The author of The Giver is Lois Lowry. The book is about a boy named Jonas who lives in The Community (an isolated compound where everything is the same). There are no differences in color that anyone in The Community can see. There are no situations where it is polite to notice another's differences. The Community is rigid and change is extremely slow. .
Mistakes are punished severely. If a member of The Community makes too many mistakes they are released. The members of The Community believe to be released means to be sent Elsewhere, but really people who are released are killed. If twins are born they are released, and any newborns that don't sleep through the night or gain enough weight. Marriages and jobs are assigned, and children are applied for. The birthmother never gets to see her children. They are given to family units. Each family unit is allowed only two children. Jona's unit is selected at the Ceremony of Twelve's to be The Receiver of Memory, the highest honored position in The Community. Through his training he finds out how boring it is to have everything the same. He also learns how strictly The Community is run. He experiences the difference between total control and free will. He makes the choice to run away and leave The Community, because he doesn't want to suffer any more of the experiences and memories he has received so far. He and The Giver hope this will provide enough momentum for The Community to change. .
In The Community, where people are denied the freedom of choice, everything is determined for them and if anyone protests through an application for Release to Elsewhere, they are secretly killed. Any change at all goes to The Committee for study and the matter is just lost somewhere because they don't want change, but are also too afraid to bother The Giver for advice. .
The author has written this book to show people the dangers of complete conformity.