Ugly

Product Information

I should have cringed or felt embarrassed or angry at those two women. I felt those things, at least in part. But I just wanted to laugh. Lady, if only you knew how much I wished I was this ugly because I was allowed to play football!”

I’m not sure what to make of this. I think it’s kind of unfair to write a review on somebody’s actual life, because I have no say in the events.

Where Does the Ugly Ducking Story Come From?

Plot: The content of this story revolves around Robert Hoge's life and his struggles. It starts from when he was born, to when he was in his pre-teens. If anything, I would have liked to see what his struggles look like now, but I don't know if that would have worked with the audience he was writing to. Children want to hear about lives similar to theirs, so perhaps it was for the best. As you'd expect for someone who's been a journalist and a political speechwriter, he writes well. His style is casual, friendly and easy to read. There's a smattering of science-fiction mentions - for some reason I was expecting more - and he's had some remarkable highlights in his life (including being friends with writer Hugh Lunn, who is a bit of a hero of mine). Even so, I didn’t think the author’s writing skills was anything to “write home about”, as she puts it. It was average. Nothing spectacular. The story was really what made the book. Her story is one worth telling. I think a lot of authors struggle to come up with something that people will want to read. This is one story that needed no embellishments.

So, I think this book is incredibly important - not only for normalizing disabilities BUT ALSO not curing them for the sake of a heartwarming ending.

Engage children with digital learning

Robert Hoge was born with such deformities that his mother, Mary, refused point-blank to see him and thought he should go into an institution as the doctors recommended. His father, Vince, wanted to bring him home but said it was up to Mary, since she’d do most of the work. What I cannot respect are people writing comments on how ungrateful she was and that her mother simply was too stressed and didn't know what to do? Do people who write those things hit their children themselves? Telling your child that it should not breathe and that it is ugly has nothing to do with 'Not knowing what to do'. Abandoning the child at the Age of 14, without electricity and demanding Rent, is nothing a child should be grateful for. That some parts are inconsistent and a bit confusing is true, but since it is based on her experiences and memory, it is obvious why we don't get to know everything. I would also have liked to learn more about the siblings, but it is written from her perspective, so I accept that.

Evaluations: I loved this book - it was inspiring, beautifully written and aimed at the right audience. This easy read was made so children would be not only interested but able to understand. Robert Hoge uses metaphors and similes to explain how it feels to be different, which I think will help the audience grasp a better understanding. Overall, I'm impressed. I would definitely suggest that anyone read this novel, and if possible that school's should adapt the book into their reading curriculum. If more people understand, perhaps there would be less bullying and hate in this world. This book is about a girl which has been mistreated and emotionally destroyed by her mother. She was always the one to blame between her siblings. Constance was called "Ugly" by her mother several times and has always felt very unwanted in the family, so she looked for Social services to take good care of her. Throughout the book, the writer describes how the child has suffered and was abused by her mother. But I gave this book two stars because I didn’t know the purpose. What was the point of writing this book? Unfortunately, none of us can save Briscoe from her childhood trauma. What’s more, the end wasn’t really an end: it was just a cliff-hanger to another series of problems.I was extremely interested in reading this as I have known Robert for many years as someone interesting to talk to at Science Fiction Conventions. I had always wondered about his looks but being a politely brought up young lady, had never asked before exactly what had caused them. His memoir is a poignant, witty, self-deprecating look at life for the not-so-normal looking. I laughed with him, I cried with him, I marveled at how much his childhood memories mirrored my own as we grew up in similar decades, although I grew up in country Victoria and he in Brisbane. Some world events that had great impact on him had not even crossed my radar, but you can see that the personal strength he gained from being different has had a profound effect on his life and confidence.