Have You Read These Books?

             

        

                  Uglies Series by Scott Westerfield

                   I am a fan of dystopian books, and judging by the success of series like The Hunger Games, I am not the only one. If the few made decisions for the many, and were unrestrained in what they could do, what would the world be like?

          Uglies, Pretties, Specials and Extras. These four books chronicle the life of Tally, a young girl living in a city in our distant future.

         

           At the age of 12 everyone is an ugly and must leave their parents and live

and go to school in Uglyville until the age of sixteen. On their sixteenth birthday, everyone has the operation to become ‘Pretty’ and moves to New Pretty Town where their every need is met and having fun is the only requirement. Tally wanted the operation more than anything.

           
          Of course, not everyone lives in the city. There are small bands of people who live in the wild with little technology and without ever having the operation. This is a lifestyle that Tally never knew existed, and not one she would want for herself.

         
           When Tally, upon turning sixteen, is forced to choose between staying ugly or betraying her friend, Shay, her world is turned upside down. She discovers things about her city, and the pretty-making operation, that changes her and her life forever.

               
         

           

           When a society has the ability to change, enhance and completely alter not only a person’s physical body, but also their thinking, it is easy to see how the technology could be abused. In ‘Specials’ the greatest abuses are by the government in their quest to control the population. They have a special division of law enforcement called Special Circumstances, staffed by surgically enhanced agents who can track and apprehend anyone who opposes the city and it’s laws. The enhancements are extreme and frightening, from super-strength and speed to built-in communication and tracking computers.

          

         


            This series is thought-provoking without being too environmentally or politically correct. Each book takes the subject another step further. How far is too far when it comes to saving the environment and keeping the peace? Is being pretty a fair trade for your ability to think for yourself and the freedom of choice?