Shirley was our host this month. Present were Beth, Betty, Carla, Colette, Linda, Marg, Michèle and Shirley of course. We also had a written opinion from Janet who is presently on the other side of the country. Shirley put out a wonderful spread of "pigs in a blanket" vegetables with a dip, cheese and sweet &sour jelly beans! Wine of course was served and a wonderful prune cake with a toffee sauce and whipping cream.
Betty presented this month's book, The Giver by Lois Lowry. Ms. Lowry is an American author, now 85 years old, who began writing in her mid fifties. She has written 47 books most are children's literature, many in series. The Giver is the first of 4 books, followed by Gathering Blue, Messenger and Son. Two of her books have won a Library Association Award for Children's Literature, The Newbery Medal, Number the Stars and The Giver that frequently appears on reading lists for Grade 7 & 8 classes in the U.S.A. and Canada. They also often appear on lists of banned books.
The Giver is a dystopian novel about a community that appears to be utopian. There is no pain or strife, no protest, nothing that is different. Everyone lives by the rule book and has a particular role in society assigned to her or him at age 12. The main character is a 12 year old boy named Jonas.
This novel generated considerable discussion. A couple of us, not having previously read a "dystopian" novels, were shocked and unnerved by the storyline. We discussed the "sameness" of the community in the novel, the similarity to a communist country like China or North Korea. The 'release' of babies who were not thriving reminded many of us of "abortions" and the 'release' of the elderly as similar to MAID. However in effect both were murders probably disguised as letting them go (released). We were all fascinated unnerved by the story. One member read all 4 books of the series, curious to read what came next after Jonas leaves with Gabriel to find "elsewhere" and the world where joy, sorrow, pain and feelings exist.
One of our members who us a former English literature teacher, found the book very interesting and she felt it would be a good teaching tool in the classroom, generating discussion and questions about our own society in comparison to the community in this novel. She felt that the author wrote the book in simple terms with few complicated descriptions, very readable for grade 7 & 8 students, that even young adults with reading difficulties would be able to understand and read it, still being able to compare the society in the book to our own. It is well put together.
Thank you Betty for a thoughtful selection.
