You can't take the joy of sledding down a snowy hill without also taking the risk of bitter cold or the possibility of an awful crash.  Our joy accompanies our pain.

Let's take color for example:

   "'Well...' Jonas had to stop and think it through. 'If everything's the same, then there aren't any choices! I want to wake up in the morning and decide things! A blue tunic, or a red one?'
   He looked down at himself, at the colorless fabric of his clothing. 'But it's all the same, always.'"

Wouldn't it be dull if we didn't have colors on our clothing? I love waking up in the morning and deciding what to wear! It's fun to mix and match different colors to form different outfits. But what happens when we have the the ability to make our own choices? Look at all of the people who are judged because of their outward appearances--simply because of their clothes. Look at all of the wasted money spent on fleeting name brands. Having the ability to choose what we wear is a joy, but it can also be a pain. Sometimes I've wished that I didn't have to decide what to put on in the morning. Would it be better to simply take away the decision-making altogether?

   "The Giver shrugged. 'Our people made that choice, the choice to go to Sameness. Before my time, before the previous time, back and back and back. We relinquished color when we relinquished sunshine and did away with differences.' He thought for a moment. 'We gained control of many things. But we had to let go of others.'"

Discussion Questions

There is only one discussion question today, but it's a huge one. Which way would you rather live? Would you rather have the power to make choices for yourself, or would you rather have someone wiser make the choices for you? Would you rather have the ability to experience both pain and joy, or would you rather live without either one?

Do you agree with Jonas?

I look forward to finishing the book and having our last discussion. :)
Regards,
Sylvia

Posted in The Giver

We’re nearly halfway through the book now. I think I might change it so that we read 3 chapters a day instead of two. Does that sound good to you? I know I'm itching to find out what happens. ;)

Discussion Notes

Well, we finally found out what Jonas's Assignment turned out to be! I expected that it might be something big. Of course, there probably wouldn't be a book written about him if he didn't experience something very unique. ;)

One of the most intruiging things about why he was chosen is his "Capacity to See Beyond." I suppose that's what the whole changing apple thing was. But what's the significance of that? What's so special about occasionally having the feeling that something has changed, but not knowing what it is? The whole thing is really confusing.

Also, I really want to find out about this girl that was wrongly chosen ten years ago. It seems that her failure caused huge waves, so the pressure on Jonas to succeed is much bigger.

The big thing that stood out to me was the 8th thing on Jonas's list--"You may lie."

   "Still, the final rule said...well, he wasn't quite ready to think about the final rule on the page."

   "He had never, within his memory, been tempted to lie. Asher did not lie. Lily did not lie. His parents did not lie. No one did. Unless...
   Now Jonas had a thought that he had never had before. This new thought was frightening. What if others--adults--had, upon becoming Twelves, received in their instructions the same terrifying sentence?" [emphasis mine]

It's a crazy thought. What if you had grown up in a place where you pretty much didn't even know what lying was? What would it be like if you suddenly discovered that there may be people out there that could lie? What would it be like if you were that person? It would feel so strange, and yes, "terrifying."

Discussion Questions

1. What do you think your reaction would have been if you were in Jonas's position?
2. Are there circumstances where it's okay to lie?
3. Why do you think that Jonas will have to be "alone" and "apart" in his training?

Let's go ahead and read three chapters tomorrow and Sunday. If it works out, we'll keep doing it until the book is finished.

Happy reading,
Sylvia

Posted in The Giver

We read chapters 3 and 4 yesterday. Today we are reading chapters 5 and 6. If you get behind, it should be very easy to get caught up. The chapters are short and don’t take much time to get through. I'd encourage you not to read ahead--it's been hard for me to restrain myself from going on to the next chapters! It's probably best not to have any hindsight as we do the discussions. Plus, it's good discipline (especially for me) not to race through a book as fast as I can. It's easier to digest if we take our time.

