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Unwind Dystology #1
Unwind
Connor, Risa, and Lev are running for their lives.
The Second Civil War was fought over reproductive rights. The chilling resolution: Life is inviolable from the moment of conception until age thirteen. Between the ages of thirteen and eighteen, however, parents can have their child "unwound," whereby all of the child's organs are transplanted into different donors, so life doesn't technically end. Connor is too difficult for his parents to control. Risa, a ward of the state, is not enough to be kept alive. And Lev is a tithe, a child conceived and raised to be unwound. Together, they may have a chance to escape and to survive.
The Second Civil War was fought over reproductive rights. The chilling resolution: Life is inviolable from the moment of conception until age thirteen. Between the ages of thirteen and eighteen, however, parents can have their child "unwound," whereby all of the child's organs are transplanted into different donors, so life doesn't technically end. Connor is too difficult for his parents to control. Risa, a ward of the state, is not enough to be kept alive. And Lev is a tithe, a child conceived and raised to be unwound. Together, they may have a chance to escape and to survive.
337 pages, Hardcover
First published November 6, 2007
About the author
Neal Shusterman
87 books26.8k followersAward-winning author Neal Shusterman grew up in Brooklyn, New York, where he began writing at an early age. After spending his junior and senior years of high school at the American School of Mexico City, Neal went on to UC Irvine, where he made his mark on the UCI swim team, and wrote a successful humor column. Within a year of graduating, he had his first book deal, and was hired to write a movie script.
In the years since, Neal has made his mark as a successful novelist, screenwriter, and television writer. As a full-time writer, he claims to be his own hardest task-master, always at work creating new stories to tell. His books have received many awards from organizations such as the International Reading Association, and the American Library Association, as well as garnering a myriad of state and local awards across the country. Neal's talents range from film directing (two short films he directed won him the coveted CINE Golden Eagle Awards) to writing music and stage plays – including book and lyrical contributions to “American Twistory,” which is currently playing in Boston. He has even tried his hand at creating Games, having developed three successful "How to Host a Mystery" game for teens, as well as seven "How to Host a Murder" games.
As a screen and TV writer, Neal has written for the "Goosebumps" and “Animorphs” TV series, and wrote the Disney Channel Original Movie “Pixel Perfect”. Currently Neal is adapting his novel Everlost as a feature film for Universal Studios.
Wherever Neal goes, he quickly earns a reputation as a storyteller and dynamic speaker. Much of his fiction is traceable back to stories he tells to large audiences of children and teenagers -- such as his novel The Eyes of Kid Midas. As a speaker, Neal is in constant demand at schools and conferences. Degrees in both psychology and drama give Neal a unique approach to writing. Neal's novels always deal with topics that appeal to adults as well as teens, weaving true-to-life characters into sensitive and riveting issues, and binding it all together with a unique and entertaining sense of humor.
Of Everlost, School Library Journal wrote: “Shusterman has reimagined what happens after death and questions power and the meaning of charity. While all this is going on, he has also managed to write a rip-roaring adventure…”
Of What Daddy Did, Voice of Youth Advocates wrote; "This is a compelling, spell-binding story... A stunning novel, impossible to put down once begun.
Of The Schwa Was Here, School Library Journal wrote: “Shusterman's characters–reminiscent of those crafted by E. L. Konigsburg and Jerry Spinelli–are infused with the kind of controlled, precocious improbability that magically vivifies the finest children's classics.
Of Scorpion Shards, Publisher's Weekly wrote: "Shusterman takes an outlandish comic-book concept, and, through the sheer audacity and breadth of his imagination makes it stunningly believable. A spellbinder."
And of The Eyes of Kid Midas, The Midwest Book Review wrote "This wins our vote as one of the best young-adult titles of the year" and was called "Inspired and hypnotically readable" by School Library Journal.
Neal Shusterman lives in Southern California with his children Brendan, Jarrod, Joelle, and Erin, who are a constant source of inspiration!
In the years since, Neal has made his mark as a successful novelist, screenwriter, and television writer. As a full-time writer, he claims to be his own hardest task-master, always at work creating new stories to tell. His books have received many awards from organizations such as the International Reading Association, and the American Library Association, as well as garnering a myriad of state and local awards across the country. Neal's talents range from film directing (two short films he directed won him the coveted CINE Golden Eagle Awards) to writing music and stage plays – including book and lyrical contributions to “American Twistory,” which is currently playing in Boston. He has even tried his hand at creating Games, having developed three successful "How to Host a Mystery" game for teens, as well as seven "How to Host a Murder" games.
As a screen and TV writer, Neal has written for the "Goosebumps" and “Animorphs” TV series, and wrote the Disney Channel Original Movie “Pixel Perfect”. Currently Neal is adapting his novel Everlost as a feature film for Universal Studios.
Wherever Neal goes, he quickly earns a reputation as a storyteller and dynamic speaker. Much of his fiction is traceable back to stories he tells to large audiences of children and teenagers -- such as his novel The Eyes of Kid Midas. As a speaker, Neal is in constant demand at schools and conferences. Degrees in both psychology and drama give Neal a unique approach to writing. Neal's novels always deal with topics that appeal to adults as well as teens, weaving true-to-life characters into sensitive and riveting issues, and binding it all together with a unique and entertaining sense of humor.
Of Everlost, School Library Journal wrote: “Shusterman has reimagined what happens after death and questions power and the meaning of charity. While all this is going on, he has also managed to write a rip-roaring adventure…”
Of What Daddy Did, Voice of Youth Advocates wrote; "This is a compelling, spell-binding story... A stunning novel, impossible to put down once begun.
Of The Schwa Was Here, School Library Journal wrote: “Shusterman's characters–reminiscent of those crafted by E. L. Konigsburg and Jerry Spinelli–are infused with the kind of controlled, precocious improbability that magically vivifies the finest children's classics.
Of Scorpion Shards, Publisher's Weekly wrote: "Shusterman takes an outlandish comic-book concept, and, through the sheer audacity and breadth of his imagination makes it stunningly believable. A spellbinder."
And of The Eyes of Kid Midas, The Midwest Book Review wrote "This wins our vote as one of the best young-adult titles of the year" and was called "Inspired and hypnotically readable" by School Library Journal.
Neal Shusterman lives in Southern California with his children Brendan, Jarrod, Joelle, and Erin, who are a constant source of inspiration!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 22,379 reviews
June 8, 2010
I was walking back from my playgroup with my son on Monday, I came out of an elevator to find a teenage boy waiting for me. Fear and an urge to protect my son came over me as he looked a little "rough" around the edges.
Instead of pulling a knife or picking a fight though, the teenager turned on me with big, embarrassed, doe-eyes to ask in a quivering voice, "Excuse me, can I please have fifty cents to call my mum?" I fished out fifty cents worth of coins and left as soon as I saw him head towards the telephone, not waiting around to see if he got through to her. True story.
Unwind by Neal Shusterman is a novel about a world gone mad in which children between the ages of thirteen and eighteen can be legally signed over by their parents or guardians to be put through a harvest camp so that others can take their organs, tissue and blood.
Abortion is also illegal but people can leave infants on other people's doorstep as a method of "storking" and thus legally handing over their responsibilities of the child.
A common phrase used throughout this book is, "Someone else's problem." This encompasses the spirit of the book and is said often by adults who have had children fall temporarily into their hemisphere and require dealing with. There are very few adults in this book who do more than the bare minimum of what they have to do to sit right in their conscience and there's a whole bevy of others who don't do that much.
Connor, one of the trio of main protagonists and an indisputable Christ metaphor, is a "problem" child. His parents are at a loss as to how to handle his behavioral problems and his poor grades so they consign him to being unwound. Risa, a ward of the state, is a bed that the government can free up for a child that they can't legally unwind yet and so is also handed over to the harvesting camp. Levi, the last of the trio is a religious tithe by his parents - born and raised to serve God by handing him over to be tithed as part of their duty to the community and God.
There are many other such stories in this book from a boy whose loving parents died, leaving him an inheritance that his aunt feels would be better off putting her kids through college once he's been unwound and a boy whose divorcing parents couldn't agree on any custody solution and would rather, literally, divide him.
This whole book is about the powerlessness of children in the hands of those who should be responsible for them. It is at times nerve-wracking, heartbreaking, devastating and a complete adrenaline rush.
What it is most of all, though, is sad. Sad because the truth is that children are not the problem and they shouldn't be treated like a problem. They are a symptom at worst and a blessing always. They are a gift that requires attention. They are an innocent package and in the case of 99% of them - if they are running around the street as twelve year olds being a menace to society then they have not let us down - we have let them down.
I love this book because it is well written, I love this book because it is compelling. I love this book because sometimes it is a hard and challenging read on a personal level. I love this book because it asks you to think. I love this book for the many things it has revealed about me - most of them not positive. I love this book because it is well-written with absorbing characters and a great plot.
Most of all, I love this book because next time I come across a kid of the street asking for fifty cents to call his mum, I'll let him borrow my phone and make sure she's coming to get him.
Instead of pulling a knife or picking a fight though, the teenager turned on me with big, embarrassed, doe-eyes to ask in a quivering voice, "Excuse me, can I please have fifty cents to call my mum?" I fished out fifty cents worth of coins and left as soon as I saw him head towards the telephone, not waiting around to see if he got through to her. True story.
Unwind by Neal Shusterman is a novel about a world gone mad in which children between the ages of thirteen and eighteen can be legally signed over by their parents or guardians to be put through a harvest camp so that others can take their organs, tissue and blood.
Abortion is also illegal but people can leave infants on other people's doorstep as a method of "storking" and thus legally handing over their responsibilities of the child.
A common phrase used throughout this book is, "Someone else's problem." This encompasses the spirit of the book and is said often by adults who have had children fall temporarily into their hemisphere and require dealing with. There are very few adults in this book who do more than the bare minimum of what they have to do to sit right in their conscience and there's a whole bevy of others who don't do that much.
Connor, one of the trio of main protagonists and an indisputable Christ metaphor, is a "problem" child. His parents are at a loss as to how to handle his behavioral problems and his poor grades so they consign him to being unwound. Risa, a ward of the state, is a bed that the government can free up for a child that they can't legally unwind yet and so is also handed over to the harvesting camp. Levi, the last of the trio is a religious tithe by his parents - born and raised to serve God by handing him over to be tithed as part of their duty to the community and God.
There are many other such stories in this book from a boy whose loving parents died, leaving him an inheritance that his aunt feels would be better off putting her kids through college once he's been unwound and a boy whose divorcing parents couldn't agree on any custody solution and would rather, literally, divide him.
This whole book is about the powerlessness of children in the hands of those who should be responsible for them. It is at times nerve-wracking, heartbreaking, devastating and a complete adrenaline rush.
What it is most of all, though, is sad. Sad because the truth is that children are not the problem and they shouldn't be treated like a problem. They are a symptom at worst and a blessing always. They are a gift that requires attention. They are an innocent package and in the case of 99% of them - if they are running around the street as twelve year olds being a menace to society then they have not let us down - we have let them down.
I love this book because it is well written, I love this book because it is compelling. I love this book because sometimes it is a hard and challenging read on a personal level. I love this book because it asks you to think. I love this book for the many things it has revealed about me - most of them not positive. I love this book because it is well-written with absorbing characters and a great plot.
Most of all, I love this book because next time I come across a kid of the street asking for fifty cents to call his mum, I'll let him borrow my phone and make sure she's coming to get him.
December 4, 2013
Holy frak-waffles Batman!! This is awesome.
At first I was like:
... but then I was like:
... and THEN I was all like:
...during that scene where they I still have the major heebeejeebs.
I will never eat cauliflower again.
Unwind will shock you. I mean, roll-you-up-in-a-carpet-and-bitch-slap-you kind of shock you.
And you will love it.
February 28, 2024
4.5 po rereadzie ❤️
January 16, 2024
a fascinating concept and i loved elements of the story. it was shocking and disturbing in all the right ways. it’s definitely a book that will make you think. but overall the world building and the message fell a bit short
July 24, 2012
As seen on The Readventurer
I approached rereading Unwind with trepidation. I generally enjoy revisiting books in series before each new release, but two reasons held me back in this case:
1) My original reading of Unwind left me completely horrified and I wasn't sure I would want to relive this story again (my husband is still too scared to revisit it); and
2) Unwind was one of the very first books I read when I had just discovered YA back in 2009, and it was also one of my very first dystopias. I didn't have much to compare it to then and, let's be honest, I liked quite a bit of crap YA at that time. Plus, there have been so many dystopias published since then, surely it would be very unlikely for an older novel to be better than newer ones?
I shouldn't have worried. Unwind proves once again that most of the best YA dystopias were published way before the current dystopian craze.
What stood out for me the most this time is how political this novel is. Reading the latest YA releases would make you think that dystopias are all about running around and snogging while hiding from the big bad government that wants to kill you for no good reason. But Unwind, while containing all these tropes (running, hiding, and a bit of romance), has plenty else to think about in relation to the oppressive government.
I know some readers can't quite swallow the premise of this book, find it unrelatable, implausible, etc., etc. (Catie can tell you all about her problems with this novel) - yeah, the idea that people in a country would ever resolve the pro-life vs pro-choice conflict by abolishing abortion but allowing parents of the unwanted, troublemaking teens ages 13 to 18 to have an option to "unwind" them into parts that are later used for transplants is a pretty crazy one. Parental love and all that. BUT, I am not oblivious enough not to know that there are parents who sell their children into prostitution in order to have money to feed the rest of their family, who throw their newborn daughters into the dumpsters because dowries are strenuous on family finances and boys are just plain better, that entire nations were and are involved in genocides and scientific experiments on people (adults and children) that are deemed not racially desirable (Nazis anyone?) And don't get me started on the pro-life movement, members of which are preoccupied with saving lives of the not-yet-born, but have absolute disregard for the mothers' health or the well-being of those children when they are born and need monetary support for medical care or education, or, alternatively, this forced abortion story fresh off Jezebel's presses. So yes, the premise is far-fetched, as far-fetched as stories about the inhumanity of clones (The House of the Scorpion, Never Let Me Go), women used for nothing more than breeding (The Handmaid's Tale) or children forced to play survival games (The Hunger Games) are, but I believe in it, because I've seen things just as vile in real life.
