1) Current THOUGHTS on "The Giver": Ok, ladies, I finished "The Giver" last night. (sorry to read ahead) What a zany place! They can't see or listen correctly and take "sedatives". Is the only difference between life here and life in the book, that the people who live that way today do it ON PURPOSE? Also, what is it about Eyes that keep a person from receiving memories? Why is it only the pale ones?
2) One "OLD" book: Here is Ashley's copy. Hard back & shiny from the Wash Borough Lib
3) 2 NEW books: I have two copies of our next book. I know this may be rushing it a bit ... but I thought I'd nab them from the Lib ladies while I had the chance.4) Here is an ODD picture
My thoughts about the pale eyes: The community is all about Sameness so the pale eyes represent something different about the individual...AKA the ability to See Beyond. Moral of the story? People with brown eyes get nothin'! Man!
ReplyDeleteI'm stoked for Hitchhiker's Guide (and the movie party that will follow...)
I won't lie. I'm weirded out by that picture. I'm also weirded out by you, for making it.
Also, who updated their profile with a picture? THIS GIRL!
ReplyDeleteok, so YES sameness is the thing their going for ... but PALE eyes? does that mean Blue? does that mean Yellow? how does it get translated to pale?
ReplyDeleteand also, did the old dude have pale EARS?
and also also, nice pic.
ok i'm excited to get the book from dan so i can start making some legit comments.
ReplyDeleteand also... really sarah... picture with your cat?
and also... i think the picture dan made is very appropriate.... well done dan. well done.
Hi! I'm here!
ReplyDeleteI really didn't think I would have time to do this, but I read half of The Giver while trying to put the boy to sleep tonight, so I thought I'd give it a whirl!
Intriguing so far!
First impressions: wow, this place is so restful and serene... until I start getting REALLY creeped out by it all! Seriously, I can't imagine newborns being cared for in a hospital nursery type setting for the first year of their life... that leads to some serious psychological issues you know! Reactive attachment disorder... I'm sure Sarah can comment on that one! (I mean because she was a psychology major, not because she HAS it! Good grief!)
Anyway, I need to go eat some popcorn before it gets cold. Maybe I'll be able to finish the book tomorrow and give the full report.
Leave it to a woman about to give birth in a bedroom to bring up Reactive Attachment Disorder.
ReplyDeleteI love the way that Lowry describes Gabe: like a NORMAL child. Even 5th graders know that infants behave that way and see the problem with the situation.
My question is, how does the chanting of names remove the sorrow of loss? Is it somehow connected to Giver's ability to hoard all the memories?
YEAH! HEATHER!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you're an official member of the bobloblawbookblog.
now only if i could read it...
Ashlee - Yeah, it's a picture of me and my cat. I loved her. Deal with it.
ReplyDeleteHeather - I'm so glad you're a member of the book club! Good points. We needed a mother's perspective! Okay, I literally just looked up the disorder on Wikipedia (so much for a college education, right?) and it said that RAD (i'm so familiar with it that i'm using acronyms now...) can result in over familiarity with strangers. I guess this makes sense because the community has kind of done away with "Stranger Danger" right? A lack of attachment to your family is almost encouraged.
Dan- PALE eyes. What is the problem here? Jonas sees his world in black and white so the only way he can describe a difference in color is by describing a difference in shade. In my head, they're light blue...kind of like Kristi or Ben's eyes. Creepy that I know their eye color and am referencing it? Yes.
I finished the book!
ReplyDeleteSarah - good point on RAD... not so much a concern in this community I suppose, but still, all that lack of early bonding is very troubling to me, no matter how nurturing the nurturers are. That, and the lack of involvement of the birthmothers. How incredibly sad! Then again, we discover later in the book that they really don't have a concept of LOVE at all! Sad, sad. In trying to maintain ultimate control, they lost both ends of the spectrum - the ability to feel pain, and the ability to love. I guess you have to make yourself vulnerable to pain in order to truly love.
Anyone else shocked that they actually have corporal punishment in this "enlightened society"? Still not sure what to think about that.
So I have an opinion on the ending, but I'm saving it - don't want to ruin it for Ashlee!
Ashlee ... Ashlee ... ASHLEEEEEEE!
ReplyDeletecome on and read da booooooook.
I agree with Dan..even though he sounded a little Jamaican. Oh! We should watch Cool Runnings.
ReplyDeletei thought he sounded Jamaican as well... well done sarah. And we should watch the movie... instant classic.
ReplyDeletei have started. I read a few chapters last night and will read more once i get off here .
Dan: thank you for getting the book to me. Did we know that megan had a copy the whole time and was holding out on us? I didn't.... i could have averted a visit with Merna.... thanks megan.
Sarah: i have nothing to say to you... oh wait. you should love people... not cats.
Heather: the corporal punishment threw me too.
I'm also accounting your present "prego" state to have a huge effect on your appallment (is that a word) to the year the children are raised outside the family circle and the lack of birth mother in their lives... Also, is that kid here yet???? my mom has a coupon for ToysRUS and she is itching to use it..
on a separate note: for one reason or another, i want to picture Lily as a young Erika Thomas... although i have nothing in the book to base this on. And being that they only see shades of grey and no color i doubt she would look like Erika, being that she is of color.
I finished the book and I want to hear Heather's theory on the ending!
ReplyDeletei have also finished the book. hmmmm ...
ReplyDeleteHeather has finished the book
Sarah has finished the book
Daniel has finished the book
Ashlee has fi ... *groan*
Ashlee, read da boook, mon.
True, Ashlee... I am "in the family way" to coin a very old phrase. :) Still no baby... still waiting!!!
ReplyDeleteYou are all at winter camp right now, and I am not. So sad. :(
ReplyDeleteSo I finished reading "Gathering Blue" AND "The Messenger"... I'm getting really bored waiting for baby. Anyway, I personally think that if you want more info. on what happens after "The Giver", you can just skip "Gathering Blue" altogether. "The Messenger" is the one with a bit more of the story from "The Giver" in it. Neither of the others are Newberry material, but still, not a bad way to waste the two hours or so it took me to read each one.
I really want to read those! Do you own them?
ReplyDeleteWe got them from the Hackettstown Library - I'll see if we can loan them to you... just not sure if Mr. Mather was wanting to read them... I know he was reading a bit of "Gathering Blue". We can let you know today.
ReplyDelete