Title: The Giver
Author: Lois Lowry
Artist: Cliff Nielsen
The Text Inside
Let me just preface this by saying: I hated this book. But this isn't a book review blog (although it very nearly was), and I'm judging Cliff Nielsen's work here, not Lois Lowry's (which is good, because I've disliked all two Lois Lowry books I've read.)
Goodreads Summary:
Jonas's world is perfect. Everything is under control. There is no war or fear or pain. There are no choices. Every person is assigned a role in the Community. When Jonas turns twelve, he is singled out to receive special training from The Giver. The Giver alone holds the memories of the true pain and pleasure of life. Now, it is time for Jonas to receive the truth. There is no turning back.
The Actual Cover Picture
The man on the cover is the titular character - "The Giver", a wise man who is the only one in the dystopian society who holds the full truth. To put into perspective the knowledge gap between him and the rest of his society, he is the only character, other than Jonas ("The Receiver"), who sees in color. The cover illustrates this by giving him features that we often associate with the wisdom that comes with old age - a scraggly beard, a wrinkled forehead, bags under the eyes. He has a troubled look, to show the burden of carrying around these societies.
The trees in the corner, where the book cover appears to be torn away, are symbolic of the ending of the book, when Jonas's perfect picture of his society is similarly "torn away". He escapes through the trees and enters the number one spot in my least favorite book endings of all of the books to ever be books.
Edition Differences
Most other editions of this book cover are similar enough that it's almost silly to call them separate editions. The title design is the main change between book covers. There are a few covers that have entirely different designs, but they aren't nearly as popular.Original Cover Rating
Creativity: 3
Information: 3
Aesthetics: 3
OVERALL: 3 out of 5
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