Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

So, after finishing Zarafa by Michael Allin, on April 14, I took a little break.  Then, on May 1st I started Uglies by Scott Westerfeld, and finished it on May 22nd.  This is book 1 in a series by the author - Uglies, Pretties, Specials, and I learned when looking it up on Amazon, a fourth book, Extras.  I was talking with a co-worker a while back about books - I think she heard me talking about the Alchemyst series, and also about the Eragon series, and thought I would be interested in this series.  She brought the 3 books to me the next day.  So, I decided to give them a whirl.  I had no idea what they were about.  Luckily, Uglies caught my attention and held it. 

These books are set on futuristic Earth (like 300+ years in the future) where civilization as we know it is over.  People are separated into groups - littlies (kids), uglies (teens), pretties (16 years old +), middle pretties, crumblies (old people).  They live in managed settlements and all know their place in the world.  When uglies turn 16, they undergo an operation to make them pretty, and they move to an island full of other pretties where they party all the time and are bubbly.

Before uglies turn pretty, they get into mischief and pull "tricks" - bucking authority and doing their own thing.  Tally, one of the main characters, meets Shay while pulling a trick on the pretty island.  They become fast friends, and pull many other tricks, including going to the rusty ruins - the ruins left behind by human civilization (as we know it).  Shay knows of a splinter group of people who are living outside the managed cities, free from oversight of the wardens and "specials."

I can't give too much more away without spoiling things, so I'll have to stop here with the story synopsis.  Westerfeld's writing and story-telling is good.  The characters are interesting, and the story holds your interest.  You wonder about things, that eventually get revealed in the books.  It feels as if Westerfeld is commenting on elements of society today - the "perfect" body, "beautiful" people, wasteful behavior, crowd mentality, the havoc humans wreak on the earth, and more.  But, to me at least, it doesn't feel overly preachy.  There seem to be similarities between the old human society and the new society - like waste from the past human society that the characters talk about all while ordering up anything they want from the "hole in the wall" and then putting the things in the "recycler" when they are done using it one time.  Seems a little ironic to me.

Regardless, the book was entertaining.  I enjoyed it, and towards the end, I found myself doing my speed-read-page-turn-can't-wait-to-see-what-happens late-night reading binge.  Thanks to a little search on the Google, I have learned that this appears to be in development for a movie.  I'm sure it will be great!  Until next time...

Zarafa by Michael Allin

So, after finishing Inheritance by Christopher Paolini, I picked up Zarafa: A Giraffe's True Story, from Deep in Africa to the Heart of Paris by Michael Allin.  So, yes, this is kind of a random book.  I learned about it in an article the Husband sent me in January.  The article had a list of 5 books that shaped "America's Best New Company," Shinola.  This list was created by Shinola's creative director, Daniel Caudill.  The 5th book on Caudill's list is Zarafa.  The Husband thought I would like this book because I love giraffes.  

Zarafa is about the journey, from Africa to Paris, of a giraffe given to King Charles by Muhammed Ali in the 1820s.  Um, what?  Apparently, Muhammed Ali, not the boxer, but an Albanian man who became the Ottoman viceroy of Egypt, gifted this giraffe to King Charles.  But the story is so much more than that.  There are all kinds of non-Egyptian movers and shakers scheming for money, riches, notoriety, influence that have a role and a mention (or more) in this book.

Before I started reading this book on March 21 (finished on April 14), I thought it would be a fascinating, crazy tale of the overland and sea adventures of a giraffe.  It was that, but it was much more.  Before I go more into the book, I feel the need to mention that I have a BA and MA degree in American History, so I've read a book or two by historians.  I know that often "history books" are dry and rambling, and that authors of history books need to drive their point home time and again by stating and restating the point and evidence over and over.  This makes for very dry and very boring books.

Unfortunately, Zarafa was one of these books.  I didn't want this book to be a "history book."  I wanted it to be a wonderful fiction-like non-fiction book.  I wanted it to be exciting, informative, endearing, and fun.  I wanted a grand adventure of a giraffe.  A lovely, sweet, tall giraffe.  But, sadly, no.  This was a "history book."

There was a lot of information about the players.  For example, Bernardino Drovetti, an Italian-born soldier turned French consul general in Egypt.  Drovetti made his fortune trafficking animals, Egyptian antiquities, and mummies to his European clients.  Muhammed Ali, an Albanian-born mercenary in the Ottoman Turkish army turned Egyptian viceroy.  Ali was "modernizing" Egypt with the African slave trade and "confiscatory taxation."  Étienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilarie, a prominent French scientist, and savant in the l'Institut d'Égypte, started by none other than Napoleon.  Charles X, a Frenchman, a King, and exiled to Britain during France's revolution.

This whole tale of the giraffe started with "Drovetti's eagerness to ingratiate himself with the new king, Charles X, and Muhammed Ali's desire to befriend him..." and would possibly lessen "resentment toward the viceroy's imminent invasion of Greece."  Of course everything prominent political and royal people do is to gain favor or lessen hostilities for one thing or another (in this case invading Greece).

We go through all of this political background and foundation before we even really learn about the giraffe.  In 1824, the giraffe (a female) was captured as an infant in southeast Sudan and by some miracle made it to Alexandria, and then to Marseille, and then to Paris.  What a journey.  Allin researched how the giraffe was transported, and all of the dangers she faced in her journey.  He detailed this journey as best he could using articles and snippets of information he found in his research.

Once in Paris, Allin details how she was cared for and then moved to Paris.  Spoiler alert - the giraffe walked to Paris.  Rich and influential people along the route were eager to see the giraffe at private events.  And, eventually upon arrival in Paris, the giraffe had the audience of the King.

It is a pretty fantastic tale wrapped up in tons of political maneuvering.  I wish there had been less focus on the politics and more information about the giraffe.  I know it isn't always possible to write more about certain things because, sadly, there is no historical evidence to back things up.  The author would have to assume and take creative license, but then it wouldn't be history any more... 

History is fascinating and wonderful to learn about if it is presented in a way that makes it intriguing and exciting.  I know it is possible - I've read several "history books" that didn't seem history-book-ish.  I wish this was more like those.  I still love giraffes, and I'm still fascinated by how a giraffe came from Africa to Paris.  I just wish this book was more about the giraffe and less about the politics.

Me feeding a giraffe at the SF Zoo - it was magical

The Husband feeding a giraffe at the SF Zoo