PCT Reads “The Giver”

The club meets on September 21 at 2:00PM. Photo Credit / Amanda Schreck
The club meets on September 21 at 2:00PM. Photo Credit / Amanda Schreck
The club meets on September 21 at 2:00PM.
Photo Credit / Amanda Schreck

By Amanda Schreck
SC Staff Writer

The Pocono Community Theater Book Club will meet September 21 at 2:00 PM in the theater’s cafe to discuss the novel “The Giver.”

The 1993 novel by Lois Lowry is set in a dystopian future where an 11-year-old boy, Jonas, learns shattering truths of their supposedly utopian society.

He becomes the Receiver of Memories under the training of The Giver, owner of the peoples’ memories.

“The Giver” has sold over 10 million copies worldwide since its publication. The novel also led Lowry to win the 1994 Newbery Medal, which is awarded to “the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.”

The book and film engross readers and viewers into a world where people are trying to create a perfect life and environment. It provides a view into human nature and how people interact in a society that is doing everything it can to become a utopia.

One notable quote from the book is, “Memories are not just about the past, they determine our future.”

The film adaptation that hit theaters on August 15 has grossed over $39,000,000 since its opening weekend, and stars actors such as Jeff Bridges, Meryl Streep, Alexander Skarsgård, Katie Holmes, and Taylor Swift. Actor Brenton Thwaites plays Jonas.

The PCT Book Club meets once a month to review current and classic novels and film adaptations from different styles and genres.

In the past they have reviewed “The Hunger Games,” “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,” “Pride and Prejudice” and the modernized adaptation “Bridget Jones’s Diary,” and “Water for Elephants.”

“A few of the PCT employees and I have, over time, crafted the book club as a way to help others see reading as something as fun as a movie,” said Sandra Eckard, book club coordinator and English professor at ESU.

Eckard continued, “Since many movies have screenplays that are based on books, it seemed like a natural connection to make. We find comparing and contrasting a fun way to ground our book club.”

“I think the book club members, whether they are regulars who attend every month or those who pop in and out for specific titles, find the conversation, the different viewpoints, and the new ways of thinking about books and film inspiring,” said Eckard.

She continued,“I think that is our goal with each month’s selection: to uncover a new pick that inspires good conversation about a film and a book, whether that is a novel, memoir, or graphic novel. Reading, though a solitary activity, can also be something that can become a fun social activity, too.”

Email Amanda at:
aschreck@live.esu.edu