Ugly

Loved this book. True story about Robert who was born with a tumor between his eyes in the 1970s. His mother was so shocked she refused to see him after birth for a month but eventually loved him and took him home. From birth until Year 8 he endured so many operations including the amputation of both legs that were deformed and various facial surgery. Robert ( unlike the boy in Pallacio's Wonder,) went to school from prep and had to cope with stares and nicknames. There is a great chapter in which he rates each nickname taunt on its originality etc. Toe-Nose is high because they used cartilage from Robert's amputated foot to reconstruct his nose.
The part I like the best was when SPOILER ALERT Robert finally stands up for himself and show more says enough is enough. He will no longer endure any operations to look "normal" according to society but will be who he is with the face he has. I loved that the end of the book has him happily married with two daughters. I loved how he triumphed over the shallowness of society.
Interesting sideline is the lengths the surgeons in the hospital go to to improve their knowledge in the 1970s - flying to Europe and the USA to learn the best techniques. As the mother of a daughter who has had major cranial-facial reconstruction in the last 10 years, I am indebted to their quest to find the best possible outcomes - I understand Robert's need to say "enough" but I also value the lengths these people went to, to make life as easy as possible for those born with facial deformities. Small thing but now my daughter can swallow tablets - she could not for 18 years of her life until jaw surgery made it possible. show less

Book Review:
Title: Ugly
Author: Robert Hoge
Date Read: September 28th - October 4th, 2016
Date Reviewed: October 6th, 2016


Introduction: I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads. When I read the synopsis of this novel I was incredibly intrigued. A memoir of the life of a child that went through surgeries due to birth defects seemed realistic and interesting. Most school aged children (and even adults) feel like they don't fit in, so reading a story about a life long battle with trying to fit in and how Robert Hoge managed to keep going made my heart warm.


Spoilers Ahead?: Yes.

Quick Summary: Robert Hoge was born with a few issues - he had a tumor on his face and his legs did not form correctly. As a small child, he went show more through surgeries to remove parts of his legs (to the knee and above the knee), remove the tumor on his face and realign his facial features to appear more 'normal'. Throughout his life Robert had to learn how to adapt - like walking with mechanical legs, deal with bullying, and making life decisions regarding future surgeries. This story is uplifting and inspiring to read, and this version of the story is written as a kid friendly story.

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.

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.

The plot moves quick enough to keep the reader interested. I was more than impressed with how the story was adapted - a child could easily read this book and understand, but as an adult I also enjoyed the novel. It's hard to find stories that translate well for both kids and adult. I applaud Robert on how well he wrote this story.

I haven't been able to find any problems with the story itself. It's a great narrative with lots of substance - not only is there a story to be told, but Robert explains how he feels, and how the reader might feel. His metaphors work well with the audience - making a clay head that's perfect, but suddenly there's a giant piece of clay in the middle - and he continues to reference them throughout the novel for further understanding.

Overall, the context of the words in this book are excellent. The author tells a great story, and the fact that it was a true story, a memoir, that makes it even better.

Characters: The "characters" of the story are mainly Robert and his family, with a splash of friends, schoolmates, doctors and teachers. All the characters are realistic in the setting (and of course they are all real life people as well). You can't tell if they were portrayed the way they actually were, but everyone seems to be acting realistically. No character seems out of place or unrealistic within the context of the story.

Robert's character (of himself) also acts realistically for his age. I've found in some memoirs that when the author writes about themselves that the child version of themselves acts like an adult. Child Robert acts like a child, which is refreshing. Little Robert isn't having intense emotions similar to an adults, he is acting and thinking like a child throughout the novel. A for characterization!

Themes/Creativity/Uniqueness: If this novel would have been Young Adult or aimed at the Adult audience (which Robert Hoge has an "Adult" version of this novel that you can also check out) there probably could have been more themes implemented. This book doesn't deal with some of the emotional pain and bullying that most likely happened. The pain isn't discussed as much as it probably happened, either. But, this book wasn't aimed at an audience that needs to feel that pain just yet. For the audience it's made for, it does it's job. It explains how he was bullied and puts a light spin on the names he was called.