... And back to the politics of Unwind. (I get carried away so easily ...) Besides the most obvious from the synopsis issue of pro-live/pro-choice conflict, Shusterman skillfully incorporates into his story domestic terrorism, religious brainwashing, and, the most disturbing part - the politics of transplant therapy, because an opportunity for adults to have an easily available supply of young organs (or hair!) sweetens the whole unwinding deal so nicely.
I like when an author makes his young audience think about these issues without openly pushing his personal agenda, especially now when these particular issues are so heated and in your face. Unwind is a dynamic, scary story that is carried by charismatic teen characters who are at times defiant and so easy to hate, yet they prove they deserve to live just as much, if not more than any "proper" adult.
Glad to say, I feel like I can safely continue recommending this novel. And I can't wait to read more about this unsettling world. UnWholly, evidently, has a character made entirely of spare body parts! Goodness, I don't think I am fully recovered from Shusterman's variation of Humpty Dumpty yet...
I approached rereading Unwind with trepidation. I generally enjoy revisiting books in series before each new release, but two reasons held me back in this case:
1) My original reading of Unwind left me completely horrified and I wasn't sure I would want to relive this story again (my husband is still too scared to revisit it); and
2) Unwind was one of the very first books I read when I had just discovered YA back in 2009, and it was also one of my very first dystopias. I didn't have much to compare it to then and, let's be honest, I liked quite a bit of crap YA at that time. Plus, there have been so many dystopias published since then, surely it would be very unlikely for an older novel to be better than newer ones?
I shouldn't have worried. Unwind proves once again that most of the best YA dystopias were published way before the current dystopian craze.
What stood out for me the most this time is how political this novel is. Reading the latest YA releases would make you think that dystopias are all about running around and snogging while hiding from the big bad government that wants to kill you for no good reason. But Unwind, while containing all these tropes (running, hiding, and a bit of romance), has plenty else to think about in relation to the oppressive government.
I know some readers can't quite swallow the premise of this book, find it unrelatable, implausible, etc., etc. (Catie can tell you all about her problems with this novel) - yeah, the idea that people in a country would ever resolve the pro-life vs pro-choice conflict by abolishing abortion but allowing parents of the unwanted, troublemaking teens ages 13 to 18 to have an option to "unwind" them into parts that are later used for transplants is a pretty crazy one. Parental love and all that. BUT, I am not oblivious enough not to know that there are parents who sell their children into prostitution in order to have money to feed the rest of their family, who throw their newborn daughters into the dumpsters because dowries are strenuous on family finances and boys are just plain better, that entire nations were and are involved in genocides and scientific experiments on people (adults and children) that are deemed not racially desirable (Nazis anyone?) And don't get me started on the pro-life movement, members of which are preoccupied with saving lives of the not-yet-born, but have absolute disregard for the mothers' health or the well-being of those children when they are born and need monetary support for medical care or education, or, alternatively, this forced abortion story fresh off Jezebel's presses. So yes, the premise is far-fetched, as far-fetched as stories about the inhumanity of clones (The House of the Scorpion, Never Let Me Go), women used for nothing more than breeding (The Handmaid's Tale) or children forced to play survival games (The Hunger Games) are, but I believe in it, because I've seen things just as vile in real life.
... And back to the politics of Unwind. (I get carried away so easily ...) Besides the most obvious from the synopsis issue of pro-live/pro-choice conflict, Shusterman skillfully incorporates into his story domestic terrorism, religious brainwashing, and, the most disturbing part - the politics of transplant therapy, because an opportunity for adults to have an easily available supply of young organs (or hair!) sweetens the whole unwinding deal so nicely.
I like when an author makes his young audience think about these issues without openly pushing his personal agenda, especially now when these particular issues are so heated and in your face. Unwind is a dynamic, scary story that is carried by charismatic teen characters who are at times defiant and so easy to hate, yet they prove they deserve to live just as much, if not more than any "proper" adult.
Glad to say, I feel like I can safely continue recommending this novel. And I can't wait to read more about this unsettling world. UnWholly, evidently, has a character made entirely of spare body parts! Goodness, I don't think I am fully recovered from Shusterman's variation of Humpty Dumpty yet...
August 16, 2015
I've been asked why I keep reading young adult books when I hate some of them. I hate some ways of preparing chicken too, but I'll eat it.
This book is a reason why I keep reading young adult. It's the fried chicken of the book world.
There has been a war recently. A war based on reproduction rights.
On one side, people were murdering abortion doctors to protect the right to life, while on the other side people were getting pregnant just to sell their fetal tissue. And everyone was selecting their leaders not by their ability to lead, but by where they stood on this single issue.
What that leads to is the Bill of Life. The Bill of Life changes the way people live. For one, a woman that just gave birth can leave her newborn at your door. As long as she is not caught that newborn becomes the homeowners. They have no choice in the matter. They have been "storked." Some families have been storked multiple times.
Then there is the "Unwinding"....Unwinding happens when you have a kid/teen who hasn't reached the age of 18 yet. They go to a harvest center and their body parts are taken and can be used as transplants in other people. It keeps people living longer and rids the world of some "unwanted" kids.
These kids can be signed up for the unwinding for a multitude of reasons. Connor's parents sign him up because he has a bad temper. He gets in fights, they just can't control him. Risa gets signed up because she is a ward of the state, it costs too much money to keep the kids alive that aren't really special enough.
One kid is signed up for stepping in when his stepfather is beating his mom. His mom sided with the stepfather and needed him out of the picture after that.
There are also kids who are "tithes", They are born to be unwinded.
Like Lev's parents, they ended up with ten kids. They felt that they should give one tenth of their children for the good of man.
Lev says, "Tithing's in the Bible; you're supposed to give 10 percent of everything. And storking's in the Bible too."
"No, it isn't!"
"Moses," says Lev. "Moses was put in a basket in the Nile and was found by Pharaoh's daughter. He was the first storked baby, and look what happened to him!"
Connor, Risa, and Lev all decide that they don't want to be Unwinded. They escape and must hide until they turn eighteen. That is when the will be exempt from the unwinding. They are helped along the way by people who believe that just because something is a law, it isn't necessarily right.
One thing you learn when you've lived as long as I have-people aren't all good, and people aren't all bad. We move in and out of darkness and light all of our lives.
Well done, Neal Shusterman. Well done. You are my fried chicken.
This book is a reason why I keep reading young adult. It's the fried chicken of the book world.
There has been a war recently. A war based on reproduction rights.
On one side, people were murdering abortion doctors to protect the right to life, while on the other side people were getting pregnant just to sell their fetal tissue. And everyone was selecting their leaders not by their ability to lead, but by where they stood on this single issue.
What that leads to is the Bill of Life. The Bill of Life changes the way people live. For one, a woman that just gave birth can leave her newborn at your door. As long as she is not caught that newborn becomes the homeowners. They have no choice in the matter. They have been "storked." Some families have been storked multiple times.
Then there is the "Unwinding"....Unwinding happens when you have a kid/teen who hasn't reached the age of 18 yet. They go to a harvest center and their body parts are taken and can be used as transplants in other people. It keeps people living longer and rids the world of some "unwanted" kids.
These kids can be signed up for the unwinding for a multitude of reasons. Connor's parents sign him up because he has a bad temper. He gets in fights, they just can't control him. Risa gets signed up because she is a ward of the state, it costs too much money to keep the kids alive that aren't really special enough.
One kid is signed up for stepping in when his stepfather is beating his mom. His mom sided with the stepfather and needed him out of the picture after that.
There are also kids who are "tithes", They are born to be unwinded.
Like Lev's parents, they ended up with ten kids. They felt that they should give one tenth of their children for the good of man.
Lev says, "Tithing's in the Bible; you're supposed to give 10 percent of everything. And storking's in the Bible too."
"No, it isn't!"
"Moses," says Lev. "Moses was put in a basket in the Nile and was found by Pharaoh's daughter. He was the first storked baby, and look what happened to him!"
Connor, Risa, and Lev all decide that they don't want to be Unwinded. They escape and must hide until they turn eighteen. That is when the will be exempt from the unwinding. They are helped along the way by people who believe that just because something is a law, it isn't necessarily right.
One thing you learn when you've lived as long as I have-people aren't all good, and people aren't all bad. We move in and out of darkness and light all of our lives.
Well done, Neal Shusterman. Well done. You are my fried chicken.
August 25, 2016
An astonishing and at the same time disturbing read. Took me some time to get into, but from then on I was hooked. The world Shusterman created feels so vivid and real, it almost scared me. Thought-provoking and highly original. I haven't read anything like this ever before.
Also, it contained one of the most disturbing scenes I have ever read - not on a graphic level, but more due to the fact that what exactly is happening is left almost completely to the reader's imagination (if you've read the book, you will most likely know what I'm referring to).
Set in the near future, the novel follows three teens about to be unwound – which is the thing to do with unwanted teens and basically means that they are to be scavenged for body parts to be transplanted to those in need of them (though the signification of 'need' can be stretched here: someone can also 'need' new eyes because his girlfriend doesn't like the old ones' colour).
Connor has always been trouble, sometimes unable to control his temper. When he finds out that his parents are about to have him unwound, he runs away and crosses paths with Risa and Lev. Risa is a state ward being sent away due to shortage of money and Lev is a tithe, sacrificed by his religious parents for a greater good.
Connor and Risa have only one goal: to be able to make it until their eighteenth birthday, when the law will protect them from being unwound after all. Lev, who has always believed in his special purpose, is deeply conflicted. Should he run with his two 'rescuers' or should he turn them in?
I not only found the three main characters, but also the friends and enemies they make on their journey drawn realistically and very relatable. Everyone has his own way of dealing with their situation and nothing is painted in black or white. Those characters have their faults – some more than the others – but in the end there was no one who deserved to be treated like he was nothing but human spare parts for those who could afford it.
The only thing that felt a bit off at times was the writing style. Sometimes the present tense sounded awkward to me, and the frequent switching between the different points of view made it hard for me to become fully attached to all the characters, but I loved Connor, Risa and Lev.
I will definitely be looking out for more of Shusterman's work.
Edit: I originally rated this book four stars, but I've decided to up my rating ;). I would recommend Unwind to everyone looking for a good YA book, I would label it a favourite, and I don't think I'll ever forget it. If a book makes me think about it even months after reading it, it definitely deserves five stars!
Also, it contained one of the most disturbing scenes I have ever read - not on a graphic level, but more due to the fact that what exactly is happening is left almost completely to the reader's imagination (if you've read the book, you will most likely know what I'm referring to).
Set in the near future, the novel follows three teens about to be unwound – which is the thing to do with unwanted teens and basically means that they are to be scavenged for body parts to be transplanted to those in need of them (though the signification of 'need' can be stretched here: someone can also 'need' new eyes because his girlfriend doesn't like the old ones' colour).
Connor has always been trouble, sometimes unable to control his temper. When he finds out that his parents are about to have him unwound, he runs away and crosses paths with Risa and Lev. Risa is a state ward being sent away due to shortage of money and Lev is a tithe, sacrificed by his religious parents for a greater good.
Connor and Risa have only one goal: to be able to make it until their eighteenth birthday, when the law will protect them from being unwound after all. Lev, who has always believed in his special purpose, is deeply conflicted. Should he run with his two 'rescuers' or should he turn them in?
I not only found the three main characters, but also the friends and enemies they make on their journey drawn realistically and very relatable. Everyone has his own way of dealing with their situation and nothing is painted in black or white. Those characters have their faults – some more than the others – but in the end there was no one who deserved to be treated like he was nothing but human spare parts for those who could afford it.
The only thing that felt a bit off at times was the writing style. Sometimes the present tense sounded awkward to me, and the frequent switching between the different points of view made it hard for me to become fully attached to all the characters, but I loved Connor, Risa and Lev.
I will definitely be looking out for more of Shusterman's work.
Edit: I originally rated this book four stars, but I've decided to up my rating ;). I would recommend Unwind to everyone looking for a good YA book, I would label it a favourite, and I don't think I'll ever forget it. If a book makes me think about it even months after reading it, it definitely deserves five stars!
August 21, 2019
Update: The more I think about it, the more I have to lower my rating.
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The book is an interesting and easy read, but the concept has a lot of potential that I don’t believe was seized fully. My main complaint is that Shusterman seems to try to straddle the line between pro-choice and pro-life without taking a side. This comes across as playing it too safe to me; in politics you don’t have the luxury of not taking a stance when lives are at stake. My other complaint is that the world is not very believable or fleshed out - the world building could have expanded a lot more to provide some insight to how a divisive society could easily come to an agreement like this, and how parents would so easily sign away their children. To make this a more quality dystopian, we need to know more about the war, how this government came to be, and how this unwinding system works. We also need the roles of the 3 central characters to actually represent different facets of whatever argument Shusterman was trying to make - but again, I don’t think the argument is very clear or barely exists at all. There was an opportunity for interesting worldbuilding and for Shusterman to take a stand on something; instead it was reduced to an action story with surface-level characters.
