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Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live in a perfect world? Imagine an ideal place where everyone has a job perfectly suited to him or herself, where the elderly are cared for, and children are loved. Crime is unheard of in this utopia– nobody falls ill either. It is a place where every family has a mother and a father, a brother and sister who laugh and enjoy life to its fullest potential.

Jonas lives in this world, and is about to receive his life’s assignment. Among all of the peers in his age group, Jonas is chosen to perform the highest task of all. He is designated the “Receiver of Memory,” which means that he must keep all of the history for his people. For, in this society, the members do not want to be burdened with the mistakes of the past. Therefore, it will be Jonas’ job to remember all of the things absent in their world, including hatred, war, and colors, trees and snow.

On one hand, the ideal society in which Jonas lives works for a lot of people. On the other hand, its members have given up on the beauty that lies within change and uncertainty. When Jonas receives the collective memory of his society, his view changes drastically. Pick up a copy of The Giver by Lois Lowry, and find out what happens!