There's much more. There's all that goes beyond – all ... that is Elsewhere – and all that goes back, and back, and back. I received all of those, when I was selected. And here in this room, all alone, I re-experience them again and again. It is how wisdom comes. And how we shape our future.

I write books because I have always been fascinated by stories and language, and because I love thinking about what makes people tick. Writing a story... 'The Giver' or any other... is simply an exploration of the nature of behavior: why people do what they do, how it affects others, how we change and grow, and what decisions we make along the way.

The worst part of holding the memories is not the pain. It's the loneliness of it. Memories need to be shared.

So many of my books, I don't want to say they have messages, but they have important things to say.

The life where nothing was ever unexpected. Or inconvenient. Or unusual. The life without colour, pain or past.

What's important is the preparation for adult life, and the training you'll receive in your Assignment.

Today is declared an unscheduled holiday.