This is one of the TWO books we'll be reading for the first regular fiction category as everyone couldn't make their minds up about it!

Once again, don't forget to mark spoilers clearly!

I was really impressed when I read Uglies and for some reason thought it would make a great online game -- something my gamer partner and I have thought about a lot. It had so many different facets and I thought it was really well written. I was fascinated by the impressive adaptation of the metaphor for our society. I have some very bad memories of Barbie dolls! LOL

After I read this (and I don't remember why I did. I think I just liked the cover), I recommended it to EVERYONE. I was so in love with this world and the language, which, granted, takes some getting used to (so stick with it if the first few pages frustrate you).

I read this book a week ago and really enjoyed it. I recommended it to a friend and I think she thinks it will be just another fantasy type book but I assured her it is not. I was interested in it because I think this is how our world is turning. I mean lots of people want plastic surgery and so many people obsess over their looks.

I really liked the characters too especially Tally and David.

Of particular interest was how some people wanted freedom from that "same" look; the appreciation of how unique people are, even when environment (culture) is maintained. I wish this book had been around when I was in psych class and we debated nature vs. nurture!

There was something similar to Hunger Games in the urgency of the language and pacing that I really enjoyed about this book. I also really loved the explanation for the destruction of the Rusties. (I loved a lot more than that but I can't seem to talk about it without...)



**Spoilers**



It was very original, not your typical nuclear destruction. There were lots of little evidences of how the Rusties just eventually did themselves in because they messed with too much stuff on a genetic/molecular level. What was really interesting though was that the society that sprung up after the Rusties didn't do a complete 180 and abandon that type of experimentation. I'm sure at some point at least some of the people involved in developing the pretty operation thought they were improving things, just like the Rusty scientist with her orchids.

And another thing I really thought the author did an excellent job of was to really make you see how hard it would be to completely abandon your paradigm. At first I really wanted to dislike the fact that Tally wanted the operation. I really wanted to dislike what she'd do to get it. But I couldn't completely. I understood, because Westerfeld really showed you how ingrained and programmed it was into all of them. I sympathized with her struggle to make sense of it all, no matter how long that took.

The best part for me was how David got Tally to stop thinking of herself (and everyone else who hadn't gone through the operation) as "Ugly." That hit home, and it's the kind of thing that every girl today needs to hear from someone they trust. I loved being inside Tally's mind as she really wrapped her brain around the fact that she could be beautiful just as she is. I wanted to clap and dance around the living room! Yes! Tally, we are all beautiful!

I don't know how Westerfeld pulled this book off without being sappy, but he totally did, and I just ruined it with my sappy response.

Heather wrote: "The best part for me was how David got Tally to stop thinking of herself (and everyone else who hadn't gone through the operation) as "Ugly." That hit home, and it's the kind of thing that every girl today needs to hear from someone they trust."

The idea of "uglies" -- who are really just normal people, flaws and all -- is what I thought was so brilliant about this book. It was a government playing on people's vanities to control them. It makes perfect sense. We already have such a beauty-obsessed culture (and by "we", I really mean the whole world, because it's everywhere, it's just different ideals). And the way to get to someone and make them do what you want is to make them feel inferior. If everyone thinks (or claims to think) this is what beauty is, and everyone can look this way, then there is a really strongly defined line between 'us' and 'Other.' And if you're Other, you're fair game, in a way.
As the series goes on, this manipulation aspect becomes more and more important, and I ate it up. Brilliant, Mr. Westerfeld.

Notice one other thing in the text -- there are no cultural/environmental/genetic differences in truth; e.g., no Asian, black, Indian. This is a major thought to bring to young adults.

Good point.

An interesting companion to the Uglies series is by Scott Westerfield: Bogus to Bubbly: An Insider’s Guide to the World of the Uglies. New York, NY: Simon Pulse, 2008.
Whether you have read the series or not, you will be fascinated by this book about the series. The series started when the author had a friend who went to a dentist. Yes, a dentist. The dentist asked that they develop a five-year plan for his teeth. The author thought this was hilarious. Then all these other ideas came to him. This book is the story behind the story of The Uglies.
Also, this behind-the-scenes book is a good way to introduce some readers to the series, but it also discusses the process of writing. Included in the book is a glossary. Many book discussions can occur because the book deals with the importance of looks in our culture, gadgets and inventions, and science.

