Uglies and Pretties Book Review

The Uglies Series by Scott Westerfield is based on a futuristic world in which everyone at age sixteen is given an operation to make them “pretty”. This world is based on a society in which everyone is ugly until they receive the operation and they are all told that the operation is what keeps the world running smoothly and keeps the peace. What these people do not know is they are being lied to and that when they are made “pretty” they are also implanted with a mind controlling abnormality. This control makes the “pretties” not able to think properly or able to form an idea that would go against the government or its enforcers known as special circumstances. Tally Youngblood is one ugly who wants to be made pretty until she learns the truth. She escapes to a place named the smoke with the help of special circumstances with the intent to give them up. After learning the truth she tries to make sure special circumstances cannot ever find the smoke but ends up getting caught anyway. Afterwards with the help of a fellow escapee David they break the remaining smoke members not made pretty yet out. David’s mother then goes on to hopefully find a cure but without a willing subject is unable to test it. Tally then willingly turns herself over to become pretty and without the help of the pills cures her own mind. She then returns to the rusty ruins to gather her resources and begin planning to take down the evil special circumstances leader, Dr. Cable. Overall the series is highly sought after with ratings of three point nine out of five from good reads, a four out of five from Common Sense Media, and a four point three out of five from YA Books Central. Personally I would give the books a four and a half out of five, missing the point five because of the insults toward today’s society.