Book Review on Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

In a world where everyone is pretty, or waiting to turn pretty, nothing could go wrong. That's what most pretties-to-be believe in Uglies by Scott Westerfeld. One pretty-to-be (ugly) Tally Youngblood can't wait to turn sixteen so she can get the operation to make her a pretty. Things start to get complicated the closer the operation date gets. Tally learns she has to help track down runaway uglies and rogues, or never turn pretty at all. To Tally, this is a fate far worse than death. Scott Westerfeld's Uglies pulls the reader into a futuristic world full of pretties, uglies, and dark, hidden secrets of the city.

To begin with, the characters in this book are very different from normal humans today. The main character, Tally, was one I could relate too and believe in. Tally is an eager teenager who just wants to turn pretty so she could be like everyone else. She is very determined also. She endured a trip out in the wild, all alone, just to find the smoke, or lose her chance at turning pretty, something she has dreamed about her whole life.

Also, the setting of Uglies is very futuristic and isolated. Each city is independent from one another. They rarely interact with one another. The city is divided into regions, one for each "type" of person. There is Ugliville for young people from 12 to 16 to stay in dorms while waiting on the operation and the trip across the river to New Pretty Town. New Pretty Town hosts the new pretties while they party and enjoy themselves. Next is Crumblyville, where Middle Pretties, their young children, and late pretties live. This region of the town resembles a suburb. Lastly, there sits a region unknown to many; Special Circumstance Headquarters. Special Circumstance Headquarters is compared to a FBI or CIA headquarters, but much worse. Uglyville isn't the only region in the city with ugliness in it.

Lastly, the plot of this book was heart pounding. I was interested and thinking the whole time I read. Tally has to find "the smoke" a camp or runaway uglies and rogues, or she can't have the operation to make her pretty. This may not seem that interesting, but Tally's new best friend, Shay, ran away to the smoke. Upon finding the smoke, she is suppose to set off a tracker to alert Special Circumstances of the location of the smoke. This means betraying Shay and everyone else in the smoke. Tally struggles over her obligations. She wants to turn pretty, but is she willing to betray people to do so? Through the struggles Tally goes through, the readers share her emotions and fights (internal and external).

With the author's characters so different, yet emotionally similar to present day humans, readers are drawn into the book. The futuristic setting sets the stage for the story and shocks people at the idea and the possibilities. The plot brings all thoughts together to make for a good story and a satisfied reader. I commend Scott Westerfeld on a work of literature that not only pushes human beliefs, but also entertains the reader.