I get a fair amount of fan mail, enough that I don’t get back to most people. I’m more than a little sorry about that, and hope that all of you who send questions, enthusiasms, and remonstrations can understand.
It’s not that I don’t love you, it’s that you outnumber me.
But every once in a while comes a letter that is a bit different. This one from Annalisa in Colorado says things that lots of you have said, except with an unexpected twist at the end. I thought that maybe the rest of you might enjoy it.
Picture two girls, both pretty in their own way, but self-conscious to the point of believing themselves ugly. One girl is me; the other is Tally in Uglies. Tally and I both live in a world where there are pretty people, like models and movie stars, who make us feel ugly by their perfection. Tally believed that her eyes were too close together, her nose squashed, and her hair frizzy. Except for my long hair, I also used to believe I was ugly. After reading your book, I realized that true beauty is a result of our actions and not our face. You book moved me to act.
When I read Uglies, I could totally relate to Tally. I could tell she was a risk taker. I, too, wanted to take risks. Tally risks everything by journeying to the Smoke but realizes that friendship is more important than beauty. When she thinks, “If only people were smarter, evolved enough to treat everyone the same even if they looked different. Looked ugly,” (p97) I was moved. Tally got me thinking more about others than myself. I had seen pictures of girls with cancer who were bald, and realized I had no right to complain.
Around the time I finished your book, I decided to be a risk taker like Tally. I cut off eleven inches of hair, donating it to Locks of Love to make wigs for cancer patients who might believe they are ugly because of their baldness. This action made me feel beautiful inside despite losing one of my best features. I realized what David meant when he told Tally, “What you do, the way you think, makes you beautiful” (279).
Tally taught me about sacrificing to help others and the importance of inner beauty. After meeting Tally, I hold my chin a little higher and stand a little straighter, because I know I am pretty, no matter what anybody says and no matter how short my hair is. Thanks you for teaching me what beauty really is, and for inspiring the confidence inside me.
So you can probably see why I wanted to share that. Hearing from you guys—all of you—really is one of the best things about this job.
I’m looking forward to seeing tons of you on the upcoming tour.
Locks of Love lives here, by the way.
Taylor:
its cool that you are still in girl scouts. i was in girl scouts until i was a senior. Then we separated because everyone was leaving for college. its good for college app.s and scholarship app.s also!
Kate
HELP!!! I have an author study and I cant choose an author.
I can’t do Scott π cause ive read all his in print books and I dont have time to order the our of print ones. π
P.s. i have all ready read Stephenie Meyer’s masterpieces π
Oh and the author needs to have written 3 or more books. I have already read all Justine’s books and Ive already written down Maureen Johnson and Darren Shan.
John Green! oh, wait, he’s only written two.
do Maureen then! she’s awesome.
but one question: why can’t you do scott? i didn’t really understand your first post…we’ve never done an author study
Do Hilari Bell. she has good books.
Hey Scott-la what happened to obsessively posting about Extras?????????? π *raises eyebrows*
o sorry i meant *raises eyebrow* (just one eyebrow)
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Taylor im still in a girlscout troop 7th grade
Im in 9th grade and I’ve been in girlscouts since 2nd grade. I like running the camps for all the little girls. THEY R SO CUTE! there is nothing wrong with being a girlscout!
hooray for past-elementary school girl scouts! HUZZAH! haha lol.
boredness…oh but today i found out that i made my school’s senior select chorus! you don’t HAVE to be in 12th grade to get in it or anything, it’s just for anyone in grades 9 to 12 who want to try out.
yeah i don’t know why i chose to first share this with a bunch of people i’ve never met before…i guess b/c there’s no one (besides me) at my house right now so i had no one else to tell. lol. ok that wasn’t really funny but i felt the need to add an “lol.”
ok i’ll stop now.
Lizzy-wa, of course there’s nothing wrong with it! Teddy bears are fun, that just seemed like a lot, so I was curious- but I guess everyone has a right to all of the identical teddy bears they want, right?