---
The book is an interesting and easy read, but the concept has a lot of potential that I don’t believe was seized fully. My main complaint is that Shusterman seems to try to straddle the line between pro-choice and pro-life without taking a side. This comes across as playing it too safe to me; in politics you don’t have the luxury of not taking a stance when lives are at stake. My other complaint is that the world is not very believable or fleshed out - the world building could have expanded a lot more to provide some insight to how a divisive society could easily come to an agreement like this, and how parents would so easily sign away their children. To make this a more quality dystopian, we need to know more about the war, how this government came to be, and how this unwinding system works. We also need the roles of the 3 central characters to actually represent different facets of whatever argument Shusterman was trying to make - but again, I don’t think the argument is very clear or barely exists at all. There was an opportunity for interesting worldbuilding and for Shusterman to take a stand on something; instead it was reduced to an action story with surface-level characters.
July 13, 2023
You are not going to believe me, but I came to this book with open arms. It survived weeks of cuts and call-backs to become one of the final six books that were carefully wrapped in pajamas before being placed in the suitcase and flown to Europe. I only take books I am confident I’ll love on vacation. Well, given the length of this trip, space constraints, and my mercurial ways, they also had to be relatively thin, paperback, and fast-paced, but you get my point.
Alas, from the very first chapter, I was wrinkling my nose. Meet Connor. He has gotten into some fist fights at school and has bouts of anger, but is fundamentally a good kid. I like him well enough. But his parents are fed up and sign the papers to have him “unwound” – essentially the government whisks away your child, kills them, and distributes their organs to others.
Unwinding is an interesting, if poorly explored, idea. But the selection of candidates is where I start to rebel. You could argue that Connor’s parents were heartless, atypical people. However, Shusterman portrays them as a middle class, respectable household making a socially acceptable decision. In fact, they have another son that they adore.
The sad thing is this stumbling block was easily removable. Imagine that due to a government regulation aimed at population control, you can only have one child pass the age of twenty-one. With such a brief explanation, Shusterman would have appeased me. Connor’s parents picked his brother over him. Done.
My other quibble is the lack of effort Shusterman showed in establishing his world. I know the setting is the United States sometime in the future (several decades?) after a war over reproductive rights. But other than introducing the practices of unwinding and storking (don’t ask), nothing much has changed. The people still use cell phones, drive cars, and eat chicken.
Perhaps my critique of his imagination is unfair. The cover and premise led me to believe this would be science-fiction. I would now assign it to the dystopian category. Still, it isn’t quality dystopian. I need to know more about the war, more about other technologies/polices that resulted, more about the new government. Even if all the above is outside the scope of what Shusterman wanted to accomplish, I still feel entitled to more about who gets the organs from the unwound. Who coordinates the transplants? How are recipients prioritized? Do they pay for organs? How much? Are there cosmetic transplants or are they allowed for only medical necessitates?
And the ending. It wasn’t so bad. We are privy to an actual unwinding surgery and it is chilling to watch a character being dissembled. Ultimately, though, the ending is sprinkled with more underdeveloped tidbits.
This book was a disappointment. Unwinding is a great concept, but it couldn’t save this book from its poor writing and poorer set-up. Shusterman attempt at depth fails, as well, when he takes on one of the most challenging and philosophical questions of all time: what constitutes one’s soul? Kazuo Ishiguro wrote a book which uses a similar device to address a similar question and whose subtle touch I found to be far more effectual.
Alas, from the very first chapter, I was wrinkling my nose. Meet Connor. He has gotten into some fist fights at school and has bouts of anger, but is fundamentally a good kid. I like him well enough. But his parents are fed up and sign the papers to have him “unwound” – essentially the government whisks away your child, kills them, and distributes their organs to others.
Unwinding is an interesting, if poorly explored, idea. But the selection of candidates is where I start to rebel. You could argue that Connor’s parents were heartless, atypical people. However, Shusterman portrays them as a middle class, respectable household making a socially acceptable decision. In fact, they have another son that they adore.
The sad thing is this stumbling block was easily removable. Imagine that due to a government regulation aimed at population control, you can only have one child pass the age of twenty-one. With such a brief explanation, Shusterman would have appeased me. Connor’s parents picked his brother over him. Done.
My other quibble is the lack of effort Shusterman showed in establishing his world. I know the setting is the United States sometime in the future (several decades?) after a war over reproductive rights. But other than introducing the practices of unwinding and storking (don’t ask), nothing much has changed. The people still use cell phones, drive cars, and eat chicken.
Perhaps my critique of his imagination is unfair. The cover and premise led me to believe this would be science-fiction. I would now assign it to the dystopian category. Still, it isn’t quality dystopian. I need to know more about the war, more about other technologies/polices that resulted, more about the new government. Even if all the above is outside the scope of what Shusterman wanted to accomplish, I still feel entitled to more about who gets the organs from the unwound. Who coordinates the transplants? How are recipients prioritized? Do they pay for organs? How much? Are there cosmetic transplants or are they allowed for only medical necessitates?
And the ending. It wasn’t so bad. We are privy to an actual unwinding surgery and it is chilling to watch a character being dissembled. Ultimately, though, the ending is sprinkled with more underdeveloped tidbits.
This book was a disappointment. Unwinding is a great concept, but it couldn’t save this book from its poor writing and poorer set-up. Shusterman attempt at depth fails, as well, when he takes on one of the most challenging and philosophical questions of all time: what constitutes one’s soul? Kazuo Ishiguro wrote a book which uses a similar device to address a similar question and whose subtle touch I found to be far more effectual.
March 17, 2017
I've been letting this book process in my mind for many days now and I still don't know where to start. This is an older book, one that has been held in highest regards by many for almost a decade now, so whenever I read a book like this I feel awkward and useless writing a review. What could I possibly say to do this book justice that hasn't been said yet? I'm not even sure there are words to describe just how undone this book made me feel. It's rare that I find myself emotionally involved in a book these days; I mainly read mystery/thrillers or YA sci-fi/fantasy and neither of those genres tend to hold deep, moving stories of this kind. The only way I know to describe how this book made me feel is that it wormed it's way so deep inside my body that it touched my soul. My brain felt so jumbled it didn't know whether I should cry, vomit, or give a standing ovation, so it just kind of snorted. If you read the tiny blurb above then you know that there isn't much given away of what this book really is, other than touching on the fact that it's premise is truly horrifying. While I'm not planning on giving away any major spoilers or plot points, if you're wanting to go in completely blind, I recommend stopping right here and grabbing the book. If you are wanting to get a little more of a feel of what this is before you dive in, keep reading on.
" The Bill of Life"
The Second Civil War, also known as "The Heartland War," was a long and bloody conflict fought over a single issue.
To end the war, a set of constitutional amendments known as "The Bill of Life" was passed.
It satisfied both the Pro-life and the Pro-choice armies.
The Bill of Life states that human life may not be touched from the moment of conception until a child reaches the age of thirteen.
However, between the ages of thirteen and eighteen, a parent may choose to retroactively "abort" a child...
... on the condition that the child's life doesn't "technically" end.
The process by which a child is both terminated and yet kept alive is called "unwinding."
Unwinding is now a common and accepted practice in society.
Wow. It's a little hard to swallow, yes? When I initially saw this page I thought "Geez, a little dramatic. I'm not sure how he's going to make this seem realistic, but I'll follow along and keep an open mind." He made it realistic people. When I think of how utterly disturbing an "unwinding" would be, I found myself riddled with all types of questions. What happens in an unwinding? Will we be privy to a procedure? Is this going to be highly graphic and full of blood and guts? How is this being marketed as a YA novel? This book is recommended for ages 12 & up. Here's what I found out after reading this book; yes, we find out what happens specifically in an unwinding and are privy to one, but just one, and it is highly disturbing in the most subtle way. What surprised me the most though was the lack of graphic violence (aside from one major scene near the end). The reason this book is so utterly brilliant is due to the fact that the author has left most of the highly disturbing factors vague; he knew for each reader, what would move us the most, would be different and has given us the opportunity to let our imagination carry us where he couldn't take us with too much structure and detail.
"I was never going to amount to much anyway, but now, statistically speaking, there's a better chance that some part of me will go on to greatness somewhere in the world. I'd rather be partly great than entirely useless."
-Samson Ward
This book is structured so well; it has all the elements of a complex, highly intelligent read while also being written in a way that is easy for anyone to connect with and understand. The story is divided into seven parts, each told from multiple views, but mainly from three. Connor is a trouble maker from Akron, OH that becomes AWOL while running away from his impending unwinding. Risa is a ward of the state and is set to be unwound due to the lack of space in the institutions housing orphans. She is a musician but not deemed talented enough to be considered cost effective in keeping around. Lev is a tithe; these are children conceived and raised specifically to be unwound once they reach the age of thirteen. These three lines converge at a specific event and begin what I like to consider the first part of our journey. I won't give away anything else, but we ride lots of ups and downs with these folks. The ending was satisfying in the sense that it clearly is left with the assumption of a series following, but there isn't a giant cliff hanger where you feel pressured to pick up the next book immediately. In fact, I've seen most people choose to read this as a standalone and not continue on. Either way, this is a book that is worth your time; it's far from your typical, sometimes flimsy YA novel. There was actually a good bit of "real life" research that went into this story; Shusterman found various news articles surrounding stem cell research that helped form a base for his fictional story to be crafted around. I know this because I took the time to look up each link he provided and, by George, they are real! And horrifying!
"You can't change laws without first changing human nature."
-Nurse Greta
"You can't change human nature without first changing the law."
-Nurse Yvonne
Words can't convey how important this novel is. Yes, it's highly disturbing, horrifying, and a place our mind doesn't even want to venture to, but this book touched on so many issues in our current state of affairs world wide and is surprisingly still relevant after nearly ten years. Stem Cell Research, Cellular Memory, Reproductive Rights, the afterlife, faith, and morals; it's all discussed in this book. I found myself constantly pondering all of the above and how it relates to humanity. As a parent, this was a hard book to stomach. It brought an all-too-real sense of terror over me that I couldn't shake, and still haven't. The Roland scene was one where I had to put the book down, wipe the tears from my eyes, and process before I could continue on to finish. The reason this book can even have the potential of being beloved by so many is this: amidst all the horror and unspeakable evil the plot is founded on, there is a constant glimmer of hope in the horizon. It's a beautiful thing folks. Change. Community. Forgiveness. It's all there, and that's why I'm going to recommend this book to literally everyone I come in contact with. I could ramble on for weeks about this book, but I think it would be better if you just read it for yourself. I'm also planning on continuing the series, so I'll try to provide insight into whether or not it's worth investing in the long haul or just soaking up this treasure by itself.
*I'd like to thank The Literary Box for providing my copy; it was an absolute pleasure to return an honest review.
*In case you missed it, you can find my full review and unboxing of the subscription this book was included in here: https://thesuspenseisthrillingme.com/...
" The Bill of Life"
The Second Civil War, also known as "The Heartland War," was a long and bloody conflict fought over a single issue.
To end the war, a set of constitutional amendments known as "The Bill of Life" was passed.
It satisfied both the Pro-life and the Pro-choice armies.
The Bill of Life states that human life may not be touched from the moment of conception until a child reaches the age of thirteen.
However, between the ages of thirteen and eighteen, a parent may choose to retroactively "abort" a child...
... on the condition that the child's life doesn't "technically" end.
The process by which a child is both terminated and yet kept alive is called "unwinding."
Unwinding is now a common and accepted practice in society.
Wow. It's a little hard to swallow, yes? When I initially saw this page I thought "Geez, a little dramatic. I'm not sure how he's going to make this seem realistic, but I'll follow along and keep an open mind." He made it realistic people. When I think of how utterly disturbing an "unwinding" would be, I found myself riddled with all types of questions. What happens in an unwinding? Will we be privy to a procedure? Is this going to be highly graphic and full of blood and guts? How is this being marketed as a YA novel? This book is recommended for ages 12 & up. Here's what I found out after reading this book; yes, we find out what happens specifically in an unwinding and are privy to one, but just one, and it is highly disturbing in the most subtle way. What surprised me the most though was the lack of graphic violence (aside from one major scene near the end). The reason this book is so utterly brilliant is due to the fact that the author has left most of the highly disturbing factors vague; he knew for each reader, what would move us the most, would be different and has given us the opportunity to let our imagination carry us where he couldn't take us with too much structure and detail.
"I was never going to amount to much anyway, but now, statistically speaking, there's a better chance that some part of me will go on to greatness somewhere in the world. I'd rather be partly great than entirely useless."
-Samson Ward
This book is structured so well; it has all the elements of a complex, highly intelligent read while also being written in a way that is easy for anyone to connect with and understand. The story is divided into seven parts, each told from multiple views, but mainly from three. Connor is a trouble maker from Akron, OH that becomes AWOL while running away from his impending unwinding. Risa is a ward of the state and is set to be unwound due to the lack of space in the institutions housing orphans. She is a musician but not deemed talented enough to be considered cost effective in keeping around. Lev is a tithe; these are children conceived and raised specifically to be unwound once they reach the age of thirteen. These three lines converge at a specific event and begin what I like to consider the first part of our journey. I won't give away anything else, but we ride lots of ups and downs with these folks. The ending was satisfying in the sense that it clearly is left with the assumption of a series following, but there isn't a giant cliff hanger where you feel pressured to pick up the next book immediately. In fact, I've seen most people choose to read this as a standalone and not continue on. Either way, this is a book that is worth your time; it's far from your typical, sometimes flimsy YA novel. There was actually a good bit of "real life" research that went into this story; Shusterman found various news articles surrounding stem cell research that helped form a base for his fictional story to be crafted around. I know this because I took the time to look up each link he provided and, by George, they are real! And horrifying!
"You can't change laws without first changing human nature."
-Nurse Greta
"You can't change human nature without first changing the law."
