The Giver By Lois Lowry

Introduction Discussion Author Biography Historical Context

Group Discussion What would it take to make your world perfect? What would you be willing to give up to have your world perfect?

Which Would You Choose? FREEDOM SAFETY

Do You Agree? THUMB UP if you agree, THUMB DOWN if you disagree when I read the following statements A perfect society would not have any hunger or starvation. A perfect society would not have any jealousy or competition A perfect society would not have any unemployment. All children should have equal possessions and privileges at a certain age, regardless of the status of their families. Families are much closer when they share their feelings. Life would be better and easier if we could eliminate all bad memories. Overpopulation is such a problem that families should not be allowed to have more than two children. There is no real necessity to learn about world history. One’s career should be chosen externally based on interests, skills and talents.

Novel Title & Cover What do you think the title, The Giver, means? Look at the picture on the front cover: - Describe the cover in detail. - What does the cover indicate about what may happen in this novel?

You may be asked to recall this information when I am done  Lois Lowry Pay attention while I go through some biographical information about Lois Lowry, the author of The Giver. You may be asked to recall this information when I am done 

About Lois Lowry Lowry was born in Hawaii in 1937, but spent most of her childhood in Pennsylvania. Because of her father’s employment as a dentist in World War II, she moved all around the world. She lived in New York, Massachusetts, and Tokyo!

More About Lois Lowry After High School, Lowry attended Brown University. She married a Naval officer in her sophomore year, dropped out of college, and moved to California.

More About Lois Lowry She ended up in Maine with four children under the age of five. After her children grew up, she went back to school and obtained a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from the University of Southern Maine.

More About Lois Lowry She wrote her first book after completing her BA in English Literature. She wrote a children’s book called “A Summer To Die” in 1977, and received the Newbery Medal for her novel Number the Stars in 1990.

More About Lois Lowry The Newbery Medal honors the author of the year’s most outstanding contribution to children’s literature. The Giver won the Newbery Medal in 1994.

Were You Listening Quiz! Lois Lowry: Were You Listening Quiz! 1. Where was Lois Lowry born? 2. Why did she move around so often as a child? 3. What Universities did she attend? 4. What did her husband do? 5. How many children did she have? 6. How many Newbery Medals did she win?

Were You Listening Quiz! Lois Lowry: Were You Listening Quiz! 1. Where was Lois Lowry born? Hawaii! 2. Why did she move around so often as a child? Her father was a dentist during WWII 3. What Universities did she attend? Brown University and The University of Southern Maine 4. What did her husband do? He was in the Navy 5. How many children did she have? 4 6. How many Newbery Medals did she win? 2 (one for Number The Stars and one for The Giver)

The Giver The Giver was published in 1993 The Giver is the first novel of a quartet (the other novels are Gathering Blue, Messenger, and Son). Messenger Son The Giver Gathering Blue © Presto Plans

The Giver The Giver was inspired in part by Lowry’s relationship with her parents who were, at that time, in a nursing home. Lowry's father was in good shape physically, but he had lost most of his memory. Lowry's mother was dying, but she was able to share all of her memories with Lowry.

The Giver Her writing has brought her both praise and criticism. In particular, her work The Giver has been met with a diversity of reactions from schools in America, some of which have adopted her book as a part of the mandatory curriculum, while others have prohibited the book's inclusion in classroom studies.

Historical Context In The Giver, Lowry tackles controversial issues that were in the forefront in the early 1990s. The anti-abortion versus pro-life controversy was hotly debated, and new questions arose concerning the ethics of a family’s right to choose to end the life of a terminally ill family member (euthanasia) and an individual’s right to end his or her own life (assisted suicide).