Mind-Rain: Your Favorite Authors on Scott Westerfelds Uglies Series by Scott Westerfeld

Mind-Rain: Your Favorite Authors on Scott Westerfelds Uglies Series Reviews

• 
  Chris

  What a great collection of essays! I was going to read for a bit over coffee then finally go see Downey’s Sherlock Holmes, but I ended up ditching the entertaining movie to spend my day off with a book of literary criticism. Among the mix are essays that go into the psychology of the characters, ones that look at cultural, scientific, and literary predecessors and themes, and two influential short stories, each with a short introduction by Westerfeld. Some of the essays argue that Tally is a mostly passive protagonist and others argue that she is all “chutzpah! Guts! Cunning! Daring!” (Sobat) One makes the case that Shay is a much more intelligent, capable hero than Tally and another that the main motivating force behind the action in the story is Shay’s hidden romantic love for her. A couple draw interesting parallels between Tally and Dr. Cable. And much more.
  
  Although each had its own voice and style, I generally found them to be accessible yet thoughtful, what I would consider prime examples of critical analysis. The variety of different reactions among the essayists makes the collection a model for book discussions, and I could easily see it incorporated into classrooms. Those reactions also accentuated the fact that a book’s meaning is determined in the interplay between the writer and reader. Perhaps most importantly, this book deepened my appreciation of Westerfeld’s books and their complexity of theme, character, and story. An added bonus is that it introduced me to a number of new authors. I love that the bio info for each is at the end of the essay instead of the beginning so that I had context and curiosity about the authors by the time I read them.
  
  Some bits that I especially liked:
  
  From “Two Princes” by Sarah Beth Durst
  
  Shay is about as emotionally mature as my cat. (I adore my cat, but her favorite pastime is to roll onto her back as if she’s inviting you to pet her fuzzy belly and then attempt to gnaw your hand off at the wrist.)
  -----
  She’s the one that he pushes to take calorie-purging pills because, he says, hunger sharpens the mind. (For the record, it doesn’t sharpen my mind. When I’m hungry, all I think is “food, food, food” like the dog in that fake-bacon commercial. But hey, if it works for them, great.)
  
  From “Challenging the Gods” by Rosemary Clement-Moore
  
  Human beings are strange creatures. We don’t just like conformity, we’re engineered for it. As a species and a society, we tend to ostracize those who are too different. From an evolutionary perspective, this makes sense, but sociologically it can lead to the equivalent of inbreeding: cultural stagnation and complacency.
  
  Maybe that’s why people around the world have legends of disobedient characters who bring needed change to the world. There are gods like Loki in Scandinavia, the Monkey-King in China, and Coyote in the traditions of the Native American Southwest. Other tales feature animals, like Anansi the spider, in Eastern African stories, and Br’er Rabbit, a combination of Native and African-American folktales.
  
  These trickster characters are always wily and clever (even though their vanity or pride can make them rash or foolish), and their actions are often not very heroic in the traditional sense. They hoax and manipulate, they break rules, and they always shake up the status quo. The trickster is a character who makes things happen and challenges the system. . . .
  
  The freedom to think for oneself is exactly what Tally Youngblood brought to the pretties. This is the metaphorical fire from the gods that Prometheus gave to humankind. And here is the big difference between Tally and Dr. Cable. Tricksters do in myth and story what these outside-edges-of-the-bell-curve people have done throughout history. They make things happen. They make change happen.
  
  From “Beauty Smackdown” by Janette Rallison
  
  We can claim we aren’t affected by looks, but the way we spend our money says differently. So have several clinical studies too boring to quote. In summary they basically say that good-looking people get more attention, more dates, better jobs, and even increased leniency in criminal sentences. I would put footnotes here, but really, does anyone out there doubt this information?
  -----
  But here’s one of those book club questions that will carry you through several chocolate chip cookies: Is the beautiful-but-stupid person a valid stereotype or just a bunch of sour grapes from the less-gorgeous masses? And if there is a correlation between beauty and stupidity, is it something people are born with or just a byproduct of the way good-looking people are treated? . . .
  
  So how is it possible that we as a society want to be attractive, yet at the same time look down on beautiful people?
  -----
  Love no longer has the power to make ugly things, like Zane’s shaky movements, desirable in Tally’s eyes. She asks, “What did Dr. Cable do to us, Shay? Do we have some kind of special lesions in our brains? Something that makes everyone else look pathetic? Like we’re better than them?” (Specials)
  
  Shay’s answer--that they are better, and that everyone else looks confused and pitiful because they are--is good evidence that Shay either has brain lesions or has just been voted homecoming queen, one of the two.
  
  From “Conformity by Design” by Linda Gerber
  
  In the United States, we have an old adage that says, “The squeaky wheel gets the grease.” Japan has a similar saying with a much different take on things: “The nail that stands up gets beaten down.” . . .
  
