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Article: The books that rock the cradle: libertarian themes in children's fiction.(Culture and Reviews)
- Article from:
- Reason
- Article date:
- January 1, 2006
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2006 Reason Foundation. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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YOU ARE 12 YEARS OLD, and you're watching your father cradle an infant in his arms. He works for a special branch of the government tasked with population control and ensuring the health of those deemed "normal" He weighs the infant on a scale, then places the baby on a blanket. As you watch, he fills a needle with a clear liquid, then plunges the syringe into the baby's skull. The newborn squirms, wails faintly, and dies. You have just watched your father commit murder in the name of controlling the size and quality of the population. What would you do?
The scenario comes from Lois Lowry's 1993 novel The Giver, which won the prestigious Newberry Medal for ...