Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

Uglies
Scott Westerfeld
ISBN 978-0-689-86538-1
Simon Pulse, 2005
425 pages

Genre: Dystopia

Readers Annotation
In a world where everyone gets plastic surgery at age 16 to make them into a Pretty, 15-year-old Tally learns about her society's ugly underbelly.

Plot Summary
In a future North America, people can't believe that 21st century Rusties used to cut down trees, burn oil, and use steel for buildings. Worse, it's unthinkable that people used to judge each other on genetic things they couldn't control, like their skin color or how attractive they were naturally. Since humans have evolved to favor perfect symmetrical beauty, those who approximated it naturally had unfair advantages. Now, society is peaceful and happy because at age 16, everyone undergoes dramatic plastic surgery to transform themselves. Everyone is equal and Pretty. 15-year-old Tally, an Ugly, can hardly wait for her upcoming surgery. Her best friend Peris transformed a few months earlier, and she misses him terribly. Once she's had the surgery, she'll be able to join him and her old friends in New Pretty Town, where life is one giant party.

Tally befriends Shay, a girl whose surgery is also rapidly approaching. Like Tally, Shay loves to play clever Ugly tricks, like sneaking out of their dorm late at night. Unlike Tally, though, Shay is apprehensive about the surgery; she's happy just the way she is. Before running away, she tells Tally she's headed to join a secret settlement called the Smoke, populated by kids who didn't want the surgery. On her 16th birthday, Tally's taken in by a covert government group called Special Circumstances. They tell Tally that they'll withhold her surgery until she helps lead them to the Smoke. Will Tally betray her friend just so she can become Pretty? And if Special Circumstances was a secret, what other nasty secrets does her society hold?

Critical Evaluation
I loved, loved, loved this book. Scott Westerfeld has created a vivid alternate universe with a lot of pointed commentary about our current society. Tally and her friends make a lot of pointed commentary about how wasteful and stupid the Rusties (obviously meant to be our current society) were, and Westerfeld's explanation of what caused the end of Rusty society is brilliantly thought-provoking. However, through showing how distorted, shallow, and ugly the Pretty society is, Tally learns to appreciate the beauty in the authenticity of the Rusty experience.

Tally is a likable and resourceful heroine and goes through a believable transformation in the book, though I think the book's strength is more its plot, originality and ideas rather than the writing and characterizations. That said, however, Westerfeld plays beautifully with language, giving the Pretty society a distinct slang. The book moves quickly, its short chapters maintaining a tense pace that will have the reader eagerly turning the pages. His depictions of the future are fun; among the great inventions we learn about are bungee jackets (that protect the wearer from a steep fall) and hoverboards (a sort of midair skateboard). Fans of the utopia/dystopia genre will love this series; it's a great one to recommend to teens who are eagerly awaiting the last book of The Hunger Games.

Other Books in the Series
Pretties (2005)
Specials (2006)
Extras (2007)
From Bogus to Bubbly: An Insider's Guide to the World of Uglies (2008)

About the Author
Scott Westerfeld is a popular and prolific young adult author, whose work is also critically well-regarded. He primarily writes in the science fiction/fantasy genre. In addition to the Uglies series, he's worked on the Midnighters Trilogy (about a group of young adults that have special powers), as well as two books (Peeps and The Last Days) about a parasite that turns people cannibalistic. His most recent book, Leviathan, is the start of a steampunk series.

Curriculum Ties
While not as deep of a work as Brave New World, Uglies could be used to discuss some of the same ideas about the consequences of a "perfect" society, perhaps in a junior high or freshman English class.

Booktalking Ideas
1. Give a basic introduction to the Pretty society and explain Tally's dilemma.
2. Talk about the cleverness of the Uglies vs. the vapidity of the Pretties and the value the society places on both.
3. Talk about the love triangle between Tally, David, and Shay.

Reading Interest/Level
While teens in high school will definitely love this book, its reading level and subject matter would also be appropriate for younger teens in junior high.

Challenge Issues
While there is a bit of PG or PG-13 level violence and some descriptions of teen drinking by New Pretties, I do not believe this book would be likely to inspire challenges. Though the Pretty society has some disturbing ideas, they are clearly portrayed as such.

Selection Criteria
I picked up this book because I've seen it in libraries and bookshelves since it came out and knew it must be popular, but didn't know anything at all about the book. (In fact, I first incorrectly assumed that it must be kind of like the Gossip Girl series!) Seeing it was named an ALA and SLJ Best Book convinced me it was worth the read.