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Fergus, Weaver of Autistic Webs's Reviews > The Giver
The Giver (The Giver, #1)
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PRESCIENT INDEED!
Hang on to your books...
In these days when memories, and indeed history, are being overwritten by bland sameness we still think of Lois Lowry.
We have indeed come much too far to regress, and I think - now that all Givers are segregated from the heap, and pretty well left to their own devices - that we are all forced to cut our losses and smile wistfully at our lost pasts.
Our pasts seem, more and more now, jagged and uneven - but my own past I am not willing to sever from my soul.
For:
We who Give must still give optimally.
We must share our Memories with Anyone willing to listen.
We must enrich our conversation with archaic usages that carry a valuable lost TREASURY of MEANING.
And above all, we must be OURSELVES stubbornly in a world that puts us on hold and plays Muzak to soothe our ruffled feathers.
We must LIVE.
We must be OURSELVES.
We must never FEAR THE CROWD!
My friends, someday we may be given a BLUNT CHOICE:
Les Paradis Artificiels -
Or Freedom.
I only hope I personally will always choose the second option.
Hang on to your books...
In these days when memories, and indeed history, are being overwritten by bland sameness we still think of Lois Lowry.
We have indeed come much too far to regress, and I think - now that all Givers are segregated from the heap, and pretty well left to their own devices - that we are all forced to cut our losses and smile wistfully at our lost pasts.
Our pasts seem, more and more now, jagged and uneven - but my own past I am not willing to sever from my soul.
For:
We who Give must still give optimally.
We must share our Memories with Anyone willing to listen.
We must enrich our conversation with archaic usages that carry a valuable lost TREASURY of MEANING.
And above all, we must be OURSELVES stubbornly in a world that puts us on hold and plays Muzak to soothe our ruffled feathers.
We must LIVE.
We must be OURSELVES.
We must never FEAR THE CROWD!
My friends, someday we may be given a BLUNT CHOICE:
Les Paradis Artificiels -
Or Freedom.
I only hope I personally will always choose the second option.
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Finished Reading
March 20, 2021
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len ❀
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Mar 20, 2021 09:22PM
I always wondered why I wasn't assigned to read this book in school. Looking at this review, I think about how beautiful the experience could have been for some of us. I really enjoyed the reminders you're telling us, Fergus, especially "We must share our memories with Anyone willing to listen." I feel like it's easier said than done, but it is truly beautiful finding the right people in your life who somehow find nothing but joy in you.
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We all have joys to share, too, Elena - and it’s High Time we share them before they’re erased from our memories. It’s time to SHARE THEM ALL!!!
Some great messages their Fergus!! Nice one mate :)
I really liked this review, especially the ending.
Thanks, Mark - and Alexander - for your kind words. When I wrote this my perceptions were whipped into a glaring white light, and I had to give voice to my bitter septuagenarian emotions. Well, I’ve been cut down to fit into a box, too, so in the end my rage was carefully mediated in my words!
It stands alone. Banned in many places and times, it's one devilishly hot potato of a book! Even for me it cuts to the quick. If folks are once burnt, they're twice shy - and their fury is for Lowry her lonely legacy.
Hopefully you've seen the Jeff Bridges, Meryl Streep film adaptation which runs very close to the book (with exceptions)
Now that you mention it, Jonathan, I heard about it at the time but had just plain forgotten about it. For sure I'll check it out!
Excellent review. I have not read this book, but from your review it sounds like it should be read and remembered. Too much alike fiction these days.
Thanks for the review Fergus. It's right on point.
You're very welcome, old friend! So nice to hear from you.
Having seen the movie first, I enjoyed the book thoroughly and felt the visual elements of the film added to the experience; hard NOT to enjoy Jeff Bridges no matter the role
Yeah, for sure Jeff adds honest to goodness grittiness to his roles!
Brilliant review Fergus !
Thanks so very much, Lucy! :-)
Fergus: Thank you! I just now read The Giver for the first time, knowing nothing about it in advance. It knocked me out -- brilliant but also extremely disturbing. I wasn't sure at all how to interpret the ending.
Painfully conscious of the "progress" since this was written ...
I'm not surprised at parental concern -- I think rightly so -- while the main character is eleven/twelve I think extremity of the topics might be more appropriate for early high school???
I would think that's appropriate, Caterina. The book is priceless in reminding us moderns that we share a priceless legacy in our books - a fact so many today ignore!
True! And thank you for calling that theme out explicitly. For me it was even lost under everything else � while meanwhile it’s continuing to be lost in the world.
Fantastic book, Fergus - and well reviewed. The other three books in Lowry's series are entertaining and didactic, as well. I think of The Giver as a sort of 1984 for younger readers.
Yes, that's apropos. Except the world of the Giver is more palatable... On the surface! Like the air we breathe, some spots.
As always, Fergus, you bring such passion to your reviews. You're such an original! Thanks for this review.Of course, like you, I choose freedom. Beyond that, I pursue skills of energetic literacy to learn even more than meets the eye.
Each of us can have quiet ways where we go deeply into life, rather than a bland popularity.
As for this book, it may be my very favorite one I read this year, which is saying a lot! Again, thanks for your review.
To Freedom!🤲🫶 I love this book, Fergus, and fantastic review!!