-Nurse Yvonne
Words can't convey how important this novel is. Yes, it's highly disturbing, horrifying, and a place our mind doesn't even want to venture to, but this book touched on so many issues in our current state of affairs world wide and is surprisingly still relevant after nearly ten years. Stem Cell Research, Cellular Memory, Reproductive Rights, the afterlife, faith, and morals; it's all discussed in this book. I found myself constantly pondering all of the above and how it relates to humanity. As a parent, this was a hard book to stomach. It brought an all-too-real sense of terror over me that I couldn't shake, and still haven't. The Roland scene was one where I had to put the book down, wipe the tears from my eyes, and process before I could continue on to finish. The reason this book can even have the potential of being beloved by so many is this: amidst all the horror and unspeakable evil the plot is founded on, there is a constant glimmer of hope in the horizon. It's a beautiful thing folks. Change. Community. Forgiveness. It's all there, and that's why I'm going to recommend this book to literally everyone I come in contact with. I could ramble on for weeks about this book, but I think it would be better if you just read it for yourself. I'm also planning on continuing the series, so I'll try to provide insight into whether or not it's worth investing in the long haul or just soaking up this treasure by itself.
*I'd like to thank The Literary Box for providing my copy; it was an absolute pleasure to return an honest review.
*In case you missed it, you can find my full review and unboxing of the subscription this book was included in here: https://thesuspenseisthrillingme.com/...
July 14, 2014
Of late, we've seen the YA dystopia trend grow to dizzying heights. Many like to bleat that every post-apocalyptic adventure published within the last year is trying to grab the success of The Hunger Games, just as we've all assumed that authors of YA paranormal romance are trying to jump on the Meyer bandwagon. We're being conditioned to accuse every dystopian author of being a scammer, and every book (before we've even read it and discovered that no, it doesn't have anything to do with Collin's already derivative plot) of being a loserific rip-off.
Those who believe this: stop. Because I can say, without a shadow of a doubt, that this book is better than The Hunger Games.
First of all; the world-building is spectacular. It's all related to an issue we face right now: pro-life vs. pro-choice. Being a Wendy Davis fangirl, this book disturbed and touched me on a very deep personal level. It literally changed my life.
Let me elaborate.
So: America. The so-called "Heartland War" was fought by pro-choice and pro-life armies as each sought to obliterate the other. What's left is a compromise dictating that human life cannot be touched before adolescence, but between the ages of thirteen and eighteen, a child can be "unwound"; a process by which the child is split apart and all organs (99.44% of the body must be used) are saved as transplants for donors. Problem children are signed as Unwinds by parents at their wit's end, while tithes are born and raised to be unwound.
The premise didn't convince me at first. I couldn't buy it. I couldn't buy that people would sign off their children to be cut into pieces and scattered around like car parts. But that's the beauty of this book; while The Hunger Games never succeeded in convincing me, this book did. The farther I read, the more invested I became. It's electric, in every sense - the characters, the world, the premise, the writing. The way tithes were brainwashed became frustrating, just as the "terribles" became nauseatingly tragic. Yes, I'm talking about Roland, a troubled boy sentenced to unwinding by his mother even after he saved her from her violent husband. Written off and judged as dangerous, Roland was unwound at Happy Jack harvest camp (yes. Happy Jack. It gets sicker). The best part? We have front row seats to Roland's unwinding. The narrative continues and we find ourselves watching, helpless, as a team of doctors and nurses cut him into pieces. His fear leaps off the page.
Our first and main narrator is Connor, a troubled boy not unlike most of the kids I've known at high school. He's not particularly vicious, spiteful or difficult. He's just a teenage boy on a rough patch. But his parents are lazy and selfish, so they sign him up to be unwound. Connor won't stand for it, though; he finds the order and makes tracks in the middle of the night.
Risa is a ward of the state. Due to budget cuts (I kid you not) she is signed up to be unwound. At her tribunal, in which she's informed she'll be sent to a harvest camp, she's told that she isn't smart or talented enough to be kept alive.
Lev is a tithe, a child born and raised to be signed off as an Unwind as soon as he turns thirteen. His oldest brother is vehemently against the process, but his deeply religious parents have convinced Lev that being tithed is a great honor that he must follow through to the end.
The collision of these three characters is the start of this never-ending thrill ride that comes to a screaming stop only on the very last page. The last page is equally as rewarding, so never fear!
My point before, while I was still reading this, is thus: in recent YA and in general, men write better heroines than women. Why is this? Does this depress anyone else? Can we please start having some faith in our own gender, women, and stop letting male writers covet positive and proactive females?
Also, interestingly, the romance in Unwind, though light, was more convincing than anything I've read in YA lately. It brought me to tears twice, and only made me love both characters more. Why? I can't say. Perhaps it's because it never felt like a Romatic Plot Tumor, and it never felt forced. There was no "tightness in my chest" or "shimmering azure pools". It was two people, two desperate teenagers, knowing and accepting and appreciating each other.
Though who else thought Connor and Risa should have had the smex? Come on, people. If you're going to be slaughtered in a matter of days and your loved one is right there, all hot and yummy, wouldn't you want to have the smex? Yessir.
Anyway. The heroine? I loved her just as much as I loved Connor. You know what? Sometimes I loved her more. Risa is just alive, so filled with personality and integrity and intelligence. She's strong, capable, and entirely independent. Her final fate (along with Connor's) was a little bittersweet, but on the whole it fully satisfied me. Like, MAN, did it satisfy me. You know when you're really hungry, and then you scarf down a massive Montana's steak with 'shrooms and tomatoes and steak sauce and big fries with salt and vinegar? That's how satisfied I was. (I hope y'all are hungry now.)
Guise, my ONLY problem with this book lies in the writing. To begin with, I didn't like it. It took a while for me to get into the style of it, and the editing was squiffy as hell:
"Just because he's to be unwound does NOT means he's an Unwind." - page 31
"Smorgas-bash!!" - page 128
"This is a pawnshop isn't it?" (Missing comma) - page 158
"...but Hayden isn't done done yet." - page 172
As I said - this book is beautifully written, but I only came to appreciate this when I was about a quarter way in. I also don't like all-caps sentences in published works (save it for Tumblr, bbys) but once I got used to it, it really just stopped bothering me. And sure, the little blips above irritate me, but there are dozens of gloriously beautiful passages within Unwind that moved me and allowed me to easily forgive Shusterman for the slip-ups. Third person present tense is difficult to pull off, but Shusterman did. And hella kudos for that, broski!
Unwind isn't for the faint-hearted. It pushes a lot of very close-to-home questions that might make you squirm. What is the value of life? Does our society unfairly judge youth? Do we give up on troubled children too quickly? How can one profess to be "pro life" but then advocate killing grown humans (this is an EXTREMELY relevant question)? Is revenge ever justified? Can you justify cruel means to a kind end?
How far would you go to preserve your own life? What sacrifices would you make?
These questions are never explicitly answered by Unwind, and this is what makes this book such a legend. It never preaches, only teaches. It informs, but does not push opinions. It poses questions that are open to be answered by the reader, not the author. It is a very challenging read, but an incredibly rewarding one.
On the whole? This book is absolutely excellent. It's probably one of my favourite books of all time. I adore it. I adore the brilliant characters, the electric premise, the gorgeous writing and the wildly original premise. It's so full of heart. I admit it: I cried twice. I was shocked, disturbed, enlightened, amazed. It grabbed hold of me and drew me in from the first page. It's highly original, and basically, a triumph in every sense of the word.
Read it. Now.
Those who believe this: stop. Because I can say, without a shadow of a doubt, that this book is better than The Hunger Games.
First of all; the world-building is spectacular. It's all related to an issue we face right now: pro-life vs. pro-choice. Being a Wendy Davis fangirl, this book disturbed and touched me on a very deep personal level. It literally changed my life.
Let me elaborate.
So: America. The so-called "Heartland War" was fought by pro-choice and pro-life armies as each sought to obliterate the other. What's left is a compromise dictating that human life cannot be touched before adolescence, but between the ages of thirteen and eighteen, a child can be "unwound"; a process by which the child is split apart and all organs (99.44% of the body must be used) are saved as transplants for donors. Problem children are signed as Unwinds by parents at their wit's end, while tithes are born and raised to be unwound.
The premise didn't convince me at first. I couldn't buy it. I couldn't buy that people would sign off their children to be cut into pieces and scattered around like car parts. But that's the beauty of this book; while The Hunger Games never succeeded in convincing me, this book did. The farther I read, the more invested I became. It's electric, in every sense - the characters, the world, the premise, the writing. The way tithes were brainwashed became frustrating, just as the "terribles" became nauseatingly tragic. Yes, I'm talking about Roland, a troubled boy sentenced to unwinding by his mother even after he saved her from her violent husband. Written off and judged as dangerous, Roland was unwound at Happy Jack harvest camp (yes. Happy Jack. It gets sicker). The best part? We have front row seats to Roland's unwinding. The narrative continues and we find ourselves watching, helpless, as a team of doctors and nurses cut him into pieces. His fear leaps off the page.
Our first and main narrator is Connor, a troubled boy not unlike most of the kids I've known at high school. He's not particularly vicious, spiteful or difficult. He's just a teenage boy on a rough patch. But his parents are lazy and selfish, so they sign him up to be unwound. Connor won't stand for it, though; he finds the order and makes tracks in the middle of the night.
Risa is a ward of the state. Due to budget cuts (I kid you not) she is signed up to be unwound. At her tribunal, in which she's informed she'll be sent to a harvest camp, she's told that she isn't smart or talented enough to be kept alive.
Lev is a tithe, a child born and raised to be signed off as an Unwind as soon as he turns thirteen. His oldest brother is vehemently against the process, but his deeply religious parents have convinced Lev that being tithed is a great honor that he must follow through to the end.
The collision of these three characters is the start of this never-ending thrill ride that comes to a screaming stop only on the very last page. The last page is equally as rewarding, so never fear!
My point before, while I was still reading this, is thus: in recent YA and in general, men write better heroines than women. Why is this? Does this depress anyone else? Can we please start having some faith in our own gender, women, and stop letting male writers covet positive and proactive females?
Also, interestingly, the romance in Unwind, though light, was more convincing than anything I've read in YA lately. It brought me to tears twice, and only made me love both characters more. Why? I can't say. Perhaps it's because it never felt like a Romatic Plot Tumor, and it never felt forced. There was no "tightness in my chest" or "shimmering azure pools". It was two people, two desperate teenagers, knowing and accepting and appreciating each other.
Anyway. The heroine? I loved her just as much as I loved Connor. You know what? Sometimes I loved her more. Risa is just alive, so filled with personality and integrity and intelligence. She's strong, capable, and entirely independent. Her final fate (along with Connor's) was a little bittersweet, but on the whole it fully satisfied me. Like, MAN, did it satisfy me. You know when you're really hungry, and then you scarf down a massive Montana's steak with 'shrooms and tomatoes and steak sauce and big fries with salt and vinegar? That's how satisfied I was. (I hope y'all are hungry now.)
Guise, my ONLY problem with this book lies in the writing. To begin with, I didn't like it. It took a while for me to get into the style of it, and the editing was squiffy as hell:
"Just because he's to be unwound does NOT means he's an Unwind." - page 31
"Smorgas-bash!!" - page 128
"This is a pawnshop isn't it?" (Missing comma) - page 158
"...but Hayden isn't done done yet." - page 172
As I said - this book is beautifully written, but I only came to appreciate this when I was about a quarter way in. I also don't like all-caps sentences in published works (save it for Tumblr, bbys) but once I got used to it, it really just stopped bothering me. And sure, the little blips above irritate me, but there are dozens of gloriously beautiful passages within Unwind that moved me and allowed me to easily forgive Shusterman for the slip-ups. Third person present tense is difficult to pull off, but Shusterman did. And hella kudos for that, broski!
Unwind isn't for the faint-hearted. It pushes a lot of very close-to-home questions that might make you squirm. What is the value of life? Does our society unfairly judge youth? Do we give up on troubled children too quickly? How can one profess to be "pro life" but then advocate killing grown humans (this is an EXTREMELY relevant question)? Is revenge ever justified? Can you justify cruel means to a kind end?
How far would you go to preserve your own life? What sacrifices would you make?
These questions are never explicitly answered by Unwind, and this is what makes this book such a legend. It never preaches, only teaches. It informs, but does not push opinions. It poses questions that are open to be answered by the reader, not the author. It is a very challenging read, but an incredibly rewarding one.
On the whole? This book is absolutely excellent. It's probably one of my favourite books of all time. I adore it. I adore the brilliant characters, the electric premise, the gorgeous writing and the wildly original premise. It's so full of heart. I admit it: I cried twice. I was shocked, disturbed, enlightened, amazed. It grabbed hold of me and drew me in from the first page. It's highly original, and basically, a triumph in every sense of the word.
Read it. Now.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 15, 2019
My thoughts in a nutshell
It could've been better. This was a hate-love relationship with the book. Sadly, I hated it more than I enjoyed it. Overall, I'm disappointed.
The story is about…
Skip over this point if you don't like the sneak peek.
A new society where the parents can unwind our hated children that means if the child reaches the age of thirteen and eighteen the cops take them away to the harvest camp. In the harvest camp, the children will unwind piece after piece. Their body parts are transplanted into different donors.
What impressed me the most 😊
I like the concept. It was unique. Neal Shusterman's ideas always pleasure for me. The Scythe is one of my all-time favorite series. It's really hard not to compare Unwind to Scythe.
I enjoyed the first half of the book. The pacing was great. I was excited about what will happen to the main characters. I generally enjoy it when the protagonist is running away from someone. It gave me shiver and continuously worried about the plot.
In the end, something terrible happened, and I was shocked. When I was reading, I had to stop and wait for a couple of minutes because that chapter was disturbing. Usually, I can handle the gory things of the book, but this was brutal.
