UgliesScott Westerfeld
New York: Simon Pulse, 2005
425 pages
So, after months of starting and stopping this book I FINALLY finished Uglies by Scott Westerfeld. My inability to read the book up until this point had nothing to do with the quality of the book. The book was great! Rather, my extreme delay can be attributed to the dangerous combination of a busy Summer and a long list of "must read" books. Since Uglies was a friend's copy (and not a library book) it kept getting pushed to the bottom of the list. Now that I've thoroughly bored you with unneccesary information, it's time for the actual review....
Set in a futuristic society where all citizens get a surgery on their 16th birthday to turn them from "uglies" into "pretties," Uglies tells the story of Tally Youngblood. Tally has been counting down the days until her 16th birthday. Unfortunately, she is forced to change her plans when her new friend Shay runs away the night before her surgery. The city's authorites (known as Special Circumstances) give Tally a choice: either help them bring Shay and other runaways back, or stay ugly forever. Tally has no choice but to leave the comforts of the city and make the treacherous journey to the "Smoke," a city run by uglies of all ages that ran away before the surgery could change them. Tally's time in the Smoke slowly begins to change her perceptions about the city and being pretty. Especially when she learns the startling news that people lose a lot more than they gain when they are changed from ugly to pretty....
All in all, I really enjoyed this book. I've been a big fan of YA books lately, so this was a perfect choice. From self-discovery, to free will, to oppression, to appearance and self esteem this dystopia can easily lend itself to further discussion.
I highly recommend this book, and can't wait to read the sequels.
Posts
