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Uglies (Uglies, #1)

Scott Westerfeld

Why we're reading this: In this dystopia, at the age of sixteen, surgery is performed to eradicate all physical imperfections, le…more
[close] In this dystopia, at the age of sixteen, surgery is performed to eradicate all physical imperfections, leaving everyone “pretty” and leveling the playing field, but at what cost? Fifteen-year-old "ugly" Tally is about to find out, as she encounters a group of rebels who educate her to the true nature of her own society.

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Apr 01, 2008 Terri rated it really liked it

Shelves: young-adult

In a society where every 16 year old is made "pretty" by an operation in order to avoid social strife, Tally meets Shay, a girl who will change her life.

A very quick and enjoyable read making me want to read the next one in the series ...more

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Jan 21, 2010 Larissa rated it liked it

Shelves: read-for-class, young-adult, series, 2011, fantastical

Although I've had this book parked on my shelf for awhile, I had been waiting to read it for some time. Westerfeld books are definitely summer reads for me--I tore through the Midnighters series a few years ago like I was getting paid to read those books--and I was looking forward to another infectiously exciting series chock-a-block with interesting (female) characters, vividly imagined alterna-worlds, and irreverent humor.

Uglies has those elements, to be sure, but it didn't hook me in the way

Although I've had this book parked on my shelf for awhile, I had been waiting to read it for some time. Westerfeld books are definitely summer reads for me--I tore through the Midnighters series a few years ago like I was getting paid to read those books--and I was looking forward to another infectiously exciting series chock-a-block with interesting (female) characters, vividly imagined alterna-worlds, and irreverent humor.

Uglies has those elements, to be sure, but it didn't hook me in the way that I was expecting. I didn't really take to Tally. She's understandably caught up in the standards of her world--in becoming "Pretty" at 16--but she was a little less self-aware than I would have liked and although people keep telling her throughout the book how special and amazing and different that she is, I didn't exactly see that. Also, the fact that she doesn't reveal that she is a secret spy to anyone in The Smoke for fear that they will reject her is super flimsy reasoning, particularly because she's already seen the way that the residents are easily able to dispose of trackers and other devices the Specials have tried to use against them. I mean, I get it--she feels guilty. But her deception seems like more of a plot device than anything else.

Additionally, the environmental aspect--namely the (partial) backstory of how the Rusties (that's today's humans) destroyed the world with their abuse of nature and dependence on machines is laid on a bit thick. It's a great idea--that the Pretty society was developed because of the mistakes and ignorance and hubris of the previous generations (and the fact that the new, improved society still has such drastic flaws)--but Westerfeld is juggling a lot of balls here. Environmental responsibility, racism, war, obsession with beauty etc, etc. Yes, we have failed on all these counts in our modern day, but the way Tally recites her Rusty history feels something like a cartoonish PSA. It's a little patronizing.

At any rate, I like the twist at the end--Tally's conscious decision to become Pretty in order to test the treatment--and for that, would probably keep reading the series. But I'm not feeling pressed to do so any time soon.

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Dec 31, 2007 Meagan rated it really liked it

Shelves: teen_materials_class

This fantastic book takes place in a future world where everyone, and that means everyone, gets complete plastic surgery when they turn 16. This means that everyone in the world turns from an "Ugly" to a "Pretty," and no one is better than anyone else. At least that's the theory. The main character is forced to examine that assumption when her best friend runs away from civilization to join a group of people who have denied society as they know it, refusing to get the surgery and hiding from the ...more

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Dec 16, 2010 Genna rated it it was amazing

Amazing.

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Jun 13, 2009 Claire rated it liked it

Shelves: fiction, sci-fi, teen

A well-thought out world. Suffers from the all-too common "let's teach those teens some life lessons" impulse which I find a little obvious and obnoxious. However, I will be reading the next book in the series. I do love all the slang! ...more

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Feb 17, 2008 Eh?Eh! rated it it was ok

Shelves: babble-added

teen fic, interesting premise and nice set-up for the rest of the trilogy. argument for/against uniformity/central control/appearance/independence. i'd like to read this if it was rewritten for an older audience. ...more

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