Addie-wa, if you like vampire books, do Amelia Atwater Rhodes! Or, if you can do adult books, how bout Neil Gaiman? Gaiman’s my favorite author, next to Scott and John Green. Or, hey- what about Justine? Good excuse to finish reading her trilogy, right?
Well, good job, Taylor! congratulating strangers is fun, so that’s why you posted, of course!
HEY BETHANY! YOUR NEW! WOOOO! WELCOME WELCOME WELCOME!!! π
and if not gonna keep all of them, only 3, then give the rest to friends! go friendship!
i did girl scouts in 2nd grade, and i would still be doing them now in 7th grade, but my mom didnt like selling cookies, and she didnt want to do it again. how unhappy-making! two bad huh?
and as for the authors…GARTH NIX! OR JERRY SPINELLI! yeah, jerry spinellies better! wooo! he wrote STARGIRL! thats one of my fav non-sci-fi-fantasy books! woooo!
-Lizzy-wa OUT! π
Taylor, I can’t do my author study on Scott because Ive read all his in print books. My teacher has made the rule that your not allowed to choose authors that you have already read all their books. The reason for this rule is that Along with the Biography, Quotes, Timeline, and fast facts you need to do summaries, character anilizations, reviews, and all that jazz on three books. Books you have recently read.
Im mad thought because I could just read them over agian but nooooooooooo.
btw you need three choices and Maureen is already on my list π
Hey. Thanks for the nice comments! DYK that i won a state contest w/ that letter? Not nationals, though. Its called letters about literature. They have awesome prizes!
Annnalisa
I’m not new, actually, just a lurker who occasionally posts. I dunno why I decided to post multiple times here. But now I feel special, so thanks!
Annalisa, does that meant that you’ll be at the National Book Festival? Or at least your letter will be? Or was it a couple years ago?
it was the past year, but i have never really heard of the national book festival (I’m dumb like that). But I won 50$ to target in honor of winning!
I also got a savings bond (??) the national winners got better things, like meeting the author or something. Go to letters about literature.com to seee what authors people wrote to. Anyway, I decided to send my letter to scott because he deserves to read it.
now that was moving.
sad how I never get the point of books until someone smacks me right in the face screaming “DUH”…I guess I just enjoy the plots and characters too much π
But that’s awesome.
along with the others, i was moved by your book “uglies” as well. it showed to me what true love really is. Your book had me crying every night i had read it. The last question i thought to myself is who was crying more, me or tally? π
As for the outnumbering you remark…. We can change that with a little bit of cloning! SCOTT’S FOR EVERYONE!
Hmm, is Serafina still posting on this thread?
I read, like, the 1st 5 comments and then scrolled all the way down here.
Anyway, I was re-reading Pretties with the part with Andrew Simpson Smith (I was about to just abbreviate and write his initials but then realized that would be very, very awkward – LOL!!) and I got a great story idea, I’ve started writing it, thanks Scott =)
Actually, about the whole blame-Dr. Cable-for-attacking-Diego thing… I think the Specials have the right idea. I love the Uglies trilogy because it portrays how the “Rusties” (us) fell to their doom, and I think us humans are doomed. We multiply, pollute, and destroy pretty much everything in our way… (that’s stereotyping mankind btw, not everyone is like this, but if you look at it in general). I think that cities should be like this. With people’s minds changed so that they are peaceful. Being brainwashed into thinking “pretty is good” is only a small price to pay if it means the world is saved from humanity. (That was my “deep” speech of the day…)
And by the way Scott-sama – my friends and I love all the technology. Toothbrush pill? Genius! I love hoverboards, interface rings, eyescreens, and the “hole in the wall.” And recyclers, “generic carbon dioxide-suckers” (imitation trees) basically everything that saves the world from pollution.
I should probably donate my curls one of these days.. maybe it’ll grow out straight!! ahhh that would be fun. haha probably not. just a dream since i was four… strai
WELCOME ANNALISA!!! really? you got $50?! and…a savings bond…? ok…
and i agree with ya Zee-la! GO EARTH! but really how they said Tally shouldn’t blame herself. she should. it IS her fault after all. Shay-la is two blame two, but not as much. Dr.Cable is two blame two, but still, not as much. yepyepeyep. not to sound all mean and evil or anything, but i wasnt totally depressed when Zane died. somewhere deep inside my mind, i was actually kinda happy. sorry goin all anti-Zane there. just tellin the truth.
