A decade ago (see "Darwin's Radio", 1999), human evolution took a leap when children genetically different from the rest of humanity were born around the world, thanks to the actions of retrovirus fragments in the human genome. "Darwin's Children" begins as the virus children are sent away to schools, often situated in old prisons, to keep them segregated from the rest of the world, which largely fears them. A new disease has emerged among the children,...

Given his lifetime assignment at the Ceremony of Twelve, Jonas becomes the receiver of memories shared by only one other in his community and discovers the terrible truth about the society in which he lives. At the age of twelve, Jonas, a young boy from a seemingly utopian, futuristic world, is singled out to receive special training from The Giver, who alone holds the memories of the true joys and pain of life.