LITERARY WALKS by María Estévez

I’ve read a lot of amazing books, but the book I would consider as the best literary work I’ve ever read would be Uglies by Scott Westerfeld. It is the first book in the four book series. I’ve read it multiple times, which I usually wouldn’t do. It is set in a futuristic world where the younger population is separated by age and features. There are those under 16, called the Uglies, who haven’t yet gone through the surgery process that transforms them from Uglies to Pretties. On their 16th birthday they stop going to school and move out of the dorm like building they previously lived in. They go into surgery to change everything that isn’t perfect about them, from their height and weight to the length of their eyelashes. After they’ve healed they move across the river and into a luxurious room/house and where the only thing they now care about is partying and having a good time. There are no responsibilities and no one has an original thought.

The story follows the protagonist Tally Youngblood, who at first was greatly anticipating her pretty operation, until she makes friends with a girl named Shay. Shay tells her of a group of runaways out in the wilderness, called the Smoke, who ran away to avoid the operation. Shay invites Tally along to run away to the Smoke, which Tally doesn’t agree with, but Shay leaves her secret directions before disappearing on their shared 16th birthday. Tally is taken to Dr. Cable, who tells her that she can either go to the Smoke with a tracker and help find Shay or never receive the pretty operation. So Tally does as she’s ordered, but once she reaches the Smoke and meets David, and learns about what the pretty operation really does she changes her mind. She throws the tracker into the fire, accidentally activating it. As the story unfolds Tally learns more about her society and herself than she ever thought possible.

The reason I think this is the best literary work I’ve ever read is because not only is it fantastically written, leaving the reader needing to know what happens next, but it discusses a variety of important topics that no other young adult book does. It discusses change, both physical and emotional, standards of beauty, as well as environmental issues and the dangers of over controlling governments. These topics are shown and discussed in a way that is captivating and motivating. This was the first book I’ve ever read that really made me think about society and the things I had been taught to think and feel about beauty. I was not only forced to reflect but was guided by the multiple viewpoints throughout the story that made it easy for me to consider both sides of the story and ask myself what I believed.

I would definitely recommend the book to the class. I’ve recommended it dozens of times to friends and family already. I think everyone can get something out of this book, even if all it is is enjoying a good story. And of course, it’s only the first book in the series and the next three books not only continue and then wrap up the story but each one introduces more things to think about and new issues are discussed. It is one of my all time favorite books and I think everyone should read it.

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