-Lizzy-wa OUT! π
The writing contest was for the Library of Congress called “Letters About Literature” where kids in grades 4-12 write a letter “to” an author of a book that has changed their life or their way of thinking. As a teacher, I LOVE this contest because judges look for letters that reveal the child’s voice, not the perfectly polished ones a parent helped write. Annalisa on her own decided actually to mail her letter to Scott after she won. Scott, you have positive influence–a big responsibility, but you use it well! Thanks
wow that was like really true
i felt the same way
and funnily enough i also donated 12 inches of hair to locks of love
but my reason was definatley not that deep
hey zee-sensei i get what ur saying about the specials and all (ur “deep speech of the day”). i think its just so sad that if we do hav a brain we just naturally use it to destroy everything. we can either save the world or save our brains. we are almost physically incapable of having both. its really sad if u ask me. not that everyone is like that but there are enough people in the world like that (maybe without even realizing it). anyways, theres MY “deep speech of the day”.
yes. soon the world will melt, die, and die again. we should start this brain surge thing soon before its two late! yepyepyep. or at least make it illeagle to throw away paper instead of recycling! yepyepyep.
-Liizy-wa OUT! π
I really love your books I read the uglies in 1 week! And I just got the pretties! I love your books! I am a total fan!
Ashley-wa π
After reading all the blogs I think that WOW you inspired alot of people and imagine the impact if all teen girls read this book:) wow wow wow wow I am going to go read now! I am on page 135 of the uglies!
I dont mean uglies I mean pretties DUH!!!!
Lizzy- Wa I think you are wrong about the brain surge! It is not only wrong but wow how could you think that? But I do like the law you made up!!!!
π Ashley- wa
I think it is wrong to have lesions put on brains! So I don’t think you are totally right~ Lizzy-wa
wow. that’s great that this trilogy helps people like us!
soooo…what book should i do for this years contest? i dont think im allowed to do scott again. Im thinking maybe anne frank? any suggestions?
what do you mean Annalisa-Wa?
So do you think that maybe one day in the future it will be like the uglies trioligy or do you think not?
Ashley-wa
Scott-
Do you think you will ever come to Utah? If yes, When?
I am your #1 FAN!!!!! I LOVE YOUR BOOKS
umm, each year i do a moving book to write about, so which one this year?
That is AMAZING. It must feel great to know that you have inspired her and probably so many other people. Being an aspiring writer (note the word aspiring D= ), I would love to make a difference in people’s lives…
Kudos to Annalisa!
Jessi-La~
I like your blog! It is a very good piont of view! And I agree strongly with you about loving to make a difference on a lot of peoples lives!
Annalisa-wa~
what do you mean a moving book?
π Ashley-wa (feet)
hey can you plz help me Mr.Scott i really need help for this book report due this wendsday (sept. 26) and today is the 23rd and this is kind f a major grade but nobody knew about it and my friend was just like Γ’β¬Λnatalia you have to do this its not due next month its due this month!Γ’β¬β’ and i need to know why you write(?) and what you usually write about(how people can change i think), plus genres you prefer(i think that one is fiction or realistic fiction?).
ANYBODY HELP!!!!!!!!!! please!
thank you!
ps scott, I love your books when i read uglies for the first time i couldnt put it down and since i am a REALLY fast reader i finished it in about 1 hour!
wow, these are the best 3 books I have ever read.. I can’t wait for the next book to come out (extras) But once I finish that book, I am going to read the Midnighters series. These books have made me REALLY think about what true beauty is..
amanda Γ’ΛΒ»
You do realize a slew of mail is going to come in now, with “I donated to Locks of Love too!” printed somewhere in the letters.
I read last night untill 11:00 my bed time is 10 But … could you blame me?
Natalie-Wa~
Scott probably writes because of proving a point! I mean And just for the joy of writting!
Ashley-Wa (feet) :p
major kudos to Annalisa!
moving like inspiring