I like Lev's character development. In the beginning, I was so angry at him, but through the story, he changes a lot. Connor was also an interesting boy. He feels anger from society and his parents. I totally feel him. I thought he was the most realistic character of all.
I love that Shusterman always writes about the likely future of our society. I can imagine that this can happen in the future, or something similar, but I can believe more in what he wrote in Scythe.
What I don't like at all ☹️
The Unwind is an overwritten book. I was bored most of the time. The Graveyard scene was too long, and I couldn't wait for the end.
The school scene was too perfect. Nah. It is not possible, way too artificial.
I hate when the author forces the love interest. Unwind's has a great idea, an enjoyable motion, why ruin with a random love interest? I have no idea, and it makes me angry.
Risa was an unnecessary character. She's just a shadow. I don't like her. If I cut her out of the story then the book wouldn't have been that long. Problem solved.
The ending was the most boring part of the book. After that shocking part, my expectation went higher then it fell. I was skimming the last couple of chapters. It ruined my enjoyment.
Make a conclusion
I gave it 3 stars because it has a lot of potentials but I was disinterested, and if I'm bored as hell I won't give it 4 stars. I'm so sorry.
I recommend it to anyone who enjoys a thrilling story about our possible society. But, if you want to read a masterpiece, please chose Scythe.
Atmosphere collage aka. how did I imagine the book vibes?
October 13, 2018
Still disturbingly cool
This book is disturbing and just holy crow! These people think it's okay to unwind their children if they don't want them or if they are bad kids. And what is unwinding you ask? It's where they take all of your body parts, EVERY SINGLE ONE, and use them for other people. AND your body parts are still a part of you, but only your brain can still think inside of another body but the parts can still do things the other kid did, like playing an instrument etc.
--->EXCERPT<---
"See, brain bits work okay, but they don't work great," CyFi explains. "It's like puttin' spackle over a hole in a wall. No matter how well you do it, that wall ain't never gonna be as good. So my dads made sure I got an entire temporal lobe from a single donor. But that kid wasn't as smart as me. He wasn't no dummy, but he didn't have the 155. The last brain scan put me at 130. That's the top 5 percent of the population, and still considered genius. Just not with a capital G. What's your IQ?"
AND... YES THERE IS ANOTHER AND... they only numb you while they are doing this! They don't put you all the way under, they want to make sure your still functioning. I had the wonderful time of reading a kid going through this. I didn't like the bully that this was happening to but still. There is a moral to this story, if your a bad kid and your parents sent you to boot camp, JUMP FOR DAMN JOY!
The three main characters of the story are Connor, Risa and Lev. Connor's parents put in the order to unwind him because he was always getting into trouble. Risa was in the system and they needed to make room for more kids at the home. And Lev was a tithe to God. I still can't get over some of the stuff I read in this book. I loved the book though, don't get me wrong.
Connor and Risa break free and are on the run. Connor grabs Lev and take him with them. Lev isn't happy about this because he thinks he's supposed to be a tithe, but when his pastor tells him to run he starts to understand. They all get split up for a bit and Lev runs into another kid called CyFi (nickname) and this kid isn't on the run because he's not an unwind. He's actually wanted by his father's and he's a stork kid. <--- Get to that in a minute. But CyFi is on a mission because he has part of the brain of another child and that child wants to get something done. I cried at this part because it's so horrific :-(
At some point they all end up in a plane graveyard where an ex military man takes care of unwinds.
They live here for a short period of time because some kids start some stuff and there is a riot and people are killed. Sigh, it was all stupid actually. I did like the Admiral, he did a lot to help these kids because he and his ex-wife made the mistake of unwinding their child. They changed their mind but they were too late so he dedicated his life to helping others.
Oh yeah and the stork babies are babies that are left on your doorstep and you are allowed to keep them. Abortion is illegal but you can put a baby on a doorstep and they can keep the child forever or decide to Unwind it later.
Needless to say this book was very disturbing and creepy but I really did enjoy it. I haven't read anything else like it!
MY BLOG: Melissa Martin's Reading List
This book is disturbing and just holy crow! These people think it's okay to unwind their children if they don't want them or if they are bad kids. And what is unwinding you ask? It's where they take all of your body parts, EVERY SINGLE ONE, and use them for other people. AND your body parts are still a part of you, but only your brain can still think inside of another body but the parts can still do things the other kid did, like playing an instrument etc.
--->EXCERPT<---
"See, brain bits work okay, but they don't work great," CyFi explains. "It's like puttin' spackle over a hole in a wall. No matter how well you do it, that wall ain't never gonna be as good. So my dads made sure I got an entire temporal lobe from a single donor. But that kid wasn't as smart as me. He wasn't no dummy, but he didn't have the 155. The last brain scan put me at 130. That's the top 5 percent of the population, and still considered genius. Just not with a capital G. What's your IQ?"
AND... YES THERE IS ANOTHER AND... they only numb you while they are doing this! They don't put you all the way under, they want to make sure your still functioning. I had the wonderful time of reading a kid going through this. I didn't like the bully that this was happening to but still. There is a moral to this story, if your a bad kid and your parents sent you to boot camp, JUMP FOR DAMN JOY!
The three main characters of the story are Connor, Risa and Lev. Connor's parents put in the order to unwind him because he was always getting into trouble. Risa was in the system and they needed to make room for more kids at the home. And Lev was a tithe to God. I still can't get over some of the stuff I read in this book. I loved the book though, don't get me wrong.
Connor and Risa break free and are on the run. Connor grabs Lev and take him with them. Lev isn't happy about this because he thinks he's supposed to be a tithe, but when his pastor tells him to run he starts to understand. They all get split up for a bit and Lev runs into another kid called CyFi (nickname) and this kid isn't on the run because he's not an unwind. He's actually wanted by his father's and he's a stork kid. <--- Get to that in a minute. But CyFi is on a mission because he has part of the brain of another child and that child wants to get something done. I cried at this part because it's so horrific :-(
At some point they all end up in a plane graveyard where an ex military man takes care of unwinds.
They live here for a short period of time because some kids start some stuff and there is a riot and people are killed. Sigh, it was all stupid actually. I did like the Admiral, he did a lot to help these kids because he and his ex-wife made the mistake of unwinding their child. They changed their mind but they were too late so he dedicated his life to helping others.
Oh yeah and the stork babies are babies that are left on your doorstep and you are allowed to keep them. Abortion is illegal but you can put a baby on a doorstep and they can keep the child forever or decide to Unwind it later.
Needless to say this book was very disturbing and creepy but I really did enjoy it. I haven't read anything else like it!
MY BLOG: Melissa Martin's Reading List
March 11, 2022
Unwind (Unwind #1), Neal Shusterman
Unwind is a 2007 science fiction novel by young adult literature author Neal Shusterman. The story centers around three teenagers who have been scheduled to be unwound: Connor Lassiter, Risa Ward, and Levi "Lev" Jedediah Calder. Connor is a sixteen-year-old delinquent who discovers his parents signed an order to get him unwound. When his attempt at running away gets him cornered by a Juvie-cop, a law-enforcement officer who serves to round up teenagers signed to be unwound, he holds another teenager hostage, shoots the cop, and causes a traffic jam.
Connor's action gave him the name "Akron AWOL" and earns him the reputation of being the runaway who took down a police officer. At the same time, Risa, a fifteen-year-old storked orphan on her way to becoming unwound in order to cut her orphanage's costs, uses the jam to escape from the bus she was traveling on.
Lev, a thirteen-year-old who was raised to believe it was his duty to be a "tithe" (chosen member to be unwound as an act of charity or service to a religion) for his family, is also on his way to be unwound and is the teenager who was held hostage; he is then abducted after being tranquilized.
Connor and Risa escape the scene with Lev being forced to follow. ...
تاریخ نخستین خوانش: روز دوم ماه سپتامبر سال2016میلادی
عنوان: مجموعه گسسته: کتاب اول گسسته؛ نویسنده: نیل شاسترمن (شوسترمن)؛ مترجم سیاوش صمیمی فرد؛ تهران، آذرباد، سال1393؛ در409ص؛ شابک9786006225425؛ موضوع: داستانهای خیال انگیز برای کودکان از نویسندگان ایالات متحده آمریکا - سده21م
دومین جنگ داخلی، بر سر حق و حقوق زاد و ولد، شکل گرفت؛ نتیجه ی جنگ این شد (زندگی از لحظه ی شکلگیری جنین، تا سن سیزده سالگی، حق هر انسانی است)؛ اما از سیزده سالگی تا هیجده سالگی، این حق به والدینشان واگذار میشود، و آنها این اجازه را دارند، که فرزندشان را «گسسته» کنند، بدین صورت که تمام اعضای بدنش، به کسانی که نیازمند هستند، پیوند زده میشود، به طوری که زندگی اش در اصل به پایان نرسد؛ برای پدر و مادر «کانر»، کنترل کردن فرزندشان، بسیار مشکل است؛ «ریسا» نیز دختری است، که استعدادش آنچنان بالا نیست، تا پرورشگاه، تمایل داشته باشد، از او نگهداری کند، و «لِو» هم بچه ی دهم، از خانواده ای مذهبی است، که باور دارند (دهمین فرزند هر خانواده، باید به عنوان خیریه، به افراد نیازمند در راه خدا، واگذار شود)؛ «کانر»، «ریسا» و «لِو» در کنار یکدیگر، شاید بتوانند راهی برای زنده ماندن پیدا کنند؛ ...؛
نقل از متن: (فصل اول «کانر»: «آریانا» به «کانر» گفت: جاهای زیادی هست، که میتونی بری؛ پسری با هوش و ذکاوت تو، شانس زیادی برای دووم آوردن، تا هیجده سالگی داره؛ «کانر» آنچنان مطمئن نیست، اما با نگاه کردن به چشمهای «آریانا»، حتی برای یک لحظه هم که شده، این شک را در درونش از بین ببرد؛ چشمهای «آریانا» به رنگ بنفش، با رگه هایی از خاکستری بود؛ او همواره به دنبال مُد روز میگشت، و از رنگها به محض اینکه پرطرفدار میشدند، استفاده میکرد، اما «کانر»، هیچوقت به دنبال اینجور چیزها نبود؛ کاری به رنگ چشمانش نداشت، و آنها را به همان رنگ قهوه ای سوخته ای که بودند، دوست میداشت؛ علیرغم اینکه، خیلی از بچه های امروزی، به دنبال خالکوبی بودند، او هیچ طرح و نقشی، روی اندامش نداشت؛ تنها رنگی که روی پوستش، شکل گرفته بود، به خاطر آفتاب سوزان فصل تابستان بود، که آنهم پس از سپری شدن تابستان، و با رسیدن ماه نوامبر، حسابی کمرنگ شده بود، «کانر» سعی میکرد، به خودش یادآوری نکند، که دیگر رنگ تابستان را نخواهد دید؛ حداقل «کانر لَسیتِر» اینگونه نبود؛ باورش نمیشد، که در سن شانزده سالگی، قرار است جانش را، از او بدزدند)؛ پایان نقل
تاریخ نخستین خوانش 26/01/1400هجری خورشیدی؛ 19/12/1400هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی
Unwind is a 2007 science fiction novel by young adult literature author Neal Shusterman. The story centers around three teenagers who have been scheduled to be unwound: Connor Lassiter, Risa Ward, and Levi "Lev" Jedediah Calder. Connor is a sixteen-year-old delinquent who discovers his parents signed an order to get him unwound. When his attempt at running away gets him cornered by a Juvie-cop, a law-enforcement officer who serves to round up teenagers signed to be unwound, he holds another teenager hostage, shoots the cop, and causes a traffic jam.
Connor's action gave him the name "Akron AWOL" and earns him the reputation of being the runaway who took down a police officer. At the same time, Risa, a fifteen-year-old storked orphan on her way to becoming unwound in order to cut her orphanage's costs, uses the jam to escape from the bus she was traveling on.
Lev, a thirteen-year-old who was raised to believe it was his duty to be a "tithe" (chosen member to be unwound as an act of charity or service to a religion) for his family, is also on his way to be unwound and is the teenager who was held hostage; he is then abducted after being tranquilized.
Connor and Risa escape the scene with Lev being forced to follow. ...
