Book: Carry On, Warrior

Carry on, Warrior: Thoughts on Life Unarmed

by Glennon Doyle Melton

Length: 266 pages

Format: Hardback
Price: Free - checked out from the public library

How I heard about it: from Jolie's review and Lindsey's review

NOTE: I was unsure exactly what format to follow for this book review, since it is a non-fiction book.  So I went back through my book archives to find the last non-fiction book I read and see how I did that one. IN THE GOING ON THREE YEARS I HAVE HAD THIS BLOG, I HAVE NOT ONCE WRITTEN A REVIEW ON A NON-FICTION BOOK. AND SINCE I REVIEW EVERY BOOK I READ, GOOD OR BAD, IT FOLLOWS THAT I HAVE NOT READ A SINGLE NON-FICTION BOOK IN NEARLY THREE YEARS!  I know - pathetic.  Please don't tell anyone that I am a READING TEACHER.

Premise: This book is a memoir of the life of 30-something Glennon Doyle Melton. As a recovering bulimic, alcoholic, and drug user, she has seen her fair share of yuck.  She addresses friendship, idiocy, heartache, faith, love, and nearly everything in between with truth and authenticity. And a fair amount of snark.

My thoughts: Given that this is my first non-fiction book in THREE YEARS (probably longer), and that I wasn't sure how to format this review, I asked Lindsey if I could please copy her format, which is where she picks favorite quotes and comments on them. She graciously consented. So that's what I'm going to do, complete with citations so that I practice what I preach at my seventh graders.

"Marriage is hard and holy work" (7).

I liked this phrase because I have many times heard marriage referred to as "hard work" but never "holy." Just to be clear, I looked up the definition of the word.  Holy is "having a spiritually pure quality."  I like that.

 "The only constant family rule is that everyone has to keep showing up" (83).

This and the section preceding it spoke to me because lately, I've been seriously considering not showing up in a couple of areas.  It's what happens when all the fight goes out of me weakness wins, which seems to be happening more frequently instead of less.  But really, showing up is half the battle.  Keep showing up.

"If I seem noncompetitive, if I seem as if I don't care if I'm the 'best' parent or housekeeper or dresser or whathaveyou, it's not because I don't care about being important [...] Why would I care about competing in any other category when I am already a child of God? Why would I argue over a penny when I have already won the lottery?" (113).

The truth is, I care about being important. I want my husband to think I am the best mother. I want my mother-in-law to think I am the best housekeeper.  I want everyone to think I have it all put together and mastered and down pat, because the truth is that I have NOTHING together and mastered and down pat, but if I look like I do, maybe they will think it's true. Why do I care about what others think? I don't know. I read this and wished I could feel this way all the time. I'm going to try thinking of it this way, because with an eternal perspective like this, it's hard to believe that any of that is of any importance at all.

"Sounds a lot like the Psalms, doesn't it?" (203).  (She is speaking as Jesus to the Christians who are badmouthing rap music.)

This just made me giggle. I personally HATE rap music (even that statement - "rap music" sounds like an oxymoron), but it's for snooty musical reasons, not snooty, religious ones.  I love this point because she was saying that rap is often an expression of confusion, suffering, and angst.  Why yes, yes it DOES sound an awful lot like Psalms!

"I'm not sure that being offended is a luxury that people who've been commanded to love each other can enjoy" (203).

This is something God has been working with me on for maybe ever. I am not good at letting things roll off.  I try, but as it turns out, I am rather sticky.  But here's where I think I am beginning to get on the right track: I understand that I can't simply chalk it up to "Well, that's just who I am. I'm sensitive." Um, no, I am indulging in the luxury of being offended. I NEED TO CHAAAAAAAAAAANGE.  I need to take a bath in some spiritual Goo-Gone and put on the garment of love.  Repeating this statement to myself is a good start. I feel like tattooing it on the back of my hand so I can see it many, many times each day.  Yes.  Peeling off layers of sticky.

