The Giver is a story about a young boy called Jonas who lives in a society free of crime, suffering and sadness. There is no color, music or emotion, and individuality is prohibited. Everything is chosen; from your parents to your partner. At 12, children are assigned their jobs, which they will train for and do for the rest of their lives. Jonas is assigned to become the new Receiver of Memory, also known as the Giver. The Receiver holds all the bad and good memories of the past. In other words, no one in the community has any memory of humankind's history. The storyline is complex enough to hold the attention of both young and old readers. The development of Jonas from a scared boy to someone willing to risk his future to save the community is enjoyable to follow. The story prompts us to reflect on the path of growing up. At first we are scared to accept that there are new responsibilities, but as we slowly get used to it, we want to move more and more away from childhood. What's also impressive is Jonas' loss of trust in his father. At the beginning, Jonas believes his parents completely. However, after the current Receiver shows Jonas the tape of his father killing and disposing of a new born child, Jonas loses his admiration of his father. This moment is what forces Jonas to leave the community. It is symbolic of the change from the innocent mind of a child into the questioning and educated mind of an adult. The ending is another aspect which makes this book interesting to read. There are two possible meanings behind the ending and readers have a choice in what it means: either Jonas freezes to death on the sled, or he has really found "Elsewhere." The ending shows us that, whatever happens, Jonas has made choices for himself rather than being told what to do.