Nic’s best and only friend, Sam, announces she’s moving, meaning that the two of them need to step up Operation Social Interaction for Nic, which is supposed to improve Nic’s social life. OSIN looks poised for failure with Nic still constantly fending off barbs about her unfeminine appearance. This treatment and Sam’s pending move begin to take a toll and Nic starts questioning herself. Is she a lesbian? Is she trans? When her school freaks out over a self-portrait she does in art class, thinking it’s a threat of violence, she has to start dealing with a bad therapist who doesn’t ask any of the important questions. It’s clearly not just the kids in her life who judge her. Nic has to figure out who she is and then stop caring about the fact that probably no one in her world will accept her, whatever she decides.
Semi Finalist
Assessment:
Plot: This story has many subplots that weave together seamlessly, with the most poignant being Nic’s struggle to identify her gender and sexuality. Things come to a swift, yet satisfying, conclusion.
Prose/Style: Vincent’s prose is straightforward and clear. Her talent shines as she develops Nic’s voice throughout the novel; Nic is unafraid and unforgettable
Originality: Nic is not your average teenage narrator. Her cynicism and honesty make even the most basic observations feel refreshing.
Character Development: Vincent’s characters are well-developed and in tune with their emotions. The story’s protagonist, Nicole “Nic” Summers, is surrounded by a cast of complex family members, friends, and frenemies.
Blurb: Readers will rally behind fifteen-year-old Nic Summers as she navigates the pitfalls of adolescence in this moving and timely YA novel.
Date Submitted: May 18, 2019
A book so obviously special and powerful that it feels like a gift, Vincent’s Ugly, the first in The Art of Being Ugly series, tells the touching story of 15-year-old Nic, who is negotiating the hazards of small-town upbringing as an introverted, artistic, sensitive soul in a body that defies conventional standards of what a girl is supposed to be. Nic is tall, overweight, not in the gendered interests everyone seems to want her to embrace in order to fit in. Constantly bullied and humiliated for her appearance, Nic has retreated into her art, often featuring dragons, but upsetting the powers that be at her school. Her one friend, Sam, accepts her as she is and is working with Nic to broaden her social circle. Nic both wants this and doesn't—how to connect with others when no one seems capable of accepting her as she is?But one day Sam, too, is taken from her. Further complicating matters: Nic has told no one that, when she was younger, a friend of the family repeatedly molested her. As she receives just one message from the world—that everything about her is ugly—Nic’s confusion is explored with rare empathy and power. Is she a lesbian? Transgender? Bisexual? Her journey toward understanding and a personal blossoming will involve an overseas trip to visit Sam plus her thoughtfully presented research into other people who have some of the same feelings she does. This brings her to the term "gender nonconformity."
With frankness and wisdom, Vincent has written an inviting, open-hearted coming-of-age story that’s always true to Nic. At no time does Nic mistake people’s cruelty for something that is her fault, and Vincent avoids YA makeover solutions—lose weight, wear makeup, be silly and flirty, or other stereotypical gender expectations. Instead, Nic is always herself, even when she suffers for it. Her steadfastness in knowing that she simply cannot give people what makes them comfortable because it makes her so incredibly uncomfortable is revelatory.
Takeaway: Powerful, touching, and wise story of a gender nonconforming teen.
Comparable Titles: Mia Segert’s Somebody Told Me, Robin Talley’s What We Left Behind.
Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