تاریخ نخستین خوانش: روز دوم ماه سپتامبر سال2016میلادی
عنوان: مجموعه گسسته: کتاب اول گسسته؛ نویسنده: نیل شاسترمن (شوسترمن)؛ مترجم سیاوش صمیمی فرد؛ تهران، آذرباد، سال1393؛ در409ص؛ شابک9786006225425؛ موضوع: داستانهای خیال انگیز برای کودکان از نویسندگان ایالات متحده آمریکا - سده21م
دومین جنگ داخلی، بر سر حق و حقوق زاد و ولد، شکل گرفت؛ نتیجه ی جنگ این شد (زندگی از لحظه ی شکلگیری جنین، تا سن سیزده سالگی، حق هر انسانی است)؛ اما از سیزده سالگی تا هیجده سالگی، این حق به والدینشان واگذار میشود، و آنها این اجازه را دارند، که فرزندشان را «گسسته» کنند، بدین صورت که تمام اعضای بدنش، به کسانی که نیازمند هستند، پیوند زده میشود، به طوری که زندگی اش در اصل به پایان نرسد؛ برای پدر و مادر «کانر»، کنترل کردن فرزندشان، بسیار مشکل است؛ «ریسا» نیز دختری است، که استعدادش آنچنان بالا نیست، تا پرورشگاه، تمایل داشته باشد، از او نگهداری کند، و «لِو» هم بچه ی دهم، از خانواده ای مذهبی است، که باور دارند (دهمین فرزند هر خانواده، باید به عنوان خیریه، به افراد نیازمند در راه خدا، واگذار شود)؛ «کانر»، «ریسا» و «لِو» در کنار یکدیگر، شاید بتوانند راهی برای زنده ماندن پیدا کنند؛ ...؛
نقل از متن: (فصل اول «کانر»: «آریانا» به «کانر» گفت: جاهای زیادی هست، که میتونی بری؛ پسری با هوش و ذکاوت تو، شانس زیادی برای دووم آوردن، تا هیجده سالگی داره؛ «کانر» آنچنان مطمئن نیست، اما با نگاه کردن به چشمهای «آریانا»، حتی برای یک لحظه هم که شده، این شک را در درونش از بین ببرد؛ چشمهای «آریانا» به رنگ بنفش، با رگه هایی از خاکستری بود؛ او همواره به دنبال مُد روز میگشت، و از رنگها به محض اینکه پرطرفدار میشدند، استفاده میکرد، اما «کانر»، هیچوقت به دنبال اینجور چیزها نبود؛ کاری به رنگ چشمانش نداشت، و آنها را به همان رنگ قهوه ای سوخته ای که بودند، دوست میداشت؛ علیرغم اینکه، خیلی از بچه های امروزی، به دنبال خالکوبی بودند، او هیچ طرح و نقشی، روی اندامش نداشت؛ تنها رنگی که روی پوستش، شکل گرفته بود، به خاطر آفتاب سوزان فصل تابستان بود، که آنهم پس از سپری شدن تابستان، و با رسیدن ماه نوامبر، حسابی کمرنگ شده بود، «کانر» سعی میکرد، به خودش یادآوری نکند، که دیگر رنگ تابستان را نخواهد دید؛ حداقل «کانر لَسیتِر» اینگونه نبود؛ باورش نمیشد، که در سن شانزده سالگی، قرار است جانش را، از او بدزدند)؛ پایان نقل
تاریخ نخستین خوانش 26/01/1400هجری خورشیدی؛ 19/12/1400هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی
December 5, 2013
In a dystopian near future, teenagers Connor and Risa are sentenced to be unwound. When their paths cross with a tithe named Lev, they flee the world they know and become fugitives. But how long can they run before the past catches up with them...?
Imagine a world where abortion is illegal but it's perfectly acceptable to have disagreeable children unwound, that is, disassembled and their organs given to waiting recipients, when they are between the ages of 13 and 18? That's the basic premise behind Unwound and it's not as farfetched as I want it to be. Is forced organ donation really that far outside of what happens today?
Unwind is a fast-paced YA novel dealing with the ethics of what happens to unwanted children and the consequences. Shusterman introduce such concepts as unwinding, storking (abandoning unwanted children on doorsteps), and tithing (people raised specifically to be unwound.) Chilling, yes?
The characters drive the story forward at a cheetah's pace. Connor, the lead, gets most of the time, as does Roland, his bullying nemesis. Lev and Risa, while important, don't shine as much as the approaching conflict between Connor and Roland. While I thought I knew how things would turn out, there were quite a few unexpected wrinkles along the way, like CyFy, the Graveyard, the Admiral, and the Clappers.
I don't really want to get into specifics for fear of revealing to much of what happens. Suffice to say, I found Shusterman's writing very suited to the tale he was telling and the worldbuilding was superb. Much like The Handmaid's Tale, the world seemed alien at first glance but really isn't that far removed from our own, making it all the more chilling. It's a five star read, the only complaint I can think of is that I wanted it to be longer.
Imagine a world where abortion is illegal but it's perfectly acceptable to have disagreeable children unwound, that is, disassembled and their organs given to waiting recipients, when they are between the ages of 13 and 18? That's the basic premise behind Unwound and it's not as farfetched as I want it to be. Is forced organ donation really that far outside of what happens today?
Unwind is a fast-paced YA novel dealing with the ethics of what happens to unwanted children and the consequences. Shusterman introduce such concepts as unwinding, storking (abandoning unwanted children on doorsteps), and tithing (people raised specifically to be unwound.) Chilling, yes?
The characters drive the story forward at a cheetah's pace. Connor, the lead, gets most of the time, as does Roland, his bullying nemesis. Lev and Risa, while important, don't shine as much as the approaching conflict between Connor and Roland. While I thought I knew how things would turn out, there were quite a few unexpected wrinkles along the way, like CyFy, the Graveyard, the Admiral, and the Clappers.
I don't really want to get into specifics for fear of revealing to much of what happens. Suffice to say, I found Shusterman's writing very suited to the tale he was telling and the worldbuilding was superb. Much like The Handmaid's Tale, the world seemed alien at first glance but really isn't that far removed from our own, making it all the more chilling. It's a five star read, the only complaint I can think of is that I wanted it to be longer.
January 8, 2016
Thanks to a medical procedure known as "neurografting," colloquially called unwinding, every harvested organ and body part of a teenager can be used on another person's body. Stealing kiddies' fingers and brains is a whole industry. Few believe it's wrong. Some don't even believe it's death. Unwind is the story of three teenagers who have been signed up for unwinding by parents or guardians. They're unwanted, someone can't afford them, or they're a religious "tithing"/sacrifice to God. Through the will to survive—or sometimes thanks to blind luck—these three soon-to-be-unwound teens find themselves on the run.
The "Abortion Debate," if It Made Even Less Sense
When I first came across the summary for Unwind, I thought it sounded like it would be awful, but I couldn't ignore that it had maintained a star rating of four (out of five) with 7,500 ratings on Goodreads (nearly five years later, that's exploded to more than 124,000 ratings). That left me wondering if the hive mind knew something I didn't about this young adult book. So, I set out to give it a try.
In the first few pages, readers come across this:
One hopes there's almost no need to point out how illogical this premise is, but I'll do so anyway.
• No one who is anti-abortion will ever think that, instead, killing teenagers is a form of legitimate compromise. If someone considers the former murder, then he or she will most certainly consider the latter murder, too. This isn't a "grey area," like the death penalty, euthanasia, or (some would say) abortion.
• No one who believes abortion should be available to women would think killing a teenager for his or her organs wouldn't be murder. There is a reason the term's pro-choice. I don't know of any pro-choice individuals who would think a teenager isn't a thinking, feeling, fully-alive human being capable of making choices for herself. This isn't a fetus we're talking about. And this is exactly why abortion rights activists fight for teenagers to have access to safe, legal reproductive care without hovering, cloistering, occasionally deeply conservative parental consent.
It would take years, perhaps even decades or centuries, of careful, subtle brainwashing to get everyone on board with this concept.
And so there's the truth of it: Beyond its political agenda, Unwind also happens to be poorly written. The characters are stereotypical, the narrative is choppy, and the plot doesn't make sense within the context of Shusterman's own creation.
Clashing with Today's Science
All lovers of speculative fiction know that the unbelievable can be made believable by a good writer. (Belief in this is one of the reasons I kept trying and wanting to like Unwind.) It just takes the proper balance of realism and "magic." Shusterman technically knows this. After all, a major inspiration for this story was a horrible, creepy 2006 report of a Ukrainian stem cell scandal. And he repeatedly tries to tie in other real-world examples that may be loosely—usually very loosely—related to his idea.
Unfortunately, Shusterman's efforts to ground Unwind fall flat for reasons far beyond highly questionable foundations and plot holes. They fall flat because they go against the medical science that exists today in American society—yes, even with its broken healthcare system and shady insurers. If Unwind's premise isn't realistic for the next five years, you'll have trouble convincing me that this story's premise can be a reality any time soon. (Although, interestingly, Shusterman never specifically dates his story. For example, a war has passed, and there are "antique" plasma TVs and MP3 players, but the mobile phones aren't smartphones.)
Unwind was published in 2007, when stem cell research was already widely portrayed in news articles as a revolutionary solution to numerous ailments.
• In 2006, The Independent reported on seven successful bladder transplants, where the bladders were grown from the patients' own stem cells.
• Since 2008, we've done amazing things with stem cell technology. We can grow windpipes and urethras using one's own stem cells. We can even "spray" new "skin" onto burn victims.
Those are the stories we should tell teens: the stories that show, time and again, that human minds save the day when they methodically and logically work to solve problems.
In reading Unwind, I get the impression Shusterman didn't research current advancements much, if at all. His projections for the future would be significantly different and more logical if he had. I think, instead, he looked for—and poorly based Unwind on—the horror stories, of which there most certainly are some if you go in search of them. (There always are and will be.) At the risk of making him guilty for his associations, I can't say I'm surprised a former Goosebumps and Animorphs writer would do such a thing.
Is it any wonder the book takes a pseudoscientific, spiritualistic, paranormal approach to all this?
Liberal/Moderate Parents and Teachers, Beware
I am usually of the "different strokes for different folks" opinion when it comes to books I don't like, even if I think some are objectively bad. I feel that way about Unwind when it comes to adults reading it—many of whom, I should note, disagree with me about this book having an anti-abortion message. (I'm going to continue to say they're wrong about that, though. Not many mainstream YA series get sold at far-right/fundamentalist Christian bookstores, but this series does—see here and here—just a few clicks away from the purity rings.)
Shusterman's novel, when considered for young readers, seems insidious to me. It feels a little too much like conservative propaganda. Add to this that many reviews on Goodreads, by teens and adults alike, proclaim Unwind's premise is something that "could really happen" in the near future, and Shusterman is a tiny part of a much larger scientific illiteracy in our culture that embraces straw men in arguments.
Gift this one to teens with caution. The rest of the series will almost certainly be more, not less, political.
The "Abortion Debate," if It Made Even Less Sense
When I first came across the summary for Unwind, I thought it sounded like it would be awful, but I couldn't ignore that it had maintained a star rating of four (out of five) with 7,500 ratings on Goodreads (nearly five years later, that's exploded to more than 124,000 ratings). That left me wondering if the hive mind knew something I didn't about this young adult book. So, I set out to give it a try.
In the first few pages, readers come across this:
THE BILL OF LIFE
The Second Civil War, also known as "The Heartland War," was a long and bloody conflict fought over a single issue.
To end the war, a set of constitutional amendments known as "The Bill of Life" was passed.
It satisfied both the Pro-life and the Pro-choice armies.
The Bill of Life states that human life may not be touched from the moment of conception until a child reaches the age of thirteen.
However, between the ages of thirteen and eighteen, a parent may choose to retroactively "abort" a child on the condition that the child's life doesn't "technically" end.
The process by which a child is both terminated and yet kept alive is called "unwinding."
Unwinding is now a common and accepted practice in society.
One hopes there's almost no need to point out how illogical this premise is, but I'll do so anyway.
• No one who is anti-abortion will ever think that, instead, killing teenagers is a form of legitimate compromise. If someone considers the former murder, then he or she will most certainly consider the latter murder, too. This isn't a "grey area," like the death penalty, euthanasia, or (some would say) abortion.
• No one who believes abortion should be available to women would think killing a teenager for his or her organs wouldn't be murder. There is a reason the term's pro-choice. I don't know of any pro-choice individuals who would think a teenager isn't a thinking, feeling, fully-alive human being capable of making choices for herself. This isn't a fetus we're talking about. And this is exactly why abortion rights activists fight for teenagers to have access to safe, legal reproductive care without hovering, cloistering, occasionally deeply conservative parental consent.
It would take years, perhaps even decades or centuries, of careful, subtle brainwashing to get everyone on board with this concept.
And so there's the truth of it: Beyond its political agenda, Unwind also happens to be poorly written. The characters are stereotypical, the narrative is choppy, and the plot doesn't make sense within the context of Shusterman's own creation.
Clashing with Today's Science
All lovers of speculative fiction know that the unbelievable can be made believable by a good writer. (Belief in this is one of the reasons I kept trying and wanting to like Unwind.) It just takes the proper balance of realism and "magic." Shusterman technically knows this. After all, a major inspiration for this story was a horrible, creepy 2006 report of a Ukrainian stem cell scandal. And he repeatedly tries to tie in other real-world examples that may be loosely—usually very loosely—related to his idea.
Unfortunately, Shusterman's efforts to ground Unwind fall flat for reasons far beyond highly questionable foundations and plot holes. They fall flat because they go against the medical science that exists today in American society—yes, even with its broken healthcare system and shady insurers. If Unwind's premise isn't realistic for the next five years, you'll have trouble convincing me that this story's premise can be a reality any time soon. (Although, interestingly, Shusterman never specifically dates his story. For example, a war has passed, and there are "antique" plasma TVs and MP3 players, but the mobile phones aren't smartphones.)
Unwind was published in 2007, when stem cell research was already widely portrayed in news articles as a revolutionary solution to numerous ailments.
• In 2006, The Independent reported on seven successful bladder transplants, where the bladders were grown from the patients' own stem cells.
• Since 2008, we've done amazing things with stem cell technology. We can grow windpipes and urethras using one's own stem cells. We can even "spray" new "skin" onto burn victims.
Those are the stories we should tell teens: the stories that show, time and again, that human minds save the day when they methodically and logically work to solve problems.
In reading Unwind, I get the impression Shusterman didn't research current advancements much, if at all. His projections for the future would be significantly different and more logical if he had. I think, instead, he looked for—and poorly based Unwind on—the horror stories, of which there most certainly are some if you go in search of them. (There always are and will be.) At the risk of making him guilty for his associations, I can't say I'm surprised a former Goosebumps and Animorphs writer would do such a thing.
Is it any wonder the book takes a pseudoscientific, spiritualistic, paranormal approach to all this?
Liberal/Moderate Parents and Teachers, Beware
I am usually of the "different strokes for different folks" opinion when it comes to books I don't like, even if I think some are objectively bad. I feel that way about Unwind when it comes to adults reading it—many of whom, I should note, disagree with me about this book having an anti-abortion message. (I'm going to continue to say they're wrong about that, though. Not many mainstream YA series get sold at far-right/fundamentalist Christian bookstores, but this series does—see here and here—just a few clicks away from the purity rings.)
