This book bought out all emotions in me, anger, sadness and doubtful. Could a mother be this abusive to her own child. I certainly make sure I let my own child know how much i love him This is such an interesting memoir. When Robert Hoge was born, he had a tennis ball-sized tumor in the middle of his face and some other physical deformities (mostly in his legs). To give him more of a "normal" life, his mother pushed for non-necessary surgeries, so Robert had multiple reconstructive surgeries, amputation of his legs, and a piece of his toe used to construct a nose.

Young people want to talk about appearance and being different. It’s a central theme of their lives. Ever since the adult edition of Ugly came out I’ve had hundreds of conversations with kids about looking different and being disabled. When I was twelve I went on holiday to Sydney. One night I was alone in an elevator heading to dinner in our hotel. Two middle-aged ladies got in. One of them looked me up and down, then stared at my face long enough to make me look away. The mother was struggling with a house full of children and an errant husband who didn't maintain them, yet the author fails to admonish him and his violence, reserving her hatred for the mother who remained and retaliated. Heaven help any domestic violence victims that enter her courtroom. Home for the Hoges was a bayside suburb of Brisbane. Robert's parents, Mary and Vince, knew that his life would be difficult, but they were determined to give him a typical Australian childhood. So along with the regular, gruelling and often dangerous operations that made medical history and gradually improved Robert's life, there were bad haircuts, visits to the local pool, school camps and dreams of summer sports. Okay okay, you had a cr*p childhood, I get it. I found out she has written a follow up book that goes through her college years. That's the book that I Think would be more interesting - how she dealt with 'normal' life after having such an abnormal childhood.

This is nonfiction that I believe is written for kids. There are cute illustrations and the language is easy and simple to understand. There are some pretty detailed descriptions of surgeries which may put people off, but I found them really interesting and I'm a pretty big wuss when it comes to anything medical. Apparently, some of the ones Hoge received were quite experimental and other people benefited from the groundwork laid by his own procedures, which is pretty cool. He's also incredibly relatable. His fights with siblings, his hobbies, and, you know, his desires to make friends and have relationships is something I think that a lot of kids from all walks of life want. But, with the help of the family, she brought him home - determined to make his life as normal as possible. 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.

Mary Hoge went into labour on the 21st of July 1972 and endured a long and difficult labour. On Sunday 23rd of July 1972 she gave birth to her fifth child Robert Hoge. After he was born Mary asked if her baby was alright and the doctors reply was no. Of course no parent wants to hear that straight after giving birth. Robert was born with a huge tumour covering his face, he required numerous surgeries to construct a face he likens to a clay sculpture gone wrong..

So, the grammar is wrong and sentences are not composed right. So what? You don't like the cover of the book? So what? You think its too repetitive? May be. But may be its because this book acted as a therapy, as a catharsis for her. 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). There are so many holes in this tale I am horrified that the author is a barrister and Judge. She wouldn't know the truth if it jumped up and poked her in the eye. 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.

This is not a book about heroes overcoming all adversities, but I particularly liked the (to me) typically Australian outlook on life: you just make the best of what you've got. By his own account, and with more than a dollop of a very dry sense of humour, Robert was a loud, cheeky kid, who got into just as much mischief as any other boy his age. I particularly liked his recollection of sand-papering his school desk so much he managed to sand a hole in it. Was it mental health issues her mother suffered, or sheer evil and hatred for one of her children? She didn't abuse her other children, only Constance. She bought her other children Christmas gifts, new clothes etc. Constance would receive the same doll and spinning top year after year. Her mother would take the toys from the child's room, wrap them up and give them to her. She consistently called her "ugly" and many other derogatory and damaging names. I guess the helplessness of Claire kind of grabbed my heart. After a while, it got repetitive. Although that’s probably what happened in real life, I think it’d be better if the suffering was cut short and leaded to the healing instead.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. Our faces let us look out and know others and let them know us.Due to a large facial tumor, Robert Hoge had severely distorted facial features. In addition, his legs were also malformed and nonfunctioning.