The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Summary:   During Hilter's reign over Nazi Germany, Death is very busy collecting souls.  While collecting the soul of a young boy, Death first encounters Liesel Meninger, who steals a book she happens upon near her brother's grave.  Over the years, Death touches Liesel's life indirectly many times, but it is only when Death becomes a book thief himself that he learns Liesel's whole intriguing story.  In the face of the unimaginable horrow of war, Death is compelled by Liesel's kindness and by the actions of her friends and family to realise humans are more complex than he will ever understand.

Dystopian Issues:  War, Holocaust, Totalitarian Government
Part of a Series:  No
Age of Main Character:  Death's age is unknown, but Liesel is nine years old at the beginning of the story
Number of Pages:  550
Year of Publication: 2005
Publisher:  Alfred A. Knopf, an imprint of Random House Children's Books

Review:  What I need to remind myself about this book is that Death is the main character, not Liesel.  If Death is the main character in addition to his narrating duties, then I can't get mad at Zusak for ending the tale of Liesel so abruptly and insufficiently.  Instead, Liesel's story is merely a catalyst for the profound change in Death, transforming him from a passive collector of souls to a philosopher on the varying nature of humanity.
     Using Death as a narrator allows Zusak to take a non-linear approach to his tale.  Unfortunately this style often meanders and at times ruins the natural suspense of his own story.
     I have to give kudos to Zusak though, because somehow he manages to make Death not only likeable, but an angel of mercy as opposed to a villain.  Death's point of view of World War II is apt, powerful, and fresh.
     While I felt Zusak could have been more concise, I did enjoy the journey of 550 pages that he took me on.  His portrayal of Hitler as a Word Shaker and the atmosphere of Nazi Germany was insightful and gives the reader a lot to think about.
     I don't find Zusak to be the smoothest writer, but I am continually intrigues by his ideas.  For that reason, The Book Thief is definitely worth reading.

Real Life Dystopias:  I am including The Book Thief on my dystopian review site because I believe dystopias do not have to be fictional to count under the dystopian genre.  The Book Thief is an excellent example of a fictional account of the real life dystopia that was Nazi Germany and World War II.

Memorable Quotes: "Yes, often, I am reminded of her, and in one of my vast array of pockets, I have kept her story to retell.  It is one of the small legion I carry, each one extraordinary in its own right.  Each one an attempt - an immense leap of an attempt - to prove to me that you, and your human existence, are worth it.
     Here it is.  One of a handful.
     The Book Thief.
     If you feel like it, come with me.  I will tell you a story.
     I'll show you something."
     -  The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, pgs. 14-15

     "***A SMALL PIECE OF TRUTH***
     I do not carry a sickle or scythe.
     I only wear a hooded black robe when it's cold
     And I don't have those skull-like
     facial features you seem to enjoy
     pinning on me from a distance.  You
     want to know what I truly look like?
     I'll help you out.  Find yourself
     a mirror while I continue."
     -  The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, pg 307

     "The words.  Why did they have to exist?  Without them, there wouldn't be any of this.  Without words, the Fuhrer was nothing.  There would be no limping prisoners, no need for consolation or wordly tricks to make us feel better."
     -  The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, pg 521

     "I wanted to explain that I am constantly overestimating and underestimating the human race - that rarely do I ever simply estimate it.  I wanted to ask how the same thing could be so ugly and so glorious, and its words and stories so damning and brilliant."
     -  The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, pg 550

Author Website:  www.randomhouse.com/features/markuszusak

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

Summary:  Tally Youngblood is three months away from having her only desire fulfilled: escaping her natural Ugliness by becoming a Pretty on her sixteenth birthday.  Shay, Tally's new friend, tries to convince her there is a life outside of being Pretty in a place called Smoke but Tally refuses to give up her dream.  When the opportunity to become Pretty is taken away from Tally because of Shay's disappearance, she is forced to turn spy and undertake a perilous journey or face the unthinkable idea of being an Ugly forever.  Little does Tally know that there are worse things than being Ugly.

Dystopian Issues:  Government Control, Mind Control
Part of a Series:  Yes
Next in Series:  Pretties
Age of Main Character:  15 at the beginning of the book, 16 by the end
Number of Pages:  406
Year of Publication:  2005
Publisher:  Simon Pulse

Review:  Vapid.  That is the first word that came to my head when I thought about how to describe this book.  A world where a person's only ambition is to escape a brainwashed idea of ugliness is not appealing to me.  Tally, the main character, believes her life will be perfect after she is turned Pretty on her sixteenth birthday.  She is right, but for reasons far more sinister than she suspects.
     I feel like Westerfeld is trying to make a statement about our society's focus on physical appearance but it isn't a strong one.  Yes, in this book being Ugly is actually preferable to being Pretty because being Pretty is usually accompanied by a lobotomy (okay, I'm being a bit dramatic here - a brain lesion that has similar properties as a lobotomy), but Pretties aren't aware of what they are missing and are happy in a mindless kind of way.
     I was left unsatisfied by a lack of explanation for how the society developed.  Westerfeld's reasons of avoiding anorexia and war by having freedom of thought altered were uncompelling.  Westerfeld also could have been more succinct in his execution as it felt like the story took a long time to develop - mind-numbingly slow in some parts yet a page turner in others.
     I grew to like Tally more as she developed over the course of the book but I don't know if I like or care about her enough to tackle Westerfeld's sequel, "Pretties."  I didn't find the depth I usually enjoy in the characters I read about in any of the people Westerfeld presents.
     But if there is anything I took I away from this novel, it is that getting a society to focus solely on something as meaningless as looks sure does grant the governing body a lot of leeway to do whatever they want.  It has a kind of 'smoke and mirrors,' 'pay no attention to the man behind the curtain' feel to it.

Real-Life Dystopia:  Any reality television show about cosmetic surgery or the Kardashian sisters.

Memorable Quotes:  "History would indicate that the majority of people have always been sheep.  Before the operation, there were wars and mass hatred and clearcutting.  Whatever these lesions made us, it isn't a far cry from the way humanity was in the Rusty era.  These days we're just a bit . . . easier to manage."
     -  Uglies by Scott Westerfeld, pg 258

     "Sometimes Tally felt she could almost accept brain damage if it meant a life without reconstituted noodles."
     -  Uglies by Scott Westerfeld, pg 350

Author Web Site:  http://scottwesterfeld.com/