The Giver

Why I bought it: It was like $2 and I remember liking it as a child.

Thoughts: After giving fellow bloggers the opportunity to select the items on my backlog that I must tackle next, it became clear that The Giver would be the next book for me to read. Let me just thank everyone for making a great choice. Though I had read this book twice before (once in 5th grade and once in 6th grade - both times required by school), I don't think I was really old enough to quite grasp all the little details that make this book great. In some ways, this book reminds me of Brave New World and in others, it reminds me of The Hunger Games. This book paints the picture of a future world in which everything is controlled. Everything is the same. Once they decided to go to "sameness", the world as we know it changed drastically. Though I won't go into too much detail in case anyone on here hasn't read it or doesn't remember it, what I will say is that it's a great read and it's a quick read. Instead of rambling for pages upon pages upon pages, Lowry chose, instead, to keep it very succinct. At around 200 pages, I read this book in about two sittings. What I think this book does the best is that it reveals the details of this futuristic world little by little, through the eyes of Jonas, the main character, as he discovers it, instead of just telling you exactly what the future is like in the first few pages. I can't do this book justice, but what I can say is that it is very well thought out (unlike Hunger Games) and it's a joy to read.

Should I have bought it: Yes. When I read books I feel smart!