Front Porch Book Club Podcast
Grab your book and iced tea and join the Front Porch Book Club, your no-commitment, casual, and eclectic podcast about books. We examine the relationship between characters, the worlds they live in, and what that means to us.
Latest Episode
115: The Giver
It’s December, so we are continuing on with our tradition of doing a kid’s book, but this year, the kids are a little older. This is more like a young adult novel. Our book is THE GIVER written by Lois Lowry. It became an instant classic when it was published in 1993....
115: The Giver
It’s December, so we are continuing on with our tradition of doing a kid’s book, but this year, the kids are a little older. This is more like a young adult novel. Our book is THE GIVER written by Lois Lowry. It became an instant classic when it was published in 1993. That year, Lowry won the Newbery Award which is given by the American Library Association to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children. She also had previously won a Newberry Award in 1990 for her book NUMBER THE STARS.
In THE GIVER is set in a dystopian future. It is a sort of speculative work of fiction in which 12-year-old Jonas is selected to become the apprentice of the Giver. The Giver is the protector of memories that have been suppressed in this tightly-controlled community where there are no wrong choices and no competition or conflict and even no war, no music, few feelings, no color. It doesn’t sound like much of a life but this is what they know.
Linny says she thinks a message in this book is that knowledge is power that brings us choices and also consequences. When we take away knowledge, such as is found in books, society is weakened. Linny makes an impassioned case for no book banning. Nancy remarks that THE GIVER is a book that has been banned in US libraries. Ironic, right?
Nancy said one of the really wrenching part of the books for her was when Jonas asks his mother and father if they love him, they ask him to be more specific, that the word “love” is meaningless. Linny says this is a coming-of-age book that tracks the developmental changes that children/teens face.
Linny and Nancy had different ideas of what happens in THE GIVER's ambiguous ending. Then Nancy shares Lois Lowry's examples of how some of her readers have interpreted the ending over the years. Finally, Nancy provides a thumbnail sketch of the remaining three books in the series and this gives Linny and Nancy an idea of what happens with Jonas and Gabe.
Linny said she enjoyed THE GIVER and liked that it was an easy read. She feels it is relevant today. Nancy thinks most teenagers would relate to this book and encourages everyone who has a teenager in their life to purchase this book for them.
About Front Porch Book Club
I honestly was blown away by the deep dive Nancy and Linny did into SPARKS LIKE STARS and really appreciated the personal perspectives they brought.
Nadia Hashimi, Author
Every month the Front Porch Book Club features two episodes on our selected book. In the first episode Linda and Nancy introduce the book and discuss their thoughts. In the second episode, Linda and Nancy are joined by the author or an expert to delve deeper into the book. Our book selections are eclectic: fiction, autobiography, history, memoir, investigative journalism, and classics. They are books that give us insights into how we may be more intentional, creative, and loving.
Recent Episodes
79: Hello Beautiful
Four sisters, one lonely boy. Sounds like Little Women, right? Ann Napolitano thought so, too, when she was about 100 pages into writing what would become her bestselling novel, Hello Beautiful. She realized the similarities and decided to mold the story into a...
78: Ileen Dunivent
Memoirist Ileen Dunivent regales us with stories of her mischievous childhood in Colorado and then Missouri, meeting her great love, Orville, and her amazing ability to make friends and create a full and well-lived life. At 87 years of age, Ileen decided to write the...
77: Stories for My Kids
We're leaning into Mother's Day month with Stories for My Kids: Learning to Yodel and Other Life Lessons, by first time author Ileen Dunivent. This charming and warm memoir tracks Ileen's life from a mischievous Rocky Mountain tomboy to a crazy in love teenager to a...
76: Jennifer Cumming on Carrie Soto is Back
We learn about mental skills athletes use to compete at the highest levels. Dr. Jennifer Cumming, former competitive athlete and now sports psychologist and professor, describes techniques for building mental skills. She trains professional and recreational athletes,...
Meet The Hosts
Growing up, Nancy always had her nose in a book. She never remembers not loving to read books. Linda, on the other hand, hated libraries and spent her childhood trying to lure Nancy away from books into some other activity that she thought would be way more fun. That’s right – we’re sisters. Nancy was more of an introvert and Linda was more of an extrovert. But, somewhere along the way, Linda started loving books and Nancy started loving talking about books. Nancy is a recovering academic in Nebraska who writes and Linda is a licensed counselor in Pennsylvania.