I read this book when I was visiting Los Angeles this past week. It is excellent. I follows the life of a boy, Jonas, from the age of 11 - 13 in a future society where choice has been removed from the world. Everyone is taught to be pleasant, to manage their emotions, and to conform to the Rules. When children become 12 years old, in his society, a group of elders decide what work they will spend the rest of their life doing. Jonas, because he seems to have a certain talent for "seeing beyond" is selected to be the Receiver. There is only one Receiver in the community, and s/he holds the memories of the past society. The memories are needed to make wise decisions, but it was decided elders in the past that in order to maintain the "sameness" i.e., conflict and keep order, only the Receiver of memories should be forced to experience the joys as well as the pain of life.
Jonas receives a year of training from the current Receiver, who he starts to call the Giver.
The writing flows very well as does the story, and as readers you make the journey with Jonas, discovering that further and further unsettling things about the community.
It looks like a film adaptation of this book is scheduled to be released in August, later this year. I find the preview interesting. When I was reading the book, in some ways it was playing out like a film in my head. I actually imagined something like Pleasantville where the movie first takes place in Black and White, and as more memories are transmitted to Jonas, he starts seeing the world in color. I guess this just means it will be a different adaptation.