That sounds really interesting I might have to take a look thanks Carol :)

There's also another book that's a kind of supplement to the book, called Mind-Rain Your Favorite Authors on Scott Westerfeld's Uglies Series. I haven't read it yet, but it sounds interesting.

Carol, my dentist and periodontist did the exact same thing -- let's develop a long-term plan for your teeth! How interesting.

I had braces as a teenager but only for a short period of time to make space for my molars. When they brought up putting rubber bands on my teeth to draw them down thus making them all even across the bottom, I said no, I don't want Barbie teeth. If there is space for my teeth in the back then we are done. Thankfully they listened so my teeth still have character.

I loved this series. I thought they were great discussion starters with my younger sister and I wouldl ove to have my step-daughter read them because right now she is very caught up in the what makes people pretty thing and thinks she needs make-up to be pretty. (Her father has said no make-up till high school.)

That's what I love about this book, people are so wound up in how pretty or unpretty they are. I think Westerfield has shown here that we need our flaws, our imperfections to be pretty. Tally fell in love with David even though he wasn't a pretty because he is a really nice guy and doesn't need to be perfect.

Lauren wrote: "I thought they were great discussion starters with my younger sister and I wouldl ove to have my step-daughter read them because right now she is very caught up in the what makes people pretty thing and thinks she needs make-up to be pretty."

That is what I love about these types of books. That's why I think more parents/adults should read what their children/young people in their life are reading. It's such a great opportunity that's often wasted.

Lauren wrote: "I had braces as a teenager but only for a short period of time to make space for my molars. When they brought up putting rubber bands on my teeth to draw them down thus making them all even across ..."

One of my jobs is to transcribe classes at the local community college and I did some classes in the dental technology program. They had days and days of discussion about making dentures and bridges for people and including errors in them on purpose. It's called characterization. They said there's a whole psychology around the shape and color and spacing of people's teeth. Rounded corners versus sharp square teeth are interpreted as clues to a person's character by people who see them, and it's mostly subconscious. They said that "hollywood teeth" are actually very undesirable because they look fake. The instructor said that every time he got a customer who said they wanted "perfect" teeth now that they were getting dentures, he would try to talk them out of it. If he couldn't, it never failed that a couple weeks of wearing them and they brought them back saying people responded to them differently and they didn't like the way they looked in the mirror. He said he always tried to get the dentists he worked with to give him personality and profession descriptions for each set of dentures he did, so he could characterize the teeth appropriately.

I was thinking about that when Tally explained the biological reasons for the big eyes, symmetrical features and soft even skin tones of the new pretties. It was a big blow to the "biological basis" theory when David, who hadn't been brought up in the city, didn't follow those biological rules in his interpretation of beauty. It's really great commentary on social conditioning.

Heather wrote: "Lauren wrote: "I had braces as a teenager but only for a short period of time to make space for my molars. When they brought up putting rubber bands on my teeth to draw them down thus making them a..."

Those are some great points Heather. I find that very interesting. I'm a Psychology Major, and Social Conditioning is something I find fascinating. As people, we really are a product of our environments. I definitely think that biology and what we are born with plays a huge part in who we are, but there is so much that is added to us, and defines us that we collect from our respective cultures and lifestyles. I love these books because they bring out so many great discussion topics, and they teach us things without being overly preachy about it. I never felt that I was being condemned or preached to by this book the way that I have reading others.

I think the dentures comment was really interesting. I never thought about something like that... Good to know!

Misty wrote: That is what I love about these types of books. That's why I think more parents/adults should read what their children/young people in their life are reading. It's such a great opportunity that's often wasted.

That is a great point Misty! I totally agree with you there!

I really enjoyed this book, and like Misty, only picked it up because the cover was so interesting along with the title. I read the second in the series and found it just as interesting, but by the third, Westerfeld had lost stem. (in my opinion)

It's a great book for young people. I think it's unfortunate that most boys would steer clear, because as a society, we aren't any easier on our young men as far as physical perfection goes.

I wish all young people could see how how their opinions and hopes for that elusive, but "perfect" beauty can be used to control them. Hopefully they would make the mental leap to other expectations that can be used against them.

What I thought was an interesting was the relationship between Tally and Shay. As an adult, there was a lot of times where I got frustrated with the characters because they acted like *gasp* teenagers. But I thought that went to show how well and true Westerfeld developed them. And out of everyone, I thought Tally and Shay were the most "real". And for me, Shay was the most interesting of all because she was given the most range of emotions.