  Yeah, I know what you’re thinking. We all saw what enforced conformity did to Tally’s society. But that’s the point. Not all societies and cultures are the same. In our Western world, we are taught to value individuality, but many Asian cultures such as Japan value sameness in pursuit of social harmony.
  
  Which philosophy is better? With conformity, a society runs more efficiently and maintains its current state, but with individuality, the encouragement of new ideas advances society (or pulls it back, depending on the idea). With conformity comes peaceful living and with individualism comes cultural productivity. Both offer desirable--though different--outcomes. In the words of philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, “You have your way. I have my way. As for the right way, the correct way, and the only way, it does not exist.” Perhaps the best we can hope for is to appreciate the value of each point of view.
  -----
  In the end, that might be the important distinction, not conformity versus individuality, but choice versus no choice.
  
  From “Liking What You See: A Documentary” by Ted Chiang
  
  Brain damage is never a good idea, no matter what your friends say.
  
  From “Naturally Unnatural” by Will Shetterly
  
  We have never been content with our natural selves. Before recorded history, we began changing our looks by cutting our hair; tattooing, piercing, and scarring our skin; filing our teeth, binding our feet; elongating our necks; and reshaping our skulls. Modifying ourselves must be a basic human instinct. We do it for social reasons, to identify with a group. We do it for sexual reasons, to be more attractive to people within a group. We do it for spiritual reasons: shaven heads and unshorn hair are ways to show that we’ve taken a religious path. We change ourselves so naturally that we often fail to notice we are doing it: Conservative Jewish, Christian, and Muslim teachers agree that people should not alter the natural bodies that God gave us—and to show we believe our God-given bodies are perfect, men should be circumcised and women should cover their hair.
  
  From “The S-Word” by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
  
  Maybe the people in charge didn’t realize that they were only telling half the story. Maybe they weren’t hoarding scientific knowledge as a means of wielding power over the rest of the population. Maybe, deep down, Dr. Cable is made of lollipops and pixie dust.
  
  But I doubt it.
  
  Hoarding scientific knowledge gives you a certain kind of power--the kind that allows you to endorse whatever “truth” best suits your needs. From the perspective of the people in charge, full scientific disclosure would be a nightmare. Far better for them to just legitimize their own views by giving the world a taste of science than to allow the populace to think scientifically about things themselves.
  -----
  Dr. Cable goes so far as to specifically seek out as her subjects people who oppose her at every turn. It takes a very special kind of genius to think that it is a good idea to make one’s own enemies faster, stronger, crueler, and harder to defeat than they otherwise would be. Personally, no matter how tempting it might be, I make it a policy not to surgically bestow near invincibility upon the people who would most like to see me dead.
  
  From “Lies and Consequences” by Delia Sherman
  
  History suggests that most people don’t mind being manipulated as much as you might think.
• 
  stephanie

  a collection of essays on the uglies series, with the addition of a couple of short stories that inspired westerfeld in the first place.
  
  if you like the series, i would really recommend this. i loved the essays, and seeing how different people reacted to the same books. i liked disagreeing with some, and being like, YES! EXACTLY! with others.
  
  robin wasserman's essay is my favorite, about how shay is a heroine trapped in the role of the sidekick. an interesting pairing is the essay on why tally matches the classic "hero" trope. diana peterfreund's essay on "team shay" is genius - even if i don't agree entirely.
  
  i also loved the essay comparing tally and dr. cable, who really aren't as different as they think - i especially liked it since it reminded me of why
  Extras just didn't fit into the series for me.
  
  really quite lovely. (and i didn't read the kindle edition, btw.)
• 
  Jeri

  I didn't find this book a great read. It seemed repetitive in some parts. He did have some interesting views of the characters and how their names related to their personalities/families. I found myself wondering how much longer until the end or at least until something else interesting would be brought up. There were some good points brought up in this book...just not enough to have made it worth the read.
• 
  Brittani

  It was ok. Not bad by any means just ok.
• 
  Rachelle

  Bogus and bubbly - from the slang the characters in the Uglies use to the complicated romantic relationships and friendships, these authors help us make sense of it all.
• 
  Cassy

  I love pretty much anything that Scott Westerfeld writes, so reading something by what OTHERS thought of his books was really fascinating. Mind-rain gave me entirely new views on a book series that I adore.
  
  I really enjoy all of the essays on Shay. She's a character that you don't really like, one that you're NOT really supposed to like until you get to Extras. That's the first place and she and Tally aren't fighting or trying to one up each other. But the essays make you realize that maybe Shay is just misunderstood. A lot of times she's there to support Tally and Tally really dismisses her.
  
