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Book Fort Collins Read--The Giver

The Giver won as the book Fort Collins residents (the young, adults, and students of all ages) were to read the summer and early fall of 2002. The idea was we could then discuss it one to one and in public forums. The author, Lois Lowry, visited and spoke in Fort Collins too! This Web page has information (and links to information) about the book. The Giver is available in Spanish. The catch phrase for this project was Read On! Fort Collins. Do join us! Even though 2002 is past, we can still discuss the book.

Note: The number of entries in the listed indexes is from late March 2002. In addition, the Web links on this page are but a selection of the resources available. Book summaries were provided by the Read On! Fort Collins Steering Committee.

The Giver (1993) (El dador)
Author: Lois Lowry
Number of Pages: 192
Availability: Paperback, Hardcover, Audio Cassette (Unabridged), Audio CD (Unabridged), Paperback (Large Print)

This novel is set in a future society without conflict, poverty, unemployment, divorce, injustice, or inequality. December is the time of the annual Ceremony at which each twelve-year-old receives a life assignment determined by the Elders. Jonas has been chosen for something special. When his selection leads him to an unnamed man--the man called only the Giver--he begins to sense the dark secrets that underlie the fragile perfection of his world. A Newbery Medal Book, an ALA Notable Children's Book, and an ALA Best Book for Young Adults.

  • MLA Bibliography has 4 entries with this book as a subject.
  • ArticleFirst has 3 entries about this book.
  • Book Review Index: A Master Cumulation 1993-1997 (printed source Z 1035 .A1 B7136 1999 v. 2 REF) has 56 entries for this book (it is mentioned more than once in several periodicals).

  • Articles about The Giver. Bibliographic citations for over 30 book reviews and 40+ other articles that mention The Giver. Many of the citations were found in Academic Search Premier.

  • Lois Lowry's Web page. Books, speeches, biography, etc.
  • Interview with the author. Internet Public Library. (Slow to load.)
  • Featured Author: Lois Lowry. Carol Hurst's Children's Literature Site
  • Teacher's Guide. Random House. (Real Audio link has expired).
  • Author profile, interview. Teensread.com

CSU's Library has more than one copy of The Giver (located in the Curriculum Collection). Check SAGE to see if a copy is available or if all are checked out (DUE). Also available are copies of the book in Spanish, El dador. It is in Morgan stacks and Curriculum. Check SAGE to find out if it is available.

See also One State (Colorado), One Book

Information about the other four books considered is found below. You might want to read them too!

Bless Me Ultima | Fahrenheit 451 | Where the Heart Is | The Alchemist

Bless Me Ultima (1972) (Bendíceme, Última)
Author: Rudolfo Anaya
Number of Pages: 262
Availability: Paperback

This fascinating and mystical novel follows the sociopsychological maturation of a Chicano boy in New Mexico in the 1940s. A story pitting good against evil, Catholic beliefs against the "old ways," and education against the gift of intuition, it ends with acceptance and new life challenges.

Fahrenheit 451 (1953) (same in Spanish)
Author: Ray Bradbury
Number of Pages: 179
Availability: Paperback, Hardcover, Audio CD (Abridged), Audio Cassette, e-book (Adobe Reader)

Fahrenheit 451 is set in a grim alternate-future setting ruled by a tyrannical government in which firemen, as we understand them, no longer exist: Here, firemen don't douse fires, they ignite them. And they do this specifically in homes that house the most evil of evils: books.

Where the Heart Is (1995) (Un refugio para el corazón)
Author: Billie Letts
Number of Pages: 376
Availability: Paperback, Hardcover, Audio Cassette (Abridged), Audio Cassette (Unabridged), e-book (Microsoft Reader), e-book (Adobe Reader)

Not that hard luck is anything new to Novalee, who is "seventeen, seven months pregnant, thirty-seven pounds overweight--and superstitious about sevens." Where the Heart Is oddly mixes heart-warming vignettes and surprising, brutal violence.

  • MLA Bibliography has 1 entry with this book as a subject.
  • Book Review Index: A Master Cumulation 1993-1997 (printed source Z 1035 .A1 B7136 1999 v. 2 REF) has 11 entries for this book (it is mentioned more than once in a few periodicals).
  • Oprah's Book Club on book information on the author.
  • MostlyFiction.com. Summary.
  • Reading Group Guide. Warner Books. Discussion questions.

The Alchemist: A Fable About Following Your Dream (1994) (El alquimista: una fàbula para seguir tus sueños)

Author: Paulo Coelho
Number of Pages: 176
Availability: Paperback, Hardcover

The Alchemist is a magical story of Santiago, an Audalusian shepherd boy who travels in search of a worldly treasure. From his home in Spain he journeys to the markets of Tangiers and across the Egyptian desert to a fateful encounter with the alchemist. The story of the treasures Santiago finds along the way teaches us about the essential wisdom of listening to our hearts, learning to read the omens strewn along life's path, and above all, following our dreams.

See also One State (Colorado), One Book, Read On! Fort Collins 2003-4 (Holes), Read On! Fort Collins 2005--Bless Me Ultima, 2006 Color of Water, and 2007 An Unfinished Life.

Note: As with ALL research, be sure to carefully evaluate what you find and use: books, articles, and Web pages!

How to do Library Research

Content: Naomi Lederer