*Spoiler*


What had started out for Shay as cool to break the rules became about pleasing a boy (and what teen...or adult for that matter...hasn't gone through that phase at one time or another). But then said boy falls for Shay's best friend! How do you react? What do you do with all the emotions you are feeling, especially given the restrictive environment they are set in?

Tally's choices were true to character, if a bit predictable. But it is Shay who made it all "real" for me.

Heather wrote: "Lauren wrote: "I had braces as a teenager but only for a short period of time to make space for my molars. When they brought up putting rubber bands on my teeth to draw them down thus making them a..."

Heather,
One, I would love to know how you got that job.
Two, I remember when my mother got dentures and therefore got rid of the one physical characteristic we shared -- the gap between our two front teeth. I felt devastated. She looked so false and I felt invalidated -- a central theme to Uglies.

I actually picked this book up because I've been recruiting a lot all over the state, and I had it saved on my phone as a PDF. Any time I got a break, I was glued to my phone reading.

It finally got to the point where I went out and got the book (because nothing beats the feeling of a book in your hands) and flew through the last 100 or so pages at a huge high school event...

...needless to say, the book got more attention than my college did. One student, a young looking girl, said that the book actually made her think twice about how she acted. She didn't want to be a brainless drone. She started paying attention in school and less attention on her looks and her grades catapulted to the point her teachers thought that she was cheating. Another kid said this book was the whole reason he started reading. It was exciting. A "little girly" to his standards, but exciting.

As for my thoughts... I think the book can become one of those childhood classics. The one that you read when you're 11 and you bring home one lesson. Then you read it again when you're 15 and you bring home a different lesson... and then again when you're an adult with your children and you see an even bigger lesson. Westerfeld has definitely written a book for all of the ages.

Plus, in today's world... young adults need someone telling them its okay to be different or we're going to end up with a bunch of brianless "pretties" walking around.

Kristin wrote: "One student, a young looking girl, said that the book actually made her think twice about how she acted. She didn't want to be a brainless drone. She started paying attention in school and less attention on her looks and her grades catapulted to the point her teachers thought that she was cheating. Another kid said this book was the whole reason he started reading."

Wow.

I plan on reading this one soon, hopefully in October. In discussing books with a high school student the other day, she recommended Uglies. I take student recommendations very seriously, so it immediately moved up my list.

I read this book at the end of last school year. I enjoyed it enough to read the other three books in the series, but I felt like it was a little too geared to the chick-lit crowd. Also, the writing could use some work, and her ideas on society and goverment are quite naive, but I think the over all concept she is trying to get across is sound. The only reason I wouldn't consider her method of introducing her ideas too extreme, is because her main goal is to write a story, not make a point. Decent book. 3/5.

Mukesh wrote: "I read this book at the end of last school year. I enjoyed it enough to read the other three books in the series, but I felt like it was a little too geared to the chick-lit crowd. Also, the writ..."

She? The author is Scott Westerfeld (a he).

I don't think it's naive to believe that governments aim to control their constituencies or that societies are bound together by generally accepted concepts (be they true or false). But that's just how I interpreted the depiction of society and government in the book.

What did you think was naive about those concepts Mukesh?

Oh, no. I didn't think that that was naive at all. I didn't phrase this very well, and it was more of a review of the series than just that book. What I thought was naive was how much emphasis he put on the ability of pretties and the rest of the surgery modded people to manipulate everyone else simply through how they looked.

Lydia wrote: "One, I would love to know how you got that job. "

http://www.typewell.com

You just have to find a site (a school district, college, community college or university) that uses this program and they'll pay for your training. Check the disabilities services offices of your local campuses. Training takes as long as it takes you to work through the training software program (usually a couple months).

I love my job and would absolutely recommend to it anyone who can type.

Heather wrote: "Lydia wrote: "One, I would love to know how you got that job. "

http://www.typewell.com

You just have to find a site (a school district, college, community college or university) that uses this p..."

Thanks, Heather. Presently I am the slow typist in my family (I'm at 120 wpm), so I would love to do this. Could you e-mail me any tips on how to locate a site? Thank you again.

Hey Lydia, I tried to PM you deets, but I failed the captcha three times and couldn't send you a message. Will I still have to do the captcha if you PM me first?

This novel didn't surprise me much. That's possibly due to watching a Twilight Zone episode. The doctors are filmed in the shadows the entire time (til the end) and the patient, a female, is wrapped in bandages. I won't reveal (spoil) what happened but those who saw this episode will understand. *chuckles*

I did, however, like how Uglies provided teens a good science fiction novel that may encourage them to read classic sci-fi. I'll pick up the rest of the series probably this winter.