  I also like the idea that Tally stumbles into her hero role. Most of the good things that happen to her is by accident. It's a lot of guess work and even then, it doesn't always end well. It was Tally's actions that caused David's father to be killed; as guilty as she may feel about that act, as noble as she was trying to be, it doesn't change the fact that it was her fault. There were really a lot of deaths due to Tally but no one ever really holds her accountable for any of it. At the end of the day, everyone thinks Tally is great and wonderful and can do no wrong.
  
  I'm not saying that Tally didn't do great things for her city but these essays really give you some new insights on Tally and her personality. It also gives you background on Tally's world. You get to see where she came from, what happened to the "rusty" age and how Tally's world came to be.
  
  I also like that they're essays not by Westerfeld, but people that just enjoy his books as much as mine. They're by people with their own opinions that often differ from mine on the books. It was fascinating and eye-opening to read all the different things that people thought about the books and also thought about things that I didn't think of. It really allowed me to think of the series in a new way.
  
  If you're a fan of the Uglies series, I recommend this book highly. It will really give you new insight to the books that you adore so much. However, if you've never read the series, the book will make little or no sense to you.
• 
  Pica

  Read the original review on
  Pica Reads.
  
  Note: Minor Spoilers for the Uglies series, although you might be a little lost anyway if you haven't read Uglies.
  
  I loved reading this book. Like
  The Girl Who Was On Fire (click for my review), Mind Rain presents a new way to look at a fantastic YA series - in this case, the Uglies series, by Scott Westerfeld. The essays were insightful, eye-opening, and often funny as well. Each essay took the series to a completely new place, addressing such issues as the role of beauty in our society (and how that is reflected in Tally's), how propaganda is used to prolong the values set by Dr. Cable and the Specials to attempt to prevent an uprising, why Shay is the true hero of the series, and of course, whether David or Zane is the better choice for Tally. To quote Sarah Beth Durst in the essay Two Princes, "I think one of the most awesome things about Scott Westerfeld's Uglies series is that it's not obvious which guy is best for Tally. Okay, yeah, in the end Tally's best choice is the not-dead guy, but ignoring that tiny detail..." (Westerfeld 56).
  
  In addition, two short stories, The Beautiful People and Liking What You See: A Documentary are included. Both inspired Westerfeld when he wrote Uglies, and when they are combined with the Uglies books and the other essays in Mind Rain, they are amazing to read. More than two weeks later, I still can't get them out of my head.
  
  Overall, this book is definitely worth the time of anyone who has read Uglies. And if you haven't read Uglies, you should. Scott Westerfeld is a genius.
• 
  Amanda Maria

  This book discusses different aspects of the Uglies series and how it is similar to other past and current societies. Each section was written by a different author and they all had varying views. I liked how all sides were looked at and there were no true biases. There is a section that discusses how Shay is the true hero and I had never considered this before. Another section talks about how Tally and Dr. Cable are extremely similar. Another section discusses how Tally is the ultimate hero because of her rebel characteristics. While reading this book I felt my opinions jump around and change after each chapter. I thought the ideas presented were extremely though-provoking and I really enjoyed reading about opinions I had never even before considered. I would recommend this book to anyone who was a fan of the Uglies series.
• 
  Laura

  This was a really interesting book. I liked how each essay took a different stance on a particular part of the series and gave thoughtful insights into the books. I enjoyed the fiction pieces, especially the short story that inspired Uglies. I also liked how Scott would give a short introduction to each piece and give you his thoughts. I got something out of each essay and there were even a couple that brought up points I had never even thought of. This is a good book for someone who is a devoted fan of the Uglies series, but if you haven't read the books this would contain some major spoilers.
  
  *Taken from my book reviews blog:
  http://reviewsatmse.blogspot.com/2010...
• 
  Kimberly

  One of the reason I love Scott Westerfeld's books so much is due to great world he is able to create in a story. My favorite of these places is the city created in his "Uglies" series. I jumped at this opportunity to revisit that great world!
  
  It was very interesting to read what other authors thought of the world Westerfeld created. I loved reading the authors insight into the different characters. My favorite of the essays was "Best Friends for Never" by Robin Wasserman. This essay made me look at the characters of Shay and Tally in an eye opening way.
  
  These essays allowed me to rediscover a series that i have read many times before. It is not often that this happens, so I was really glad that I picked up this book.
• 
  Laura

  I bought this book off Amazon because I'm going to be coaching a book club over
  Uglies beginning in January. I was fascinated to learn that the fan-base had grown so much that books were being written about the series and Tally's universe.
  
  The majority of the essays were provocative and good to read. They provided interesting perspectives which I may modify to use with the students. One of the essays was over my head! I would be uncomfortable teaching another one of the essays.
  
