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November 03, 2006
Books: Uglies, Pretties, Specials
Young adult author Scott Westerfeld has recently released the final volume of his trilogy:
1. Uglies
2. Pretties
3. Specials.
This series is not particularly happy or upbeat, and whether it is inspiring will depend on the individual. From many perspectives it could be considered provocative.
While the three books discuss a variety of important sociopolitical themes, the one most relevant to this blog is the consideration of personal attractiveness. Uglies is set in a post-apocalyptic future. To protect the world from another collapse and to encourage all peoples to treat each other as fair and equal, they have come up with a strategy -- require all people to be equally attractive. Yes, really -- compulsory cosmetic surgery at age 16. If you run away, they hunt you down and bring you back. At the same time, they use brainwashing techniques and peer pressure to persuade people that they really want these surgeries. Not quite halfway through the first volume, one of the characters asks, "But what if I want to keep my own face?"
As I said, a provocative work. It doesn't entirely answer the question for you, although you can see the author's sympathies glinting through the discussions.
Posted by pfa at November 3, 2006 02:40 PM