What to read, watch, and listen to if you lovedThe Giver
Lois Lowry · Book · 1993
If you loved The Giver, start with The Giver (Phillip Noyce, 2014) — a film from the same story. Below: 4 films, 4 series and 2 podcasts, each matched to The Giver across media.
If you loved The Giver, you likely crave stories where young protagonists awaken to the unsettling, hidden truths behind their controlled environments.
Start with the source
Adaptation
The Giver
Phillip Noyce · Film · 2014
Films on the same thread
The Hunger Games
Gary Ross · Film · 2012
Shares a thread with The Giver: Dystopian Fiction.
Like Jonas in The Giver, the protagonist of this story must defy a rigid social order, trading the safety of a controlled life for the dangerous pursuit of freedom.
The Matrix
Lana Wachowski · Film · 1999
Shares a thread with The Giver: Dystopian Fiction.
Much like the awakening Jonas experiences in The Giver, this film explores the jarring transition from a fabricated reality to the often painful, authentic truth of the world.
Akira
Katsuhiro Otomo · Film · 1988
Explores: Psychic Powers, Government Conspiracy, Youth Rebellion.
This story mirrors the themes of rebellion against an oppressive system found in The Giver, showing the devastating cost when youth are caught in a government's secret experiments.
A Clockwork Orange
Stanley Kubrick · Film · 1971
Shares a thread with The Giver: Dystopian Fiction.
If The Giver made you question the ethics of societal control, this narrative takes that exploration further by examining the brutal consequences of forced rehabilitation and restricted human agency.
Series on the same thread
The Leftovers
Damon Lindelof · Series · 2014
Shares a thread with The Giver: Speculative Fiction.
While The Giver focuses on the loss of memory, this series captures the profound sense of communal trauma and existential confusion that follows a society's sudden, unexplained shift.
The Handmaid's Tale
Bruce Miller · Series · 2017
Shares 2 threads with The Giver: Dystopian Fiction, Speculative Fiction.
This narrative intensifies the sense of entrapment present in The Giver, focusing on the struggle of an individual forced to survive within a restrictive, totalitarian regime that forbids autonomy.
The Last of Us
Neil Druckmann · Series · 2023
Explores: Survival, Found Family, Moral Ambiguity.
Similar to the protective bond between Jonas and his mentor in The Giver, this journey highlights the moral weight of guiding a younger person through a fractured, dangerous world.
Stranger Things
Ross Duffer · Series · 2016
Explores: Government Experiments, Telekinesis, Monsters.
This mystery echoes the coming-of-age journey in The Giver, where a young person discovers that their quiet, orderly town is actually hiding dark secrets and experimental government agendas.
Podcasts on the same thread
The Youth Mind
Podcast
Explores: mindset, personal development, emotional intelligence.
Just as The Giver encourages readers to challenge the status quo, this podcast provides the intellectual tools to examine your own mindset and the purpose behind your individual actions.
1619
The New York Times · Podcast · 2019
Explores: systemic racism, national identity, legacy of slavery.
If The Giver sparked your interest in the way history informs our present, this podcast offers a critical look at how the foundations of society shape our collective reality.
Keep exploring
Common questions
Is The Giver movie a direct adaptation of the book?
The 2014 movie The Giver is an adaptation of the 1993 novel by Lois Lowry. It follows the story of Jonas, a twelve-year-old boy in a futuristic society who is chosen to receive memories of the real world from a mentor known as The Giver.
What is the premise of The Giver?
The Giver follows twelve-year-old Jonas, who lives in a seemingly utopian world. He is selected to receive training from The Giver, the only person who holds the memories of the true joys and pains of human life, which are otherwise absent from their society.
Who wrote the original story for The Giver?
The Giver was written by Lois Lowry and published in 1993. The book serves as the source material for the 2014 film adaptation, which depicts the journey of Jonas as he learns the reality of his futuristic world through his training with The Giver.
Should I read the book or watch The Giver movie first?
The 1993 book by Lois Lowry serves as the source material for the 2014 film adaptation. Reading the book first provides the complete context regarding Jonas and his training under The Giver, while the movie offers a visual interpretation of the futuristic world described in the original text.