It's Hard To Give Up

For A Contributing Citizen To Be Released From The Community Was A Final Decision, A Terrible Punishment, An Overwhelming Statement Of Failure.

I Often Compare Myself As A Kid To My Own Grandchildren, Who Are Around 11 And 14 Now. That's The Age Kids Usually Read My Book. And I Remember Myself, We'd Gone Through A World War. My Father Was An Army Officer So I Was Aware Of What Was Going On. But I Wasn't Bombarded With Images Of Catastrophe Like Many Kids Are Today.

Gathering Blue' Was A Separate Book. I Wanted To Explore What A Society Might Become After A Catastrophic World Event. Only At The End Did I Realize I Could Make It Connect To 'the Giver.

And They Are Beginning To Realize That The World They Live In Is A Place Where The Right Thing Is Often Hard, Sometimes Dangerous, And Frequently Unpopular.

Mama Was Crying, And The Rain Made It Seem As If The Whole World Was Crying.