That's one of my favorite Twilight Zone episodes. There's another one, where adolescents, at 16, choose a body style. They are all perfect, of course, and there are only a few options. One girl doesn't want to.

I loved this series. And just like Tally, my opinions continued to evolve as she does.

*spoilers*
At the end of Uglies, all I wanted was for Tally to take the cure and get back to David, then I read Pretties and Tally's relationship with Zane, and all I wanted was for her to fight the pretty haze and stay with Zane, then in Specials, well naturally, I changed again, though I still loved Zane.

I just thought it was amazing that in a world where everyone is pretty, noone is. And despite their pretty faces, their actions are sometimes ugly.

Kandice, oooOh RIIIGHT! I love how TW has impacted future writing styles and plots.

I'm still on the fence about Tally's romantic relationships, if you could call them romantic. David felt like a crush than love. But I have to keep reminding myself, Tally is a teen. Romance and love come more quickly (least in the trends I've seen in novels or shows/movies).

Exactly, and let's face it, the same applies to adulthood, we just pretend it doesn't, lol.

Heather, Zane was one of my absolute favorite characters. So you know how I feel after all that, but I don't want to give anything away.

I think Westerfeld was influenced by TZ. He has a little pamphlety thing that came in the boxed set that talks about his influences, and I think Bogus to Bubbly An Insider's Guide to the World of Uglies might, too. I'll have to dig mine out and see if TZ is mentioned.

There is yet another TZ episode that deals with this issue. An "ugly" girl is being sent to another planet where she wont be so visually offensive. She's actually gorgeous, and so, of course are the "aliens". (really, it's Earth, and she coming from an alien panet, but they hide that until the last scene.

I may need to find that book you're talking about, Misty. I bet it would be interesting.

Zane was my favorite character of this series. He was the best of all of them, imo. And there wasn't anything he wouldn't do for Tally.

I was amused at the lifestyles of the Pretties. Reminded me of Mardi Gras. And you simply knew with that type of description, someone or some group was hiding the truth from them by this party-ville.

Despite some minor hangups, I'd still recommend this series to teens. I did so to a co-worker for his daughter who struggles with "beauty" pressures by a Queen Bee. He says his daughter sometimes becomes the doormat. I had hoped this book might give her a different outlook on beauty. At least.

i had never heard about this book - which is one of the reasons I love this book club so much! i couldn't put it down,and because of that I had to go and get the last two books in the series as well. I just finished the second one, and its as good as the first, and I can't wait to start the third!

Pollyanna wrote: "That's what I love about this book, people are so wound up in how pretty or unpretty they are. I think Westerfield has shown here that we need our flaws, our imperfections to be pretty. Tally fell ..."

I like how he took such a topic that runs rampart in our society and showed us the other side. Teenagers are bombarded with celebrities with perfect hair, face, size 0 body, this book shows it is okay to be different.

I like when Tally discovers the magazines and they tried to explain why people look different.

Tanja wrote: "I was amused at the lifestyles of the Pretties. Reminded me of Mardi Gras. And you simply knew with that type of description, someone or some group was hiding the truth from them by this party-vill..."

Hopefully after reading it, they will see that this perfection isn't real and quite boring. The pretties all look the same and just go to parties all day. At least the Uglies formed as a society to work together and make a real community.

Maria wrote: "i had never heard about this book - which is one of the reasons I love this book club so much! i couldn't put it down,and because of that I had to go and get the last two books in the series as we..."

There's another one. It's called Extras. So add that to your list as well. :)

really?! Thanks for the heads up Misty!

Yup. It's Uglies, Pretties and then Extras. A happy trilogy which most sci-fi/fantasy series do. I forget why. *laughs*

I do like the boards. Can I have one?

Have you guys read or? I just picked up Life as we knew it and am gunna read it as soon as I get done with The Lovely Bones.

Tanja wrote: "Yup. It's Uglies, Pretties and then Extras. A happy trilogy which most sci-fi/fantasy series do. I forget why. *laughs*

I do like the boards. Can I have one?"

Uglies, Pretties, Specials, then Extras. This trilogy has 4...

I love those books, Jinnifer. There's a quote from The Incredibles that I find applies to this conversation, and to modern life: "...then everyone will be super! And when everyone is super, then no one will be super!"

I think I need to re-read this book.