"...she's more of an 'ahh, there you are' person than a 'HEY! Here I am!' person" (209). (speaking of a friend)

Those are my favorite kind of people. Wait - those are everyone's favorite kind of people.  And for good reason.

"Because there are things we should do, regardless of whether they are our favorite 'things' or not, because they help us grow and rest and connect with other people" (216).

Preach IT. Like stopping in the grocery store when I am running late and both my kids are screaming and all I want to do is get out of there as soon as possible but I see someone I know from the other end of the aisle and I know I should say hi but I don't want to.  Yep - like that.

And my favorite quote, which was stated many, many times throughout the book:

"Life is hard. But I have found that I can do hard things."

I can do hard things. I can do hard things. I can do hard things.  And if I can do hard ones, I can do medium ones, and certainly easy ones!  What CAN'T I do?  Which reminds me of Philippians 4:13, which I memorized as a child: "I can do all things through Him who gives me strength."  Yes. I can do.

My take: 9.5 out of 10 (scale here)
Overall, I loved this book.  There were moments where I had to say, "I don't agree with this AT ALL." Like when she states that God is "in" all people.  I believe that was true in the beginning, like, the Garden-of-Eden-beginning, but humanity lost the privilege of intimacy with God when it chose the apple.  Our nature is sinful, not divine.  God had to make a way for rightness with Himself through Jesus, and THAT is where God enters into humanity.  There were moments where I was conflicted - very tempted to believe what she was saying, even though I felt it was in direct contradiction to what I believe to be true, like whether to believe ALL of the Bible. But mostly, I felt like she was speaking directly to me, to my heart, to my life, to my soul.  And it was EXACTLY what I needed in this, to use her term, "brutiful" phase of my life.

He Got That from Me

My son talks to himself and to inanimate objects.  He says things like, "Hey, book, you don't go there.  What are you doing there?  You are supposed to be upstairs, silly," in his toy room or "Come on, buddy, you can do it, just come here and get in your buckle" when he's fastening his seat belt.  I always chuckle because 1) it's stinking adorable and 2) he got that from me.  I talk to myself.  In the kitchen, in the car, in the grocery store - wherever.  All the time.

Charlie always asks to get a toy whenever we go to Target or Dillons or (God help us) Walmart.  But on our last trip to Target, upon entering the store, he said, "I have plenty of toys. I don't need anymore."  Which is verbatim what I say to him every time he asks to get a toy.  Only he doesn't say it just once.  No, no.  He delivers an entire MONOLOGUE out loud.  He says, "I have plenty of toys. I don't need anymore. I have lots of toys. I have a whole room just for toys called 'my toy room.' I don't need more toys because I have plenty of toys."  I swell, swell, swell with pride because he is finally understanding this principle, and I giggle, giggle, giggle at how my son is talking to himself as he walks through Target. Like mother, like son.

But as we walked, my bliss began to dissipate, because the conversation started to change.  He began to say, "Well, really, if I had one more toy, then I would have plenty.  I think I need one more toy.  Yes, Mommy, can I have one more toy?"

*Palm to forehead* You don't get it.  Here I was thinking you were the most content and enlightened 4-year-old to ever walk the aisles of Target, but really when you see all the new and shiny things, you go back to feeling discontented and entitled.

And then I realized...he got that from me.

I am the four-year-old and God is driving the cart.  I am saying, "God, if Rick can just get a job, I'll be happy.  God, if we could just go on vacation, I'll be happy.  God, if we can just get our debt paid off, I'll be happy.  God, if I could just have fill-in-the-blank."

Because the truth is that those things are NEVER going to make me happy.  They will NEVER be enough.  Because happiness isn't something you earn, or something you find, or something that happens to you, it's something you choose.  And you have to choose it every day.

So...how do I teach my son to be happy with what he has?  By first being happy with what I have and then living like it.

