Lois Lowry’s young-adult novel The Giver was first published in 1993.
The book presents Jonas, a twelve-year-old living in a seemingly orderly community that has eliminated pain, war, and many forms of individual choice. During the Ceremony of Twelve, Jonas is selected to become the community’s Receiver of Memory, and he begins learning the hidden experiences that the society has suppressed.
The 1993 publication date places The Giver in the early period of modern dystopian young-adult fiction. Its themes of memory, conformity, moral responsibility, and freedom have helped make it a frequent subject in schools and libraries.
The Giver won the 1994 Newbery Medal, one of the most prominent American children’s literature awards. It is sometimes confused with Gathering Blue or Messenger, which are related books in Lowry’s loosely connected quartet but not the same novel.