The main theme of this story seemed like "Be yourself" or "Nobody is perfect". Robert could have gotten more surgeries to look more "normal" but he didn't want to. Why would he want to go through more pain, time out for surgery, and the possibility for further injury just to look "normal". Everyone has their differences, and Robert constantly highlights this throughout the book. Nobody is truly normal - there are individuals with physical, mental, physiological and psychological changes out there. There are no two people alike - even twins are different with their personalities and interests. If people weren't quick to judge and accepted differences, perhaps this world would be a better place.

Overall, the themes and creativity within this book were tremendous. Yes, I would have liked Robert to expand on many topics, but this book wouldn't have adapted well for children if he did.

Strengths: Robert's ability to write to a younger audience but have an adult audience enjoy the book as well is perhaps the greatest strength. He rivals JK Rowling with that ability, and he deserves the recognition. He also deserves a lot of credit for being able to write a story about being different and have it so warm-hearted. He put such a wonderful spin on something that could have been very terrible for him. I appreciate his work, and he deserves lots and lots of press for this book.

Weaknesses: His weaknesses within this book are mainly the themes and context that readers wanted - but readers need to be aware that this specific version of the story was adapted for children. Yes, I would have liked to see more of the struggle of his story and understand what he went through (the bullying, the pain, the thought process), but children don't always understand those aspects of an adult's story. Adults understand adults, children do not understand adults.

Score: 5 out of 5.

Robert Hoge's book is inspiring and uplifting. This inspirational read is truly a gem and I would love for more people to read this book. It addresses many topics that schools are trying to plant within their curriculums - embracing differences, dealing with bullying, and adapting to change. This book was incredible, and I can not give it enough stars or great reviews. show less

** spoiler alert ** Book Review:
Title: Ugly
Author: Robert Hoge
Date Read: September 28th - October 4th, 2016
Date Reviewed: October 6th, 2016


Introduction: I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads. When I read the synopsis of this novel I was incredibly intrigued. A memoir of the life of a child that went through surgeries due to birth defects seemed realistic and interesting. Most school aged children (and even adults) feel like they don't fit in, so reading a story about a life long battle with trying to fit in and how Robert Hoge managed to keep going made my heart warm.


Spoilers Ahead?: Yes.

Quick Summary: Robert Hoge was born with a few issues - he had a tumor on his face and his legs did not form correctly. As a show more small child, he went through surgeries to remove parts of his legs (to the knee and above the knee), remove the tumor on his face and realign his facial features to appear more 'normal'. Throughout his life Robert had to learn how to adapt - like walking with mechanical legs, deal with bullying, and making life decisions regarding future surgeries. This story is uplifting and inspiring to read, and this version of the story is written as a kid friendly story.

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.

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.

The plot moves quick enough to keep the reader interested. I was more than impressed with how the story was adapted - a child could easily read this book and understand, but as an adult I also enjoyed the novel. It's hard to find stories that translate well for both kids and adult. I applaud Robert on how well he wrote this story.

I haven't been able to find any problems with the story itself. It's a great narrative with lots of substance - not only is there a story to be told, but Robert explains how he feels, and how the reader might feel. His metaphors work well with the audience - making a clay head that's perfect, but suddenly there's a giant piece of clay in the middle - and he continues to reference them throughout the novel for further understanding.

Overall, the context of the words in this book are excellent. The author tells a great story, and the fact that it was a true story, a memoir, that makes it even better.

Characters: The "characters" of the story are mainly Robert and his family, with a splash of friends, schoolmates, doctors and teachers. All the characters are realistic in the setting (and of course they are all real life people as well). You can't tell if they were portrayed the way they actually were, but everyone seems to be acting realistically. No character seems out of place or unrealistic within the context of the story.

Robert's character (of himself) also acts realistically for his age. I've found in some memoirs that when the author writes about themselves that the child version of themselves acts like an adult. Child Robert acts like a child, which is refreshing. Little Robert isn't having intense emotions similar to an adults, he is acting and thinking like a child throughout the novel. A for characterization!

Themes/Creativity/Uniqueness: If this novel would have been Young Adult or aimed at the Adult audience (which Robert Hoge has an "Adult" version of this novel that you can also check out) there probably could have been more themes implemented. This book doesn't deal with some of the emotional pain and bullying that most likely happened. The pain isn't discussed as much as it probably happened, either. But, this book wasn't aimed at an audience that needs to feel that pain just yet. For the audience it's made for, it does it's job. It explains how he was bullied and puts a light spin on the names he was called.

