The Uglies trilogy (Uglies, Pretties, Specials) with the additional books Extras. (Apparently he's written another series recently, but I haven't read it yet.)
Topics that Westerfeld touches on:
The necessity of informed consent for medical procedures, and how willing the government is to violate that consent for "the greater good."
How body modification isn't inherently bad, but the ways it can be leveraged against the population to enforce order is very bad.
The elements of biology that play into finding someone attractive, and how those can be leveraged against people unfairly. (e.g. clear skin can be a sign of health, but acne isn't actually a sign of evil, what the fuck)
How the normalization of certain beauty norms, when enabling those norms through state-funded body mods, can completely divorce us from reality.
The dangers of over-reliance on gas and oil.
Invasive species, and the ways that advances in science like genetic editing in plants for purposes of capitalism can lead to major environmental harm.
How placid acceptance of a secretive government division meant to handle dissidents is only enabling evil, harming both you and your children.
Self-harm, and why people do it, and how horrifying it is to see a loved one engaging in it.
The damage you can do to a loved one by not accepting their disabilities.
He predicted influencer culture (as an extreme form of economic policy) back in 2006 with Uglies.
The dehumanization of 'less advanced' peoples, even if they're less advanced by the design of people in power refusing to share technology and declaring themselves gods.
Sex happens and it's normal, but be careful about jumping into it while you're still finding your feet in a new place.
Sometimes, friends grow apart, and it might be better to accept it than to cling to someone who's outgrown you, or whom you've outgrown.
Courtesy of @sroloc--elbisivni:
Separation by age cohorts as a form of control that actively harms all parties involved.
How people who want to control your life will never reach a point where they are satisfied.
How quickly you can fall into the societal norms of a group without recognizing how they may harm you.
The lengths people will go to to take back control of themselves are frightening, but that doesn’t make them wrong for wanting it.
ALSO also “the punk teen inside you is right.”
Also all of this takes place in a setting where money is not a thing, in the sense that all things necessary to survival (food, healthcare, housing, etc.) is provided, no resource scarcity at all. Very communal, very Star Trek... very panem et circenses.
romaincrisis
s-u-f-j-a-n-s-t-e-v-e-n-s
stormborns
turnnoffyourmind
pixelskylines
