Lois Lowry, "somewhat disturbed"

[yendi]

This is funny, on many levels, but also kind of sad. Or maybe it's sad on many levels, but also kind of funny.

The part that makes me sad, actually, is the part where the parents are so proud of their son for knowing "what was right and what was VERY wrong" and for refusing to do the assignment.

(Incidentally, Lowry was one of the panelists/guests at last year's Vericon, and was a blast to listen to.)

Comments

[themaskmaker.livejournal.com]

This makes me think of 'song writing Alanna. And how disturbed she was, writing it. Writers often are disturbed by what they write.

Poor kid, never being allowed to think about disturbing things, and learn how live in a world that has them in it.

[yendi]

Forget "never being allowed to think about disturbing things."

He's already not allowed (has been trained not to want, even) to think.

[litch.livejournal.com]

never read anything by her so it doesn't make much sense to me

[aiela.livejournal.com]

Brittany just read that - granted, she's 14, not 10, but she loved it so much she finished it in a single day rather than "read two chapters for homework".

Bah on people who shelter their kids to that degree.

[pixelfish.livejournal.com]

Which is kind of ironic, considering the actual story and theme of The Giver. Part of the point of having kids trained to be Givers is so the rest of society doesn't have to think about the horrible things they are doing to themselves, thus giving themselves over to ideals that are less than humane.

Y'know, I don't really much like The Giver, for personal reasons of my own, but that letter is pretty ridiculous.

[jerel.livejournal.com]

Now, as a teacher, if a parent (or student) objected to reading an assigned book, I would give the kid another book. I might have a hard time finding one for this particular students, since everything I can think of off the top of my head could be objectionable (Holes, Harry Potter, Number the Stars, anything by Roald Dahl).