Love Note from an Engineer

The new girl I teach with on my team is adorable.  And she happened to find a note on her desk from her husband, who slipped in to leave it for her.  It said simply, "I love you."

Awwww.

I told her that was the most adorable thing I'd ever seen.  I told her about how, when we were in high school, I told Rick he didn't write me enough stuff.  I said I wanted to need a box to store it in, there was so much stuff.  I told her that for our anniversary that year, he got me a box.  An EMPTY box.  She laughed.  I understand why.  It's funny.

Last week, I got a new phone.  A NEW PHONE.  Can we please have a moment for my old phone?

Yeap.  That is what I was dealing with. Rick was able to replace the screen with one of his old ones, but still.  It was so slow and had no room for anything extra, like music.  It was only really good for, well, talking on the phone.  So, when the time came, we decided to get me a new phone.  I told my kids at school that I got a new phone, and they were like, "So you don't have the one with the curved back anymore?" Why no, no I do not. I have a phone that is as nice as yours.  Even though you are 12 and I'm 30.  But whatevs...that's a topic for another day...

Andohhhhhmyyyyyygooooooodnesssssssss.

It is amazing.  It's so fast, and so sleek, and so sharp! I mean, look at this thing:

So, obviously, we needed to get me a case.  I have cracked my screens one too many times for us to take any risks here.  So Rick got online and found two Otterboxes for me to choose from.  One was kind of chunky, kind of plain, and very affordable.  The other was really thin, super cute, and too expensive.  I said to go with the cheaper one.  However, this is what came in the mail:

The thin, super cute, expensive one.  When I told my fellow teacher next door, her response was: "That right there is a love note from an engineer."  I thought about that all day.  She's totally right.  It is absolutely a love note from my engineer, and every single time I get my phone out, I think of that.

Thanks, Babe.

Easter

Easter outfits - both hand-me-downs from friends!

Last year, Rick and I sat down to figure out our entire family holiday debacle.  Both our families live in town, which means we have to try to schedule everything so we see everyone.  The problem is that my family does things the same way every year and Rick's family does things differently every year and doesn't generally plan things until the week before, which equals extreme frustration on our parts.  Throw in kids, one of whom does not function without at least a 3 hour nap, and you get two people ready to wash their hands of the whole ordeal and hunker down on the living room floor with the kids, a bag of popcorn and a movie.

But, of course, we can't.  And we don't really want to.  We just want it all to work without anyone getting upset.

And really, why would we want to deprive people of seeing this sweet girl?

So, as Rick and I are sitting down trying to figure everything out, we made a tough decision.  We decided that, since my mom, dad, and brother always do Christmas early, we would skip Christmas with my dad's family on Christmas day and spend all morning and afternoon with Rick's family.  This was a HUGE sacrifice for me.  I have ALWAYS been with these people at 11:30 on Christmas day. My big family Christmas is green-bean casserole. Waffle cookies. Dodging the aunts who will inevitably be making their rounds to find someone who hasn't been Santa yet (I, of course, have already paid my dues, but Rick has yet to do it, stating that he can't fit in the Santa outfit). My mom playing Christmas carols on the old out-of-tune piano in the corner. My uncles talking football and picking on each other. My cousins, who invariably have grown two inches and become even more strikingly beautiful. And on and on and on.

It was a tough decision to make, but it was made easier by this: we would ALWAYS do Easter with my big family.  No matter what.

Shane Easter goes something like this:

• rush out of church - which for me means get the kids, take a quick family picture before we change clothes, try to keep them in the same place long enough to get changed into play clothes, and then try to keep them in the same place until Daddy gets done putting away guitars, shutting down computers, and powering off projectors, and then piling in the car

 

• drive out to Aunt Jessie's - she lives on a big farm near Auburn
• park - since we are usually late comers, we park a ways down the line, we get halfway there, and we realize we forgot something, so Daddy has to go back and get it. This year it was his phone
• gather - we greet family, they ooo and ahhh over how big the kids are

And I get to ooo and ahh over this girl!

