Unwind (Unwind Dystology)
Three teens fight for their lives and each other in this breathtakingly suspenseful first book in the twisted, New York Times bestselling Unwind Dystology series by Neal Shusterman. After America's Second Civil War, the Pro-Choice and Pro-Life armies came to an agreement. According to their Bill of Life, human life may not be terminated from the moment of conception until the age of thirteen. But between the ages of thirteen and eighteen, the child may be gotten rid of by their parent through a process called "unwinding." By repurposing a teen's organs and other body parts in living recipients, the unwound child's life doesn't technically end. According to society's leaders, unwinding leads to a healthier and safer community, as troublesome and unwanted teens are used for the greater good. Curtis is a rebel whose unwinding was ordered by his parents. Rita, a ward of the state, has been slated for unwinding due to cost cutting. And Lev, his parents' tenth child, has been destined for unwinding since birth as a religious tithe. As their paths intersect, they start to fight for their own destinies. But do they stand a chance of escaping their fate or proving their lives are worth saving?
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Community Reviews
On the one hand, I read this in one day. On the other hand, it's not very good. Also, I don't understand all the reviews that say the author doesn't take a side in the abortion debate; this seems very much to be pro-life propaganda which is maybe why it didn't make for believable science fiction. One extra star for a fun ending though.
Ok, let me clarify that I feel terrible for not rating this a solid 5 stars. I kept really, really wanting to and just couldn't. I can't even say what would have given it that little push for me. I mean, I loved the concept. I loved the pace of the story. I read the whole thing in one day in three sittings. I liked the characters.
Oops. There it is. I liked the characters. I feel I still didn't really know - or really care about - them by the end. But the story. Let's talk about the story.
To sum it up: We are living in the not so distant future where parents can choose to "unwind" their children if they are a bit unruly. That is, they are sending them away to have all their parts separated to be used on other people. Think of donating a kidney on a much, much larger (not to mention involuntary) scale.
"Peter, no, no, no. We aren't killing you. We're letting you live but just in bits and pieces on dozens of other people. Think of how useful you'll be."
"Oh. WHEW! I thought you were going to literally kill me for breaking curfew."
There are other tough to swallow rules like...Oh, hey. You can leave a baby on a doorstep, and as long as they don't catch you doing it, the homeowner is legally responsible to raise that baby. This is the solution to abortion? I'd like to see Plan B, please. Uh. Not that Plan B per say. You know what I mean.
Seriously, there were so many things to think about.
While I only liked the characters and just couldn't grow attached enough to them, I did like the way the "chapters" were broken down to be the point of the view of various characters. And not just the main ones - we would also get a random one like "Mob" or "Camp." Very cool.
So that part that everyone keeps referring to. Yeah, you know the one. Or as soon as you read this book, you will know the one.
All I can say is:
Oh. And this (because I just can't help it).
Ok, so when they are hacking away at Roland, I was just pissed. I don't know if I was supposed to be semi-pleased that he was the one it was happening to. I don't know if I was supposed to feel a "well, that's karma" sense when Connor ended up with his hand. Because I didn't. There was nothing in the book that was really making me hate Roland enough, which may just be another thing where I didn't feel like character development (or lack there of) really did it for me. But then I get all weird and think that maybe the author is manipulating me, and this is exactly how I should feel. And that scene. Jesus. That probably gave the book a full star for me because it was so disturbing and the one thing I just couldn't stop thinking or talking about.
Now, back to the vague things that I can actually write in a review that are ok for those who have not read the book yet.
I don't think it needs a sequel. I am the same as most people and love trilogies and series because it gives me more of what I love. With this one, though, I thought the ending could have just been the ending. Don't get me wrong - I'll still read the others because Mr. Shusterman can write his ass off and keep me interested. I just think it would have been great all alone, too.
Oops. There it is. I liked the characters. I feel I still didn't really know - or really care about - them by the end. But the story. Let's talk about the story.
To sum it up: We are living in the not so distant future where parents can choose to "unwind" their children if they are a bit unruly. That is, they are sending them away to have all their parts separated to be used on other people. Think of donating a kidney on a much, much larger (not to mention involuntary) scale.
"Peter, no, no, no. We aren't killing you. We're letting you live but just in bits and pieces on dozens of other people. Think of how useful you'll be."
"Oh. WHEW! I thought you were going to literally kill me for breaking curfew."
