The Giver (Lois Lowry) as discussed by Lauren Kate

Today, as part of our ongoing series Why YA?, Lauren Kate, author of the Fallen series, discusses The Giver by Lois Lowry.

Lois Lowry’s “The Giver,” is a story that truly moved me growing up. The book takes place in a society where all pain and suffering have been eradicated – a seemingly wonderful thought which has in turn, led to the death of human emotion. Only one man—the Giver—has access to the joys and pains of humanity’s past experience. He is dying. He is looking for a successor to carry this strange burden.

Like all great novels, the Giver calls into question all the things we take for granted about our own world: music, color, human connection, the love of a parent for a child, the ability to make our own decisions. What are we without these? How different are those who have access to these gorgeous painful realities from those of us who don’t know how or refuse to see them?

The Giver created a vivid and haunting world without color, without passion, without connection, a world so visual that I can still picture it, tree for tree, 15 years later.

And the best part? The Giver is the first in a trilogy – followed by “Gathering Blue” and “The Messenger.” I’d recommend all three to anyone looking for an eye opening experience. These books will truly change the way you look at the world.

Find out more about Lauren Kate and her books at her website

Lauren Kate grew up in Dallas, went to school in Atlanta, and started writing in New York. She is the author of Fallen, Torment, the forthcoming Passion, and The Betrayal of Natalie Hargrove. Her books have been translated into over thirty languages. She lives in Laurel Canyon with her husband and hopes to work in a restaurant kitchen and learn how to surf. She is currently at work on the final book in the Fallen series, Rapture.  If you live in the Dallas area, Lauren Kate with be visiting Barnes and Noble at Southlake on June 18th. (Author bio from her official website)  You can follow Lauren Kate on Twitter @laurenkatebooks.  Rapture, the final book in the Fallen series, will be released on June 12, 2012 by Delacorte Books for Young Readers.

Filed under: Fallen, Lauren Kate, Lois Lowry, The Giver, Why YA?