Ira Levin is known mostly for two books, Rosemary’s Baby and this one. How did this happen? Why did this happen? Why does an interesting, powerful woman suddenly become a docile, demure lamb? And does the heroine’s family want this to happen to her, too? A family moves in, and soon discovers that every woman in the town is perfect, beautiful, docile, and basically the ideal, 1950s housewife. In Stepford Wives, the focus isn’t on a dystopian government, but rather a small town. In order to achieve these standards, you may literally end up losing yourself. Like Uglies, Pretties, et cetera, this book looks at a society where there are certain impossible standards for perfection. If The Hunger Games owes its largest debt of gratitude to Battle Royale, this series owes a huge debt to The Stepford Wives. So, what recommendations can happen this time from Pushy Librarians? So, if you want stories primarily about dystopian societies, I suggest the list for The Hunger Games, because here we’re looking at Uglies, Pretties, Specials, and Extras for their discussions of identity, social control, and independence. Not a bad initial plot point, even if I (disclaimer) really, really do not care for these books. It’s about appearance, perfection, impossible ideals, and what people might sacrifice for these ideals. But, the focus of this one is quite different than for The Hunger Games. In fact, there may be something very, very wrong with them. The downside is that all the new pretties seem to have lost their former personalities. For those who don’t know, it’s about a world where normal people are “uglies”, and the government then gives the “uglies” plastic surgery to become “pretties” –who live in a sparkly city and get to have parties all the time. And why wouldn’t it be? Feature a world literally built on the physical insecurities of put-upon teenagers, it’s a veritable marketing goldmine. The Uglies and Pretties books may not have the household recognition of the other books on this list, but any amount of time spent with YA books and readers thereof will tell you it’s a damn popular series.

Uglies pretties specials and extras