There are other tough to swallow rules like...Oh, hey. You can leave a baby on a doorstep, and as long as they don't catch you doing it, the homeowner is legally responsible to raise that baby. This is the solution to abortion? I'd like to see Plan B, please. Uh. Not that Plan B per say. You know what I mean.
Seriously, there were so many things to think about.
While I only liked the characters and just couldn't grow attached enough to them, I did like the way the "chapters" were broken down to be the point of the view of various characters. And not just the main ones - we would also get a random one like "Mob" or "Camp." Very cool.
So that part that everyone keeps referring to. Yeah, you know the one. Or as soon as you read this book, you will know the one.
All I can say is:
Oh. And this (because I just can't help it).
Ok, so when they are hacking away at Roland, I was just pissed. I don't know if I was supposed to be semi-pleased that he was the one it was happening to. I don't know if I was supposed to feel a "well, that's karma" sense when Connor ended up with his hand. Because I didn't. There was nothing in the book that was really making me hate Roland enough, which may just be another thing where I didn't feel like character development (or lack there of) really did it for me. But then I get all weird and think that maybe the author is manipulating me, and this is exactly how I should feel. And that scene. Jesus. That probably gave the book a full star for me because it was so disturbing and the one thing I just couldn't stop thinking or talking about.
Now, back to the vague things that I can actually write in a review that are ok for those who have not read the book yet.
I don't think it needs a sequel. I am the same as most people and love trilogies and series because it gives me more of what I love. With this one, though, I thought the ending could have just been the ending. Don't get me wrong - I'll still read the others because Mr. Shusterman can write his ass off and keep me interested. I just think it would have been great all alone, too.
REQUIRED READING
This is my favorite book of all the ones I have read for this class. I like dystopian novels a lot. I also really liked the concept of this book and how Shusterman developed it from a debate that is going on now.
Unable to resolve the pro-choice vs. pro-life debate, the government has come up with a different solution. Abortion is now illegal, however, at the age of 13 until the age of 18, parents can choose to have their children "unwound"--taken apart piece by piece, and donated to those in need of body parts. Since they are able to keep all parts alive, this does not constitute as murder. Every single part will be kept alive, just separately. In this disturbing new reality, 3 runaways cross paths, and together go on a journey to fight for their right to remain alive and in one piece.
This is my favorite book of all the ones I have read for this class. I like dystopian novels a lot. I also really liked the concept of this book and how Shusterman developed it from a debate that is going on now.
Unable to resolve the pro-choice vs. pro-life debate, the government has come up with a different solution. Abortion is now illegal, however, at the age of 13 until the age of 18, parents can choose to have their children "unwound"--taken apart piece by piece, and donated to those in need of body parts. Since they are able to keep all parts alive, this does not constitute as murder. Every single part will be kept alive, just separately. In this disturbing new reality, 3 runaways cross paths, and together go on a journey to fight for their right to remain alive and in one piece.
So, this book is filled with AWESOME.
One day, while browsing the local bookstore with the boyfriend, I got caught up chatting with a teenaged reader about the stack of books she was holding. We talked about the merits of some of the books she held and then went on to exchange recommendations of books to read. This one was her recommendation to me, and I bought it based on her verbal praise of it alone.
I WISH I COULD THANK THAT GIRL.
This book is... stunning. It's beautiful and tragic and terrifying all at the same time. It raised so many questions for me about what I believe now and what I believed "then" when I was the age of the protagonists in this book. It made me question what we teach our children. It made me wonder about the things we accept as normative in our world. It made me afraid of what the world might look like someday. I think this novel made me consider issues I've been so sure of in a new light and the consequences that can come from both action and inaction.
Welcome to a future America where a civil war between the pro-lifers and the pro-choicers resulted in a horrific "Bill of Life." This set of constitutional amendments declares that human life cannot be touched/harmed between conception until age 13. However, between the ages of 13-18, parents may choose to have their children "retroactively aborted" with the one condition being that life does not "end" but is instead allowed to continue in a divided state. Meaning: these children's bodies are harvested for their organs and parts which are then sold off to whoever can afford to purchase them.
It's almost like plastic surgery to the max, except it's not treated as cosmetic changes but "transplants." In this world, doctors do not focus so much on healing a person, but simply replace the damaged part. Like we're cars, or machinery, or robots. I imagine these people look really strange, awkwardly stitched up and sewn together with fragmented parts that once belonged to other people.