Shusterman's novel, when considered for young readers, seems insidious to me. It feels a little too much like conservative propaganda. Add to this that many reviews on Goodreads, by teens and adults alike, proclaim Unwind's premise is something that "could really happen" in the near future, and Shusterman is a tiny part of a much larger scientific illiteracy in our culture that embraces straw men in arguments.
Gift this one to teens with caution. The rest of the series will almost certainly be more, not less, political.
February 6, 2017
First of all, lemme thank the Huffington Post and people I respect on Goodreads for leading me to this book. I googled "best dystopian novels of all time in the world ever" or something along those lines (I'm not the best googler in the world) and HuffPo was one of the links I clicked on, and this book was on the list, and I recognized the cover, and I was a little skeptical but read some reviews, and one thing led to another, yada yada yada...
And this was a really thrilling, thought-provoking piece of young adult dystopian literature that really hooked me from the beginning. I had a hard time putting it down. And now I'm going to explain to you how this book felt like a roller coaster.
It starts off with that slow uphill climb as you're introduced to the characters. You meet the three main protagonists first, learn about their families and their backgrounds, get to know new terms like unwinding and storking, yada yada yada...
And then, holy moly! This thing takes off from the top of the incline at rapid speed, and I just had to put my hands up in the air and scream with glee because I'm having such a great time on this thing! I never want it to end! Whoa! The twists and turns! This is not what I expected, but it's still so great! Wheeeeeeeee!!!!!
So that's how it was like a roller coaster. Slow and steady in the beginning, and then it never lets off the brakes until the very end. Oh, and lots of twists and turns. You get the point.
Now imagine riding this gigantic thrill ride and at the same time you're yelling and screaming and having the time of your life, you're also contemplating deep issues like abortion and human rights and government and right and wrong and science and stuff like that. Like, woohoo this is so awesome, but when does life begin? Ohhhh yippeeee we're going upside down but do we have a soul and when do we get it? Oh my gosh I'm thinking and being so daggum entertained at the same daggum time! This is what reading is all about! And roller coasters!
The world and the characters created here are fascinating. The concept of the book is very interesting and plays out very well. It went in places I was not expecting at all, but I liked where it went and I like how it ended and I don't know if I wanna read the series or not. I felt like this was good. This was just right. I don't know what else needs to happen to make this better and I'm not really sure why it needs to continue. Ah, we'll see.
Yada yada yada.
And this was a really thrilling, thought-provoking piece of young adult dystopian literature that really hooked me from the beginning. I had a hard time putting it down. And now I'm going to explain to you how this book felt like a roller coaster.
It starts off with that slow uphill climb as you're introduced to the characters. You meet the three main protagonists first, learn about their families and their backgrounds, get to know new terms like unwinding and storking, yada yada yada...
And then, holy moly! This thing takes off from the top of the incline at rapid speed, and I just had to put my hands up in the air and scream with glee because I'm having such a great time on this thing! I never want it to end! Whoa! The twists and turns! This is not what I expected, but it's still so great! Wheeeeeeeee!!!!!
So that's how it was like a roller coaster. Slow and steady in the beginning, and then it never lets off the brakes until the very end. Oh, and lots of twists and turns. You get the point.
Now imagine riding this gigantic thrill ride and at the same time you're yelling and screaming and having the time of your life, you're also contemplating deep issues like abortion and human rights and government and right and wrong and science and stuff like that. Like, woohoo this is so awesome, but when does life begin? Ohhhh yippeeee we're going upside down but do we have a soul and when do we get it? Oh my gosh I'm thinking and being so daggum entertained at the same daggum time! This is what reading is all about! And roller coasters!
The world and the characters created here are fascinating. The concept of the book is very interesting and plays out very well. It went in places I was not expecting at all, but I liked where it went and I like how it ended and I don't know if I wanna read the series or not. I felt like this was good. This was just right. I don't know what else needs to happen to make this better and I'm not really sure why it needs to continue. Ah, we'll see.
Yada yada yada.
February 25, 2019
this is a great book to use as a springboard for discussions about reproductive rights and governmental responsibility and what kind of world we are creating and leaving to the next generation.
but i'm just going to talk about me. cuz i am a very laissez-faire individual, and i live my life like i am reading a book someone else is writing, and i am just tuning in to see where it all goes, and any discussion of this sort always leads to conflicts, and i think goodreads has enough of those, yeah?
i am of two minds on this book. on the one hand, i got completely sucked into the story, and i love the characters (especially lev), and i thought it was one of the rare dystopian YA books that actually took the time to world-build enough so that its characters made sense in the world they were given. but even at the beginning, i was picking it apart, and finding flaws in the construction; ways that the system could be abused and that just would not work, even as a dystopia. catie's review goes into a lot of concerns i had, and even though i liked the book a lot more than she did, i agree with a lot of her observations.
i am late to this book's party, and most of you have already read it, but for the newborns out there who can't even read yet, i will lay out some of the plot points, so your folks can read them to you.
in this book, abortion is no more. there was a war between the pro-lifers and the pro-choicers which resulted in legislation (apparently only half-seriously proposed) that satisfied both sides: no more fetus-abortion, but parents had the right to "unwind" their unwanted kids once they reached the age of thirteen, but once they turned eighteen, they were there for good. unwinding is a process whereby the kids are used for parts, and nearly every single piece of them is transplanted into a needy recipient, ensuring the donors would "live on", but in a different state. and all these parts retain the muscle-memory of their previous owners, which seems medically implausible, but who am i to judge? this results in "more surgeons, fewer doctors" because no one needs to be cured anymore, they can just get some spare parts and fix themselves up that way.
for people who are unable to raise their children until the age of thirteen, there is another feature of the legislation that is called "storking," where unwanted babies are left on the doorsteps of strangers, and THEY HAVE TO RAISE THEM. i mean, it is better than a dumpster, by far, but what a drag. this is the part i had the most problems with. i mean, how easy is it to abuse that law? and i was grateful that he included an anecdote about one such incident that was horrifying, but i can't see how this was a law that ever got accepted. assuming that financial responsibility for thirteen years at least? no thank you.
but whatever, if i can accept the chinks in divergent's armor, i can accept this. it is a teen fiction book; it's not flawless, but this is the world we are given. and it is admirable that he took the time to a) construct such a fully-developed world and b) point out its flaws, occasionally.
and its strengths are numerous. there is great detail-work here, even when it is just given briefly, in the anecdotes of the various unwinds. the variety of reasons a kid can be unwound are numerous and heartbreaking. and just the number of wonderful moments of revelation -
but overall, i was completely engaged in the story, and i do think the characters grew and became different people,
overall, i thought it was a great read, and i appreciated the care that went into writing it, even though it is one of those books you have to accept as-is, without going over it with a hyper-critical eye.
come to my blog!
but i'm just going to talk about me. cuz i am a very laissez-faire individual, and i live my life like i am reading a book someone else is writing, and i am just tuning in to see where it all goes, and any discussion of this sort always leads to conflicts, and i think goodreads has enough of those, yeah?
i am of two minds on this book. on the one hand, i got completely sucked into the story, and i love the characters (especially lev), and i thought it was one of the rare dystopian YA books that actually took the time to world-build enough so that its characters made sense in the world they were given. but even at the beginning, i was picking it apart, and finding flaws in the construction; ways that the system could be abused and that just would not work, even as a dystopia. catie's review goes into a lot of concerns i had, and even though i liked the book a lot more than she did, i agree with a lot of her observations.
i am late to this book's party, and most of you have already read it, but for the newborns out there who can't even read yet, i will lay out some of the plot points, so your folks can read them to you.
in this book, abortion is no more. there was a war between the pro-lifers and the pro-choicers which resulted in legislation (apparently only half-seriously proposed) that satisfied both sides: no more fetus-abortion, but parents had the right to "unwind" their unwanted kids once they reached the age of thirteen, but once they turned eighteen, they were there for good. unwinding is a process whereby the kids are used for parts, and nearly every single piece of them is transplanted into a needy recipient, ensuring the donors would "live on", but in a different state. and all these parts retain the muscle-memory of their previous owners, which seems medically implausible, but who am i to judge? this results in "more surgeons, fewer doctors" because no one needs to be cured anymore, they can just get some spare parts and fix themselves up that way.
for people who are unable to raise their children until the age of thirteen, there is another feature of the legislation that is called "storking," where unwanted babies are left on the doorsteps of strangers, and THEY HAVE TO RAISE THEM. i mean, it is better than a dumpster, by far, but what a drag. this is the part i had the most problems with. i mean, how easy is it to abuse that law? and i was grateful that he included an anecdote about one such incident that was horrifying, but i can't see how this was a law that ever got accepted. assuming that financial responsibility for thirteen years at least? no thank you.
but whatever, if i can accept the chinks in divergent's armor, i can accept this. it is a teen fiction book; it's not flawless, but this is the world we are given. and it is admirable that he took the time to a) construct such a fully-developed world and b) point out its flaws, occasionally.
and its strengths are numerous. there is great detail-work here, even when it is just given briefly, in the anecdotes of the various unwinds. the variety of reasons a kid can be unwound are numerous and heartbreaking. and just the number of wonderful moments of revelation -
but overall, i was completely engaged in the story, and i do think the characters grew and became different people,
overall, i thought it was a great read, and i appreciated the care that went into writing it, even though it is one of those books you have to accept as-is, without going over it with a hyper-critical eye.
come to my blog!
April 16, 2010
Page one, I'm iffy. Pro-life and Pro-choice fight a civil war and the only way to satisfy both armies is the agreement that no abortions take place but from the ages of thirteen to eighteen any child can be unwound and his or her divided body and soul be used as organ donation? First off, pro-choice isn't going to go for a woman sacrificing her body through pregnancy and raising a child thirteen years before she can dispose of it. And pro-life isn't going to go for the termination of a child who is more developed than an embryo. I'm not buying that anyone would go for this resolution.
Page ten, I don't care anymore. I'm already invested in Connor's fate when he goes on the run after finding the copy of his Unwind order. The premise may be absurd, but Shusterman made the distopia so real for me that I had to find out the fate of these unwanted kids through every horrific detail. The story never slows down with twists paced through the end that kept me glued to the book. What disturbed me most (beside the unwinding) was the music played at the chop shop. Every time I think a society could not possibly go that far, throw in a little reminder of Nazi Germany and I know it already has.
While disturbing, the story is near impossible to put down or get out of your head once you do because every scene can be taken to discuss a larger issue in society. It's not really about the absurdity of the resolution but a vehicle for Shusterman to make statements about society. He introduces important questions about abortion, organ donation, stem cell research, the destructive power of propaganda, apathy of uninformed decisions, consequences, parental control, and religious fanaticism among others. But he doesn't shove answers down our throats. He just introduces the discussion. Pro-choice advocates could make the claim that Shusterman is defending their cause by showing all the unwanted children that would come from anti-abortion laws. Pro-life advocates could make the claim that Shusterman is defending their cause by showing how sick the destruction of children is as parents turn a blind eye to the specifics of the practice just because they selfishly don't want to deal with a child anymore. I think what Shusterman is showing is that a society should never allow a government to be its moral compass, but individuals should make their own informed, ethical decisions.
Page ten, I don't care anymore. I'm already invested in Connor's fate when he goes on the run after finding the copy of his Unwind order. The premise may be absurd, but Shusterman made the distopia so real for me that I had to find out the fate of these unwanted kids through every horrific detail. The story never slows down with twists paced through the end that kept me glued to the book. What disturbed me most (beside the unwinding) was the music played at the chop shop. Every time I think a society could not possibly go that far, throw in a little reminder of Nazi Germany and I know it already has.
While disturbing, the story is near impossible to put down or get out of your head once you do because every scene can be taken to discuss a larger issue in society. It's not really about the absurdity of the resolution but a vehicle for Shusterman to make statements about society. He introduces important questions about abortion, organ donation, stem cell research, the destructive power of propaganda, apathy of uninformed decisions, consequences, parental control, and religious fanaticism among others. But he doesn't shove answers down our throats. He just introduces the discussion. Pro-choice advocates could make the claim that Shusterman is defending their cause by showing all the unwanted children that would come from anti-abortion laws. Pro-life advocates could make the claim that Shusterman is defending their cause by showing how sick the destruction of children is as parents turn a blind eye to the specifics of the practice just because they selfishly don't want to deal with a child anymore. I think what Shusterman is showing is that a society should never allow a government to be its moral compass, but individuals should make their own informed, ethical decisions.
January 29, 2019
4 eerie AF, Shusterman does it again stars!!!
Full review featured on my blog Recipe & a Read!
This is my fourth Shusterman title to read in the last couple of months and man, this guy is KILLIN' IT - he just doesn't disappoint, time after time. Each of the worlds and scenarios he builds are so unique and vibrant that I'm consistently in awe of his imagination. Unwind takes place in a future where America has lived to see and survived a second civil war known as The Heartland War. Following the war, abortion laws are changed. Abortion is now illegal, but what does become the legal opportunity for parents who don't want their children is known as "unwinding" from the ages of 13 to 18 parents are allowed to sign orders to have their children unwound. The idea behind this, that makes it palatable for society, is that no part of the child dies, 99.6% of the child still lives on, as every piece of your baby, that you sent off because they're difficult or you didn't want them, lives on through another person.
