uglies - pretties - specials
Sep. 29th, 2006 02:27 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
orangerfulI keep meaning to post about this but then it slips my mind since I'm only reading the books while at work!
I'm reading the Uglies trilogy by Scott Westerfeld and so far I'm really enjoying it! I just started book 3 last night. It's not the best written book ever, but the plot really gets you pondering as far as what is beauty, how we are conditioned to believe certain things, how we can be re-conditioned to accept the way things are no matter how horrible, and how the writers are the ones that control the way history is portrayed.
'Uglies' is set in this future society. They are on Earth but they never refer to it as that. They just live in this self contained city. In this city, you're born and you grow up and when you're about 12, you're sent away to the dorms in Uglyville. These are the years when you're one of the uglies. You play around, do pranks (or "tricks" as they call them), and wait for your 16th birthday, when the doctors will come get you and make you pretty. It doesn't matter what "imperfections" you have now - your nose too big? hips too small? legs too short? One eye higher than the other? Don't worry, they'll fix you and make your skin perfect, your height normal. and your face perfectly symetrical. You'll never be sick again and you'll be happy all the time. You'll be the spitting image of what millions of years of evolution tells us is beauty. You'll never be jealous of someone elses' looks because you will be just as beautiful.
Too good to be true? Of course. I won't spoil it anymore, you should really pick it up. It looks like a really thick book, but the font is large and the margins are generous plus it's full of action and adventure so you just go right thru it.
We're hoping to do a book discussion group for teens/young adults next year at the library and this is on my list of books to talk about. There's just so much to discuss! Someone on here should read it though because I want to talk about it now! haha.
Though, I haven't finishd the last book yet, and really the finale will be what makes all the difference. Especially when it comes to a utopia/dystopia kind of story, how it all turns out in the end will decide whether I love this series or hate it. I've spent too much time with these characters to have them fail! Nooo!
The funny thing is, when I was a "young adult" (i.e. ages 12-18) I never read anything from that section of the library. In 6th grade I read 'Jurassic Park' and went on a Michael Crichton kick, then in 8th grade I discovered 'Hitchhiker's Guide' and read all those and I never felt the need to read anything thing in the YA area (which always seemed to be more 'Melrose Place' style drama than anything cool). Now? Now I can't get enough of the YA! Go figure!
EDIT: Big surprise here - just clicked around Scott Westerfeld's site and was looking at his new book 'Peeps' and it turns out he's a Buffy fan. I KNEW I liked him for a reason haha.
I'm reading the Uglies trilogy by Scott Westerfeld and so far I'm really enjoying it! I just started book 3 last night. It's not the best written book ever, but the plot really gets you pondering as far as what is beauty, how we are conditioned to believe certain things, how we can be re-conditioned to accept the way things are no matter how horrible, and how the writers are the ones that control the way history is portrayed.
'Uglies' is set in this future society. They are on Earth but they never refer to it as that. They just live in this self contained city. In this city, you're born and you grow up and when you're about 12, you're sent away to the dorms in Uglyville. These are the years when you're one of the uglies. You play around, do pranks (or "tricks" as they call them), and wait for your 16th birthday, when the doctors will come get you and make you pretty. It doesn't matter what "imperfections" you have now - your nose too big? hips too small? legs too short? One eye higher than the other? Don't worry, they'll fix you and make your skin perfect, your height normal. and your face perfectly symetrical. You'll never be sick again and you'll be happy all the time. You'll be the spitting image of what millions of years of evolution tells us is beauty. You'll never be jealous of someone elses' looks because you will be just as beautiful.
Too good to be true? Of course. I won't spoil it anymore, you should really pick it up. It looks like a really thick book, but the font is large and the margins are generous plus it's full of action and adventure so you just go right thru it.
We're hoping to do a book discussion group for teens/young adults next year at the library and this is on my list of books to talk about. There's just so much to discuss! Someone on here should read it though because I want to talk about it now! haha.
Though, I haven't finishd the last book yet, and really the finale will be what makes all the difference. Especially when it comes to a utopia/dystopia kind of story, how it all turns out in the end will decide whether I love this series or hate it. I've spent too much time with these characters to have them fail! Nooo!
The funny thing is, when I was a "young adult" (i.e. ages 12-18) I never read anything from that section of the library. In 6th grade I read 'Jurassic Park' and went on a Michael Crichton kick, then in 8th grade I discovered 'Hitchhiker's Guide' and read all those and I never felt the need to read anything thing in the YA area (which always seemed to be more 'Melrose Place' style drama than anything cool). Now? Now I can't get enough of the YA! Go figure!
EDIT: Big surprise here - just clicked around Scott Westerfeld's site and was looking at his new book 'Peeps' and it turns out he's a Buffy fan. I KNEW I liked him for a reason haha.
