The Giver by Lois Lowry

This story is about an eleven year old boy, named Jonas, who lives in a place where there is no pain, fear, fighting, or hate. Everyone is treated equally not individually by person. Jonas and his classmates are about to turn twelve and during the ceremony for twelve year olds, everyone is given a job. When everyone is at the ceremony the principal starts listing the names and their jobs. During the time when she lists names, Jonas doesn't get called on his turn. He worries because principals are known not to make mistakes so he thinks they don't know what job to give him but in the end, she calls Jonas and says he has been given the job of the receiver. He goes home and thinks about what is the receiver, what do they do, and why did his principal say he will feel pain. His parents and sister don't ask him about it because in there society/place it is considered impolite. The next day he goes to his job and meets the old man who is his teacher. He starts explaining to Jonas that for generations one individual has been given the job of the receiver and they are the only ones to receive the memories of long ago when there was pain, fear, fighting, and hatred. He says a certain person will be examined and every year they will pick a receiver. To explain this further to Jonas, he tells him to lay on his stomach and close his eyes on the couch. Doing so, the old man puts his hands on Jonas' back and sends him a happy memory of snow and riding on a sled for the first time. Jonas likes the vision and asks the man what is the white stuff which to he replies it is snow. After that, the old man tells him its time for Jonas to go home and to come back tomorrow. Jonas then asks the man what his name is to which he says, call me the giver. So each day onwards Jonas comes and learns a little more about the memories. The Giver tells Jonas how he can lie and ask anyone anything because he is the receiver. Jonas then tells the giver he wants to feel a vision of pain to which the giver gives him one. Jonas doesn't like it but he knows he has to feel happiness as well as pain. After a few weeks, Jonas asks the giver about the last receiver and why it was a failure. The giver explains that the girl was his daughter and she asked for the memory of pain but got scared and asked them to be released. Then, a few days pass and Jonas asks to see the what happens during her release. Seeing the video, he feels angry that his father put a needle in his forehead and killed her but then understands that his father thinks she is put to sleep. Jonas then talks about what he thinks to the giver and they come up with a plan to inform their society/ place of all the memories. The next night, he takes Gabe, the baby his family was helping to nurture which was soon to be released, and rides his bike to a community elsewhere in which he finds the hill with snow and he rides the sled. Thats the end which the author leaves unanswered for the readers to decide for themselves what happened