The main theme of this story seemed like "Be yourself" or "Nobody is perfect". Robert could have gotten more surgeries to look more "normal" but he didn't want to. Why would he want to go through more pain, time out for surgery, and the possibility for further injury just to look "normal". Everyone has their differences, and Robert constantly highlights this throughout the book. Nobody is truly normal - there are individuals with physical, mental, physiological and psychological changes out there. There are no two people alike - even twins are different with their personalities and interests. If people weren't quick to judge and accepted differences, perhaps this world would be a better place.

Overall, the themes and creativity within this book were tremendous. Yes, I would have liked Robert to expand on many topics, but this book wouldn't have adapted well for children if he did.

Strengths: Robert's ability to write to a younger audience but have an adult audience enjoy the book as well is perhaps the greatest strength. He rivals JK Rowling with that ability, and he deserves the recognition. He also deserves a lot of credit for being able to write a story about being different and have it so warm-hearted. He put such a wonderful spin on something that could have been very terrible for him. I appreciate his work, and he deserves lots and lots of press for this book.

Weaknesses: His weaknesses within this book are mainly the themes and context that readers wanted - but readers need to be aware that this specific version of the story was adapted for children. Yes, I would have liked to see more of the struggle of his story and understand what he went through (the bullying, the pain, the thought process), but children don't always understand those aspects of an adult's story. Adults understand adults, children do not understand adults.

Score: 5 out of 5.

Robert Hoge's book is inspiring and uplifting. This inspirational read is truly a gem and I would love for more people to read this book. It addresses many topics that schools are trying to plant within their curriculums - embracing differences, dealing with bullying, and adapting to change. This book was incredible, and I can not give it enough stars or great reviews show less

Robert tells his story of growing up while dealing with facial deformities and amputated lower legs. Having a tumor in the middle of his face in utero made his eyes wider set and took the place of his nose. Over the course of his young life he faced many surgeries and tried to come to terms with being unlike the rest of his classmates.
A young man with a supportive family and a quick wit, Robert is a person for whom I wanted to cheer. There was a chapter about the top ten nicknames that others gave him. And the memoir ends with him getting ready for high school and facing a major decision about whether he'll undergo one more major surgery to look more normal and less ugly.

I really wanted to love this book. It's being sold as a comparable to Wonder, by R.J. Palacio and deals directly with the true story of a boy born with physical deformities. Unfortunately, unlike Wonder, this book is written in a very straight forward, autobiographical format with very little humor. Hoge goes into great detail about the surgeries, making it not a book you want to read while eating dinner! (Not that I would ever read while eating... ahem!) The story is detailed and descriptive, but it plods along and doesn't read like a story. My upper elementary students LOVE Wonder, and I was hoping this would take off as well, but now having read it, I doubt it will.

A powerful story of a Robert Hoge an Australian man who has coped throughout his life with a severe facial disfigurement. Robert Hoge was born with a tumour in the middle of his face, and legs that weren't much use. There wasn't another baby like him in the whole of Australia, let alone Brisbane. But the rest of his life wasn't so unusual: he had a mum and a dad, brothers and sisters, friends at school and in his street. He had childhood scrapes and days at the beach; fights with his family and trouble with his teachers. He had doctors, too: lots of doctors who, when he was still very young, removed that tumour from his face and operated on his legs, then stitched him back together. He still looked different, though. He still looked show more ...ugly. UGLY is the true story of how an extraordinary boy grew up to have an ordinary life, and how that became his greatest achievement of all. This book gives real life examples of how Robert coped with teasing and overcame obstacles to become a competitive sportsperson. This book was so compelling I researched about Robert Hoge while reading the book. show less

This is a beautiful, inspirational and heart-warming memoir of an innocent kid in a difficult world. I love the way the author has included humour making the readers giggle and at the same time value a person by character and not by attractiveness. I have grown a massive respect to the coach, Mr. Frank who not only supported and trained Robert to play lawn bowls, but was also willing to leave his club to do so. Handling stares and criticism wasn't easy, but Robert overcame the obstacles and was brave to embrace his looks. This book also shows how children are open to you no matter how different you are until they grow up and are brain washed by the society.