Discussion Notes

We're beginning to learn more and more about this strange community that Jonas lives in. Let's keep adding to our list of peculiarities that we notice as we read:

1. The ever-present intercom is always interjecting. It's as if people are sitting by watching and waiting for someone to break the rules.
2. The volunteer hours are carefully enforced and regulated.
3. Asher was required to throw balls because his hand-eye coordination wasn't up to standards. (I guess they REALLY pay attention to details...)
4. There's a morning ritual for telling dreams. It seems like nothing is concealed in this little society.
5. Everyone takes pills to suppress their "stirrings" (this one is especially weird!)

I also noticed that mostly everybody seems to know one another. I guess there aren't so many people in the community that they can't all recognize each other.

Now how about the "apple?" I really have no clue what it means, but I'm sure that it'll come into the story later. It seems as if the Elders were trying to hide something, though. And why didn't Asher see the "change" like Jonas did? Hmm. All questions yet to be answered as we keep reading.

Discussion Questions

1. Do you have anything else to add to the list?
2. What do you think are some good things about the community?
3. How about bad things?
4. Do you have any guesses as to what Assignment Jonas will get? (I know I'm on pins and needles to find out...!)

On Friday we'll discuss chapters 7-10.

Enjoy your reading! :)
~Sylvia

Posted in The Giver

Today is the day that we begin reading The Giver. Make sure to read chapters 1-2 and then come back to the blog for discussion. I will have the notes and discussion questions posted as soon as I can!

Happy reading!
~Sylvia

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Discussion Notes

I have never read this book before (and I know pretty much nothing about it), so I'm coming into this quite blindly. These first two chapters gave me an interesting first impression, and I'm already looking forward to reading this and discovering the answers to all of the questions that chapters 1 and 2 raised for me.

The setting is all very intruiging. Have any of you ever read the book Twenty-One Balloons by William Pene du Bois? If you have, then you'll probably understand what I mean when I say that the community reminded me a lot of the one on Krakatoa. For some reason, it seemed very...well, I don't know exactly how to describe it. The community almost acted like a well-oiled machine. I decided to make a list of all the things I noticed about it:

1. All of the families could only have 2 children, a girl and a boy
2. There were tons of rules and regulations
3. Everyone seemed to be expected to contribute to the community in the way that they were deemed fit
4. It all seemed very orderly, and the "Elders" managed things maticulously
5. Lily's stuffed elephant was called a "comfort object"...kinda weird, don't you think?

Also, I kept wondering throughout the whole reading--where do the "newchildren" come from? And what does it mean to be "released?" It sounds ominous. But, if a community is going to work like that, anyone who might cause trouble would have to be disposed of.

It also interested me how close Jonas was to his parents and sister. They all seemed to have very good relationships. I noticed how each of them was very sincere; there was no trace of cynicism in their conversations.

So...those are my first impressions! It will be interesting to hear yours. ;)

Discussion Questions

1. What was something that you noticed about the community that seemed distinctive to you? Could you add something to the list that I made above?
2. What do you think of Jonas's family?
3. What do you think of the "Elders?"
4. I found this quote interesting:

"Jonas sighed. This evening he almost would have preferred to keep his feelings hidden. But it was, of course, against the rules."

Did you notice that he didn't even consider lying about his feelings? There are just so many things in these two chapters that have such a different feel to them. I'm looking forward to finding out more as we keep reading.

Tomorrow, don't forget to read chapters 3-4. On Wednesday we'll read chapters 5-6 and I'll post a discussion.
I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Regards,
Sylvia

Posted in The Giver

Hello everyone,
Well, I'm sorry that it took so long for me to start this up again! I had a busy month of January, but rest assured that I will do my best to keep this blog alive as long as possible. I know you have all been looking forward to reading our first book of the year - The Giver by Lois Lowry. If you plan on participating, please leave a comment and let me know! Our starting date will be next Monday, February 18. If you don't have the book, that should be enough time for you to get your hands on it. There are 23 chapters, so we'll plan on doing 2 or 3 a day. Does that sound good to you? I think I'll be posting discussions about every other day. Daily discussions might be a little hard on some of us.

Make sure to contact anyone you know who might be interested in joining!

Regards,
Sylvia