  I really don't think this book was intended for the under-16 crowd. I think anyone interested in a deeper understanding of the Pretty-verse would find Mindrain an interesting read.
• 
  Laura Ramie

  This book had some great essays, some better than others. But for any fan of the Uglies series, this makes you look at the books a little differently. It was especially an eye-opener regarding the character of Shay. When you read the books, you get caught up with the rapid-fire ventures of Tally Youngblood, that you don't stop to really ponder the ethics behind what she does. Several of the essays challenge her role as heroine. I especially enjoyed the essay that predicted that she was destined to become another Doctor Cable. Also, Ted Chiang's Liking What you See: A Documentary also left an impression. The premise of that short story is intriguing, though I can see why Chiang didn't want the Hugo for it. The ending is way glossed over.
• 
  Melody

  I was disappointed by this book at first because I realize that it had been written after the sixth book and before the final Harry Potter book had come out. I already knew the answers to a lot of the questions posed by the author.
  
  That being said, this book was a fun read. Nothing too challenging (similar to the HP series) but a few good questions raised about the author's choices in the book and some of the character's motives as well. It was mostly a fun recap of the highlights of the first six books, so worth the time in the end. I also enjoyed the sense of the fun the author had and referenced himself as "Your Friendly Host" which was cute.
• 
  Airiz

  I quite enjoyed "The Girl Who Was On Fire", a compilation of essays about the Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins. I discover many things from reading the book, things that I wasn't able to pick up at first look. The essays are so analytical and informative, especially when they're to connect the scenes in the book as metaphors for real-life scenario. "Reading is conversing in pages", they said, and I always like a good convo partner. Found them here. XD
  
  Anyway, that's why I'll put this one on to-read. There is so much to love about Westy's Uglies, but there's so much to dislike as well. :P I wanted to know how other authors will show that here.
• 
  Donna Jo Atwood

  This book was written before Deathly Hallows came out, so some of the questions were non-starters. I did enjoy the way Castro raised questions about pieces of the plot or characterisations without trying to damage the fun of the series. (See Chapter 20)
  The worst part of the whole book was the slight smarmy tone taken by the author--who often refers to himself as Your Friendly Host, sort of reminiscent of Series of Unfortunate Events. I am not exactly sure what age group Castro envisioned this book for.
• 
  Alyssa

  This book wouldn't really be enjoyable to anyone who didn't read the Uglies series or anyone who isn't a literary analysis geek. It's full of essays by other YA authors about topics in the Uglies series, and it was pretty interesting, but a lot of the essays have similar topics, and I didn't even read the whole thing because I got bored with it. It did provide some insightful analysis, but I wouldn't recommend it unless you're an English major and into that stuff.
• 
  Lani

  Despite some of the essays saying essentially the same things, this wasn't a bad compilation of essays about the 'Uglies' world. The analysis was pretty good, and some had interesting interpretations that I wouldn't have picked up on myself. It's been awhile since I read any of the series, so it's possible that impacted my enjoyment of this book and its essays.
  
  If you're an Uglies fan AND enjoy low-key analysis written by authors of mediocre YA fantasy, this is for you!
• 
  Alyssa

  It never ends. I'm getting too much done that I could never do before, and believe me, the bubbleheads are having such fun watching it on the newsfeeds. And all it took was war, Tally. I should have thought of this years ago... Don't you see, we've entered a new era. From now on, every day is a Special Circumstance. (Specials)
  
  Emerich Edward Dalberg Acton "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely"
  
  The Beautiful People by Charles Beaumont
• 
  Rachel

  Not my usual cup of tea, but this was a really insightful collection of essays into the nature of Westerfeld's Uglies series. I didn't care too much for the fluffy nature of the "which boyfriend is better" debate, but the Team Shay essay made me think again about a dynamic I'd seen, but hadn't really considered. Any book that can really make me think is—by my definition—a winner.
• 
  Marcia

  I read this book as part of the research I am doing for my master thesis, which is about the current popularity of the dystopian genre amongst adolescents.
  
  I loved the Uglies Series, so i was really interested in reading the essays in Mind-Rain. I enjoyed reading what other people thought about Uglies :D
• 
  Jenilyn

  This isn't something I normally would have picked up off of the shelf, but I won it in a contest and really enjoyed reading most of it. Some of these essays were better than others, but overall it was an engrossing read. Assuming, of course, that you've read the series.
• 
  Laura Martinelli

  An intriguing collection of essays and short fiction that inspired/was inspired by the Uglies series. It made me rethink some of the key points of the series in terns of characters and science. A fascinating read for any Scott Westerfeld fans.
• 
  Kait

  Another companion book to the Uglies series by Scott Westerfield. This contains essays from other authors and talks about several themes within the books. It contains the story that inspired the series as well.