My cousin Shane and his fiance Dessa - getting married in June!

With Aunt Tina :)

• pray - we all pile into the house - some are on the stairs, some are still outside, some are holding hands, some are holding babies - and we sing the Doxology.  We do this because my great-grandpa used to pray and after he died, no one felt like trying to fill his shoes. So we sing the doxology, which my cousins somehow still don't know the words to, and the less-reverent among us giggle while they try to look like they know all the words
• EAT - the food is always the same food, always in the same serving dishes, and always in the same location on the counters.  Start with mashed potatoes, then cream corn or gravy (depending on what you want on your potatoes), then meats (ham, brisket, meatloaf), then casseroles (taco is Rick's favorite), then veggies (my favorite is my aunt's layer salad...YUMMMY!), then fruits and breads.  Then my aunt standing at the end of the counter with an Easter-colored Solo cup and a sharpie, asking for my drink order. Then find a table and chow down. Then go back for dessert, which has its own counter all to itself and is covered with delicious Kansas Dirt Cake, pies, and a birthday cake for whichever Shane family member is celebrating a birthday that day, because there are so many people that someone always is.  I wish I had taken a picture here.  It really is pretty amazing that my aunt can pull all that together.
• Play - this is the fun stuff.  I'll let the pictures do the typing here:

  

  The tree swing in the front yard :)

  

  Playing on the tractor in the barn

  

  Climbing on the hay bales...something I used to do with my cousins when I was his age!

  

  Heading out to the pond

  

  Where, somehow, Rick and I ended up the only two adults with like, 6 kids!

  

  Cousins....awwwww!

  

  These two girls are going to be such good friends!

  

  Easter Egg Hunt - we found a killing!

  

  Lucy...not so much, but she had fun
  
  

  We also have an egg toss and a marshmallow fight, but somehow I didn't get any pictures of those. Which is a shame, because they are a BLAST.

  
  

  I know it's pretty obvious to say you love your family, but I really do love my family.  There is something about bringing your children back to the places you used to go and the things you used to do when you were a kid, like pet the goats, play tag on the hay bales, and finding chocolate Easter eggs that you knew full well your great aunts hid three minutes ago.

  
  

  And this is probably my favorite family event of the year. 

Book: The Compound

The compound

by S.A. Bodeen

Length: 245 pages

Format: Hardback
Price: Free - checked out from the school library

How I heard about it: the YAL conference

Basic Premise: A nuclear war drives Eli and his parents, grandmother, two sisters, and twin brother Eddy into a multi-billion dollar bunker his father had been building in secret.  But Gram and Eddy don't make it, leaving Eli angry and resentful toward his father. After six years in the compound, however, it all changes when a "wireless connection on" message pops up on Eli's computer.

My Take: 9 out of 10 (scale here) 

I really really really liked this book. I think my opinion of the book was largely affected by the fact that both my kids slept all afternoon and my house was already (relatively) clean, so I literally read for like, four hours straight.  I liked the protagonist well-enough.  He was a smart-you-know-what, but as the book went on, he seemed to realize it and change.  He had long hair and he had this habit of untucking it from behind his ear or pulling it out of its ponytail when he wanted an excuse for not making eye contact with someone.  I may or may not have done that same thing once or twice. The story was, well, disturbing.  I could not believe the lengths the father was willing to go to to preserve the strange little half life they were living down below.  It reminded me again of the depravity of mankind and how, if left to our own devices, we will always always choose the wrong.  Eli even says in the book, "When did we become so godless?"  I thought that was an interesting term for a non-spiritual book.  Appropriate, of course, but interesting.

It was a good read.  The Fallout came out last year and I would love to read it, but I currently have two books in my possession, each checked out from the library, so I really need to get to reading those.  I also still have six books on my list. Maybe this summer!