The book is centered on the stories of three young people all scheduled to be unwound. Their paths to this end are incredibly different--Connor is signed away by his parents, Risa is a burden on the state and no longer worth financially supporting, and Lev is a human offerring set aside by his religious parents to be "special" and "chosen" for this distinctive honor. Their paths cross, intertwine, and layer over one another in sometimes very surprising ways.
There were twists in this book I didn't see coming, which I really appreciated. And the powerful story Shusterman weaves gets ahold of your heart and doesn't really let go. He squeezes it instead, makes you ache for these kids and what these adults have OK'd! And even if they are rebellious, hard to control children--do they deserve to be undone like this?
While reading this book, I thought back on historical accounts of Anne Frank hiding from the Nazis, I remembered the secret underground railroad that helped guide slaves to freedom. This book is so intricately woven and so craftily plotted, I was hard pressed to find things I didn't like about it. In fact, perhaps the one criticism I have is--How did Lev end up in the Graveyard? I'd like to know! Nevermind that you've told me it's not important; I still want to know. :) [edit: apparently this is actually it's own short story called UNSTRUNG! Um, SCORE!!!!]
It's easy to like the characters he's created, even Lev who clearly has a personality that is in need of direction and purpose. He needed his religion and he trades that set of beliefs for another, but nevertheless he's still a young boy who will need to blaze his own trail sooner or later. Connor is strong, and his growth across the novel is believable. He's a great lead, and I like the slow-developing and lightly-touched romance that blooms between him and Risa, a street smart chick that I would love to be friends with.
I can't wait to read the next book...
One day, while browsing the local bookstore with the boyfriend, I got caught up chatting with a teenaged reader about the stack of books she was holding. We talked about the merits of some of the books she held and then went on to exchange recommendations of books to read. This one was her recommendation to me, and I bought it based on her verbal praise of it alone.
I WISH I COULD THANK THAT GIRL.
This book is... stunning. It's beautiful and tragic and terrifying all at the same time. It raised so many questions for me about what I believe now and what I believed "then" when I was the age of the protagonists in this book. It made me question what we teach our children. It made me wonder about the things we accept as normative in our world. It made me afraid of what the world might look like someday. I think this novel made me consider issues I've been so sure of in a new light and the consequences that can come from both action and inaction.
Welcome to a future America where a civil war between the pro-lifers and the pro-choicers resulted in a horrific "Bill of Life." This set of constitutional amendments declares that human life cannot be touched/harmed between conception until age 13. However, between the ages of 13-18, parents may choose to have their children "retroactively aborted" with the one condition being that life does not "end" but is instead allowed to continue in a divided state. Meaning: these children's bodies are harvested for their organs and parts which are then sold off to whoever can afford to purchase them.
It's almost like plastic surgery to the max, except it's not treated as cosmetic changes but "transplants." In this world, doctors do not focus so much on healing a person, but simply replace the damaged part. Like we're cars, or machinery, or robots. I imagine these people look really strange, awkwardly stitched up and sewn together with fragmented parts that once belonged to other people.
The book is centered on the stories of three young people all scheduled to be unwound. Their paths to this end are incredibly different--Connor is signed away by his parents, Risa is a burden on the state and no longer worth financially supporting, and Lev is a human offerring set aside by his religious parents to be "special" and "chosen" for this distinctive honor. Their paths cross, intertwine, and layer over one another in sometimes very surprising ways.
There were twists in this book I didn't see coming, which I really appreciated. And the powerful story Shusterman weaves gets ahold of your heart and doesn't really let go. He squeezes it instead, makes you ache for these kids and what these adults have OK'd! And even if they are rebellious, hard to control children--do they deserve to be undone like this?
While reading this book, I thought back on historical accounts of Anne Frank hiding from the Nazis, I remembered the secret underground railroad that helped guide slaves to freedom. This book is so intricately woven and so craftily plotted, I was hard pressed to find things I didn't like about it. In fact, perhaps the one criticism I have is--How did Lev end up in the Graveyard? I'd like to know! Nevermind that you've told me it's not important; I still want to know. :) [edit: apparently this is actually it's own short story called UNSTRUNG! Um, SCORE!!!!]
It's easy to like the characters he's created, even Lev who clearly has a personality that is in need of direction and purpose. He needed his religion and he trades that set of beliefs for another, but nevertheless he's still a young boy who will need to blaze his own trail sooner or later. Connor is strong, and his growth across the novel is believable. He's a great lead, and I like the slow-developing and lightly-touched romance that blooms between him and Risa, a street smart chick that I would love to be friends with.
I can't wait to read the next book...
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