There are many books which have caused me to stop, wonder and return back to, if only to read several passages.
The List:
The Glass Castle
The Lovely Bones
The Vanishing Acts
The Secret Life of Bees
Night Swimming
Drowning Ruth
Whale Talk
these are just a few but now I have a new one to add to the list:
The Giver by Lois Lowry
Unbelievable writing on a Utopia I wouldn't want to live in, if I had a choice. I plan on reading the two other books in this series - Gathering Blue and Messenger. I am intrigued by this author's view of what we have and what we could lose.
Imagine a world with no color, no music, no books, no holidays, no grandparents, No Choices. At the age of 12 and the last significant celebrated birthday, your career choice is made for you. When you get older your mate for life is chosen for you and as well your children (after you apply for them) are chosen for you. One boy and One girl is all you get. Being a birthmother is considered a lowly position to be chosen for and only a short one of three years then its off to hard labor until you reach an age where you are put into an old folks home. The fate there is to release the feeble or certain age. I imagined what releasing meant and it wasn't pretty.
No sex, no love, no warmth, no religion, no vacations. Speakers in your home and everywhere you walk telling all sorts of rules and transgressions if made. When you reach an age to feel stirrings then a pill is taken daily to stop these urges. No weddings, no funerals, no parties unless deemed by the speakers. Days to be taken off are given by the elders on the council. Sharing with your immediate family all frustrations and dreams daily at dinner and at breakfast. I could go on and there is so much more when you actually read the book. Proper speech is a must and Love is a frivilous word and is too general. What?????
Now, having total climate control, no poverty, no hunger, no wars, no horrible pain (sort of), no in-laws and of course, really no stress those are things I could probably handle. This book won a John Newberry award for Children literature. I think teens should read this book but I believe a lot of it would ultimately be lost on them. My next great thought would be to have prisoners lead an existance like this after having their memories taken from them. An awesome punishment and a way to clean up the world a little bit.
Thanks for reading with me today, "Old friends are antiques. They are to be Treasured."