Book: Imprisoned: The Betrayal of Japanese Americans During World War II

The Betrayal of Japanese Americans During World War II

by Martin Sandler

Length: 176

Format: Hardback
Price: Free - checked out from school library

How I heard about it: the YAL conference

Basic Premise: This non-fiction book documents the plight of Japanese Americans living in the United States during World War II.  It begins with the immigration of thousands of Japanese and ends with the massive redress movement.

My Take:  5 out of 10 (scale here) 

I really do not enjoy non-fiction, and in truth, this book was no exception. However, it was good for me to read.  It keeps me balanced and informed, and as my American history knowledge is lacking to say the least, it was a good learning experience.  Though I think a case can be made for the fact that, at least until quite recently, this particular part of America history is not broadcast in quite the same way as other areas of our history.  Which makes sense because this was, um, terrible.  I didn't know much about this before I read it, but it's kind of scary to think that this occurred on American soil, and it really wasn't that long ago. The book itself was full of images, many by famous photographer Dorothea Lange, and first-hand accounts.  It is a good book to give my boys at school who are interested in WW2. 

Project: Shaving Cream Easter Eggs

I found this online somewhere and thought I would try it out.  I did not grow up observing the non-religious aspects of religious holidays.  I appreciate that because through it, my parents taught us to value the reason, not the ritual.  I also appreciate it because new things like Trick-or-Treating and dyeing Easter eggs are discoveries I am experiencing right along with my children.  This shaving cream version sounded like the best option for me and my four-year-old.

Materials:

• shaving cream
• neon food coloring ($2 at Aldi!)
• eggs
• disposable baking dish

Step 1: Hard boil the eggs 
I baked them in the oven in a muffin tin because someone told me it worked and they peel like a dream.  I wouldn't know, as we didn't peel any, but worked for our purposes.

Step 2: Dye the shaving cream

 

Squirt shaving cream in the pan and dribble dabs of food coloring into the shaving cream. 

And then use the wrong end of a paint brush to swish the colors around.

Step 3: Add the eggs

Place the egg in the shaving cream and roll it around with a fork.  DON'T USE YOUR FINGERS!  Your skin will absorb the dye.  Eww.

Step 4: Let dry

Place the egg on a cooling rack so it doesn't roll around.

Step 5: Allow to dry for 24 hours

By then, most of the shaving cream will have dissolved.  Rinse and place back on the cooling rack to dry.

We had a great time doing this activity (and all the shaving cream fun we had in the hour that followed).  I have since talked to a few people who have done this activity and said it didn't work for them.  I think the key is letting the eggs dry for a full 24 hours.  We rinsed ours after just overnight, but they were still a bit damp.  Another 12 hours would have done them good.

Turning 30

As it turns out, turning 30 is pretty much like turning 29.  Even though my good friend next door at school insists that I will look older when I go in on Monday.  It really was a whirlwind weekend.  Friday night we celebrated the wedding of a family friend, and looked pretty sharp for it, if I do say so.

This is my husband with the pastor and youth pastor - the only time you will catch these ministry men in ties is a wedding. Go figure.

Saturday morning, Charlie and I got up early and went garage saling.  I got a TON of clothes for Miss Lucy and some stuff for my nephew.  Then we headed to the Farmer's Market, which opened today!  It was a little sparse, but they had kettle corn, so we didn't complain.  We headed home and joined our neighborhood in our annual Easter Egg Hunt:

 And then we headed to lunch, where Charlie and I shared free dessert:

Then we took the boys to the barber:

And then we headed home where the kids napped, Daddy did yardwork, and Mommy TOOK A NAP!  Glorious.  We ate Chinese for dinner and headed out to the International Students Cookout where Doc let us drive the tractor:

And the International students admired Lucy:

And Lynda got a special cake for me and one of the other International Students, who was also celebrating a birthday:

 And of course, what cookout is complete without s'mores?

We ended the evening in my favorite manner - reading in bed.  I start teaching this book this week and it is officially one of my favorite books of all time:

Sunday we headed out to church.  I wasn't on worship team or tech team, but I had to be there for the mission moment in both services and a meeting between services for our new connect group.  Details later...

We rushed home so we could eat and head out to baseball practice, but...

See all those storm clouds?  It didn't last long.  So instead we came home, and while both kids napped, we did laundry and cleaned up.  And then I got the bright idea to go shopping and, well...

I went to the Pink Suitcase.  I feel supremely guilty about this because Lindsey, Jenny, and Jolie have been trying to find a time for all of us to go and I asked them to wait until my birthday so I would have birthday money to spend.  In my defense, I wasn't going to go in at all, but it seemed a shame to waste a trip to the mall without kids, so I thought I'd just look.  Then I thought I'd just try on.  Then I thought I'd just, well, buy. :(  Sorry, ladies.  But on the upside, Rick really liked it and I have a dress to wear for Easter next week!

 We ended the evening by dyeing Easter Eggs using food coloring and shaving cream, which you can see in the corner of this picture.  I will do a post later on how exactly to do this and how they turned out for us.  The real fun was when we covered the table with shaving cream and all three of us played.  (We did this after Lucy went to bed - she would have wanted to join in the fun by eating it.)

 

And of course, he wanted a shaving cream shirt and hat, which Daddy decided to give him:

ll in all, it was a wonderfully fun weekend.  Thanks to everyone who was a part of it!

30 Before 30: Recap

Technically, I have 3 more days...but let's face it - there is very little chance I will have enough time to knock any of these off.  My stats are at the bottom.  Strike-throughs = done.  Yellows = in progress.  Gray = nope :(

30 Before 30

1. Continue a consistent morning routine, including Bible study and prayer, before the rest of the house wakes - Still needs work.
2. Have an exercise routine in place for at least 3 days/wk (I HATE running, but I would love to conquer my hate and do it anyway.  It worked with broccoli.) I am crossing this one off - come summer, it will happen.  Not worried about it.
3. Be on my phone less - my phone sucks...it takes FOREVER for anything to load, so this has pretty much taken care of itself
4. Make Thanksgiving dinner complete with a turkey, even if it's just for us, and even if it's not Thanksgiving - nope :(
5. Plant and tend a garden - My mother-in-law is giving me part of her garden since, as it turns out, I don't have a place that receives regular shade in my yard.
6. Make a first-year baby book for my daughter - I have two spreads done!  Here's one:
   
   
7. Be in the regular habit of reading for pleasure - check. Have you seen my list?
8.  Spend at least 30 minutes of undivided time with my children every day completing an activity of their choice - SO much easier in the summers!
9. Eat at home every weeknight and serve a vegetable with every mealpretty much a habit!
10. Take more pictures Yep...much to my husband's irritation
11. Continue to give to our church and other ministries and programs, becoming more generous every year And this sure has been easier now that we are clawing our way out of debt!
12. Finish my book :) - this was a joke, hence the happy face not penalizing myself for this one, as it was never a serious goal - I'm convinced it's never going to get finished
13. Be on the road to my goal weight (now that we are done having kids :)CHECK!!!!
14. Journal consistently - blogging counts
15. Continue to keep diligent track of my children's medical information using their ISNs - yes
16. Do my daughter's hair each day that I get up with her - I don't think I was counting on how much hair she would NOT have when I thought up this goal.  Letting myself off the hook and crossing this one off.
17. Be discipled by an older, mature, and more experienced follower of Jesus - YES YES YES! Details here.
18. Recycle EVERYTHING that is recyclable - Boom.
19. Compile all the video I have of my son's first, third, and fourth years of life and my daughter's first year of life, edit together, and make a DVD for each year - umm...no
20. Read at least two books on parenting - 0 for 2.
21. Enroll my son in preschool - yes - and one of the best decisions we've made!
22. Build my husband up every day with my words and actions - always trying to make this a focus
23. Have built up our savings and emergency funds to our goal amounts - I'm crossing this one off because this goal changed into "emergency fund and debt payoff," and we are rocking it!
24. Have gone on a family vacation, or at least have one on the books - July 2014, baby!
25. Continue to reuse and save money by purchasing used items instead of buying retail - yep!
26. Have a date night with my husband at least once a month - don't necessarily need to spend money, but just be alone together without the kids - um...no.  Not even close :/  I do feel like I should figure out a way to make this work, but it just doesn't fit into our current lifestyle. :(
27. Build up a new wardrobe - YES! Thanks to Chelsea for giving me her old stuff, Lindsey for helping me shop and tolerating all my fashion ignorance, and my husband for insisting I spend money on clothing without feeling bad about it
28. Re-draft and re-commit to our budget considering changes in our income - check check!
29. Get outside more - I still hate the outdoors, but I have certainly been out more
30. Be content to bloom (happily, not grudgingly) where God has placed me 

Okay. Out of 30 goals, here are my stats:

• I have completed or mastered 19
• I have started and am continuing to work on 7
• I have made no progress on 4 

Really, I'm most concerned about the four on which I made no progress:

• Make Thanksgiving dinner complete with a turkey, even if it's just for us, and even if it's not Thanksgiving 
• Compile all the video I have of my son's first, third, and fourth years of life and my daughter's first year of life, edit together, and make a DVD for each year
• Read at least two books on parenting 
• Have a date night with my husband at least once a month - don't necessarily need to spend money, but just be alone together without the kids  

Of these, the last two are the ones I'm most bothered about.  I have the two books I want to read and just haven't gotten to it because, well, I hate to read expository text.  The second one is frustrating because we are so stinking busy.  We try to make Monday and Tuesday evenings family nights where we eat dinner together, spend the evening together, and go to bed together.  Wednesdays are youth and Awana, Thursday is practice, and invariably Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays are full of travel, birthdays, weddings, church events, baseball, errands, and all the things that happen when you are, well, busy people.  Sigh.  They will be goals for summer, when life slows down a little.

But, really, I feel pretty good about hitting 30!

Book: The Giver

The Giver

by Lois Lowry

Length: 180 pages

Format: Hardback
Price: Free - borrowed from school

Basic Premise: Jonas, an 11-year-old boy, and all in his community are kind, respectful, hardworking, and happy.  When Jonas and his peers turn twelve, they receive their long awaited job assignments which will last them until the end of their days.  When Jonas is named "Receiver of Memory" he begins to understand that all in his world is not quite so well as he had once believed.

My Take: 9 out of 10 (scale here) 

I remember this book from elementary school because my 4th grade teacher read us The Wish Giver right around the time this book came out.  I got the two confused and went through high school thinking I had read The Giver.  When I had to (what I thought was) reread in college, I realized I had never read this book.  I would have remembered this one.

It was published in 1993 by Lois Lowry, the author of my beloved Number the Stars.  It's really a dystopian novel about 15 years before dystopia got cool. But why did I reread this book in the midst of my mad dash to finish all the books still left on my list?  Because my Language Arts teacher and I did something I've never done before - we flipped classes for a day - she taught my literature circle discussion and I read chapters 11-13 out loud to her kids.  And ohmygoodness.  I forgot what a good book this is.  I got to read *spoiler alert* the part where the reader learns that these people cannot see color.  Kids were freaking out all over the place.  The book had only referred to people's "light" and "dark" eyes - not blue and brown.  The kids realized they had assumed.  They were like, "Mrs. Stones, we need more sticky notes."  It was awesome.  I decided I had to pick it back up, so I read chapters 1-10 and skipped to 14 to the end.  I read it in two days, and that was over lunch and after my kids went to sleep.  I found myself wishing I was teaching this novel.  There are layers upon layers upon layers of meaning, and the kids were eating it up.  Props to our Language Arts teacher for priming these kids!