We enter this story with Connor - he's a difficult son with a quick temper and a penchant for bad behavior. When he finds out his parents have signed orders to unwind him, he takes off, "kicking-AWOL" and tries running from the police to avoid unwinding. Along the way, he unwittingly saves a girl named Risa and a boy named Lev. Risa, a state ward was set to be unwound due to overpopulation in state schools and her performance just wasn't "up to par" for them to keep a space for her. Lev is the youngest child in a family of religious zealots and he is their tithe. If you're unfamiliar with tithing, it's the act of giving 10% of what you have to the church. Lev is the tenth child in his family, and they are sacrificing him to be unwound as part of their tithe.
Funny, but the Bill of Life was supposed to protect the sanctity of life. Instead it just made life cheap.
I don't want to give too much of the synopsis away because there are a lot of interesting aspects here that I think would be incredibly riveting for most readers. What consistently strikes me with Shusterman's works is that everything he writes seems to be based somewhat in reality. His stories play on our worst fears, as individuals and as a society. I saw some reviews griping that this was too unrealistic - while I did have some of these feelings to start, the longer you sit with this and meditate on the things our society has already done then it doesn't feel quite so far fetched. Furthermore, I don't think Shusterman's whole point was to be totally realistic. The point, is to guide the reader in to pondering deeper topics and where you would draw the line, what society would be able to sweep under the rug and ignore.
"...One thing you learn when you've lived as long as I have - people aren't all good, and people aren't all bad. We move in and out of darkness and light all of our lives. Right now, I'm pleased to be in the light."
This book was creepy AF ya'll. My only issue with this, which may be my own fault because I've read multiple YA books recently (pretty much all Shusterman) but I had a bit of a hard time connecting to the characters and I felt their development wasn't quite as strong in this novel as I've seen in say... Scythe. There are some plot holes going on within this story, but I didn't find them overwhelming and they didn't distract too much from the overall story. However! Despite being a YA novel, this is incredibly dark and Shusterman does not wash away the darkness for the sake of a younger audience. While I don't want to give too much away, I will tell you that Shusterman writes the unwinding process from the POV of the child being unwound and that scene is going to stay with me for a very long time.
Unwinds didn't go out with a bang - they didn't even go out with a whimper. they went out with the silence of a candle flame pinched between two fingers.
In the end, it's the detail that gets me with Shusterman's work. I think I could write forever about how impressive I find the depth of his thought processes. There's so many small, fascinating aspects at play here that I never would've thought of myself. Along the way, Connor, Lev and Risa meet various people who shine new light on the unwinding situation and the way unwinding affects not just the kids being unwound, but the people receiving new body parts. There are characters here who retain their unwounds muscle memories, or their actual memories and have to fight to remain fully themselves. The intricacy at play here is another slam dunk for me and I'm truly thrilled to see what Shusterman does in the future, as well as reading more of his past works.
Would you rather die, or be unwound? Now he finally knows the answer. Maybe this is what he wanted. Maybe it's why he stood there and taunted Roland. Because he'd rather be killed with a furious hand than dismembered with cool indifference.
At the end of the day, I really enjoyed this novel. It was gripping and tense, but it wasn't one note and the depth of Shusterman's writing is what always strikes me the most. This is one I'd definitely suggest others picking up!
Full review featured on my blog Recipe & a Read!
This is my fourth Shusterman title to read in the last couple of months and man, this guy is KILLIN' IT - he just doesn't disappoint, time after time. Each of the worlds and scenarios he builds are so unique and vibrant that I'm consistently in awe of his imagination. Unwind takes place in a future where America has lived to see and survived a second civil war known as The Heartland War. Following the war, abortion laws are changed. Abortion is now illegal, but what does become the legal opportunity for parents who don't want their children is known as "unwinding" from the ages of 13 to 18 parents are allowed to sign orders to have their children unwound. The idea behind this, that makes it palatable for society, is that no part of the child dies, 99.6% of the child still lives on, as every piece of your baby, that you sent off because they're difficult or you didn't want them, lives on through another person.
We enter this story with Connor - he's a difficult son with a quick temper and a penchant for bad behavior. When he finds out his parents have signed orders to unwind him, he takes off, "kicking-AWOL" and tries running from the police to avoid unwinding. Along the way, he unwittingly saves a girl named Risa and a boy named Lev. Risa, a state ward was set to be unwound due to overpopulation in state schools and her performance just wasn't "up to par" for them to keep a space for her. Lev is the youngest child in a family of religious zealots and he is their tithe. If you're unfamiliar with tithing, it's the act of giving 10% of what you have to the church. Lev is the tenth child in his family, and they are sacrificing him to be unwound as part of their tithe.
Funny, but the Bill of Life was supposed to protect the sanctity of life. Instead it just made life cheap.
I don't want to give too much of the synopsis away because there are a lot of interesting aspects here that I think would be incredibly riveting for most readers. What consistently strikes me with Shusterman's works is that everything he writes seems to be based somewhat in reality. His stories play on our worst fears, as individuals and as a society. I saw some reviews griping that this was too unrealistic - while I did have some of these feelings to start, the longer you sit with this and meditate on the things our society has already done then it doesn't feel quite so far fetched. Furthermore, I don't think Shusterman's whole point was to be totally realistic. The point, is to guide the reader in to pondering deeper topics and where you would draw the line, what society would be able to sweep under the rug and ignore.
"...One thing you learn when you've lived as long as I have - people aren't all good, and people aren't all bad. We move in and out of darkness and light all of our lives. Right now, I'm pleased to be in the light."
This book was creepy AF ya'll. My only issue with this, which may be my own fault because I've read multiple YA books recently (pretty much all Shusterman) but I had a bit of a hard time connecting to the characters and I felt their development wasn't quite as strong in this novel as I've seen in say... Scythe. There are some plot holes going on within this story, but I didn't find them overwhelming and they didn't distract too much from the overall story. However! Despite being a YA novel, this is incredibly dark and Shusterman does not wash away the darkness for the sake of a younger audience. While I don't want to give too much away, I will tell you that Shusterman writes the unwinding process from the POV of the child being unwound and that scene is going to stay with me for a very long time.
Unwinds didn't go out with a bang - they didn't even go out with a whimper. they went out with the silence of a candle flame pinched between two fingers.
In the end, it's the detail that gets me with Shusterman's work. I think I could write forever about how impressive I find the depth of his thought processes. There's so many small, fascinating aspects at play here that I never would've thought of myself. Along the way, Connor, Lev and Risa meet various people who shine new light on the unwinding situation and the way unwinding affects not just the kids being unwound, but the people receiving new body parts. There are characters here who retain their unwounds muscle memories, or their actual memories and have to fight to remain fully themselves. The intricacy at play here is another slam dunk for me and I'm truly thrilled to see what Shusterman does in the future, as well as reading more of his past works.
Would you rather die, or be unwound? Now he finally knows the answer. Maybe this is what he wanted. Maybe it's why he stood there and taunted Roland. Because he'd rather be killed with a furious hand than dismembered with cool indifference.
At the end of the day, I really enjoyed this novel. It was gripping and tense, but it wasn't one note and the depth of Shusterman's writing is what always strikes me the most. This is one I'd definitely suggest others picking up!
May 20, 2018
4.5⭐️
How does Neal Schusterman keep coming up with these wacky AF, genius yet terrifying concepts that somehow don’t seem that far-fetched?
I hate dystopian novels, and try to avoid them like the plague.
This is my fourth book by Neal Shusterman and I never knew I could enjoy reading this genre until I discovered this brilliant man.
What more could you really say about an author who’s made you reevaluate your entire decision? I am in awe.
How does Neal Schusterman keep coming up with these wacky AF, genius yet terrifying concepts that somehow don’t seem that far-fetched?
I hate dystopian novels, and try to avoid them like the plague.
This is my fourth book by Neal Shusterman and I never knew I could enjoy reading this genre until I discovered this brilliant man.
What more could you really say about an author who’s made you reevaluate your entire decision? I am in awe.
August 21, 2012
THAT SCENE made me clutch my blankie. *sobs*
March 23, 2021
I enjoyed this so much! Why the heck haven't I read it sooner? It reminded me of Legend by Marie Lu (not the plot exactly but the general vibes of the book). It's been a while since I read a good dystopian! It was very nostalgic (back to the time I read lots of this genre) especially since the book had similar “feels” to those.
This book surely didn’t disappoint and was a quick read with an interesting plot and likable characters. I'm very much looking forward to continuing this series and checking out Shusterman’s other books.
This book surely didn’t disappoint and was a quick read with an interesting plot and likable characters. I'm very much looking forward to continuing this series and checking out Shusterman’s other books.
March 26, 2008
This is one of those books that once I finished it, I started it over and read the whole thing over again. And even after that, there were parts of it that I kept re-reading and thinking about. Before I go into my long review, I wanted to just mention that this book had one of the most nightmarish and horific scenes that I have ever read in my life. It contained almost no details at all, and none of the sparse details were graphic or gory. And that made it even scarier. My imagination provided more than any author ever could. It's been a few days and I can't get that scene out of my mind.
There are so many ethical and moral arguments brought up here and almost no clear cut answers. Here are just a few of the dilemas that come up or discussed about:
1.The obvious ones: abortion, stem cell research, tissue and organ harvesting.
2. In the case of minors, where does the line between "guardian" and "owner" cross over? The parents in this book treat children as property from the day they are born. They are things to donate to churches, sell for money, "put to sleep" when they are being a nuisance. When the parents sign the unwind orders, the State becomes the guardian of the minors. When the minors run away, they are considered to be stealing government property.
3. The power of euphamism. There are many terms and phrases in the book that seem very neutral, nonthreatening and almost positive. All the while, these terms mask draconian, horrific and barbaric rituals. I think a big message of this book is that euphamisms can be used as propaganda. People condone actions that they wouldn't normally condone because the euphamisms soften the messy harsh realities.
I find it interesting that some people were offended by the book and claimed it was too pro-life! I thought the book was very pro-choice. The author set up a world with abortion being illegal and the world being over-run with unwanted babies, who were discarded on random porches or put into massive institutions where teenagers were gotten rid of to make room for the mass influx of new babies. The message sometimes seemed to me that if you made abortion illegal, then the population would explode and children would be neglected and devalued to the point that people would sell their teenage children to organ harvesters because they needed the money or the kids were too inconvenient or annoying. There is no mention of illegal abortions or mandatory sterilization of undesireables.
There are so many ethical and moral arguments brought up here and almost no clear cut answers. Here are just a few of the dilemas that come up or discussed about:
1.The obvious ones: abortion, stem cell research, tissue and organ harvesting.
2. In the case of minors, where does the line between "guardian" and "owner" cross over? The parents in this book treat children as property from the day they are born. They are things to donate to churches, sell for money, "put to sleep" when they are being a nuisance. When the parents sign the unwind orders, the State becomes the guardian of the minors. When the minors run away, they are considered to be stealing government property.
3. The power of euphamism. There are many terms and phrases in the book that seem very neutral, nonthreatening and almost positive. All the while, these terms mask draconian, horrific and barbaric rituals. I think a big message of this book is that euphamisms can be used as propaganda. People condone actions that they wouldn't normally condone because the euphamisms soften the messy harsh realities.
I find it interesting that some people were offended by the book and claimed it was too pro-life! I thought the book was very pro-choice. The author set up a world with abortion being illegal and the world being over-run with unwanted babies, who were discarded on random porches or put into massive institutions where teenagers were gotten rid of to make room for the mass influx of new babies. The message sometimes seemed to me that if you made abortion illegal, then the population would explode and children would be neglected and devalued to the point that people would sell their teenage children to organ harvesters because they needed the money or the kids were too inconvenient or annoying. There is no mention of illegal abortions or mandatory sterilization of undesireables.
February 25, 2017
Final rating: 6/5 stars
Unwind by ~grayside
This book deserves more than just 6 stars. It deserves 10! This is my ultimate fav young adult and it was one of the most amazing and emotional reads. It's a roller coaster of emotions and don't read it if you don't wish for your heart to shatter, or if you don't wish for your heart to be cut out. Because that's how i felt while reading this.
But - in every darkness, there is light, and even if this book might seem quite grim, it was balanced. Because it's Neal Shusterman and his talent to write is amazing. It's fast page turner as well, and it's fabulous. If you have a faint heart, you have been warned!
Special mention: this review is dedicated to my dear Yael, who wished to know what I thought about it :D
___________________________________________
STORY :
____________________________________________
The story is pretty much really dark, morbid, sinister & twisted. It's told from Connor, Lisa and Lev point of view in third person and there were povs which were told by different people as well.
In the future, there is no need for medicines. There is no need for anything. You loose an arm, you will get one back. You loose your eyes/ears/whatever and you will get it back. Every sickness is cured by transplanting organs, body parts and everything else. People stay healthy and happy...but that's not all. For everything, there is a price.
It all began when the second civil war was fought over abortion. It ended, but the compromise that was reached was called Unwinding. It stopped the practice of abortion by having one law - Every single parent on earth has a right to "abort" their children from ages of 13-17 by having them Unwound. To be unwounded means to be separated into parts - every single part of the body - and having it donated to other people. The evolved genes and cells of the humans in this era allows for the body parts to remember the instincts or even memories of the original owner. And - every single body part is alive. So it's not a murder - basically, the one who is unwound is still 99,94% alive. You don’t die – you just stop living.
And then there is something called storking. Since abortion is no longer possible, unwanted babies can be put on someone’s doorstep and they must keep the baby as their own child. Storking a storked baby is a crime, but people do it anyway.
This story follows three teenagers: Connor, Risa and Lev. They are all to be unwound, one of them went out of control, one has no other choice, and one was getting ready for it whole life. But when fates intervene and all of them meet up, which choices will they make?
There was a scene of unwinding, and I must say…it was really and utterly disturbing…. And sick… and it makes me think – how can they think that is right and how can they just ignore it? This world is so cruel, and it gives me shivers to even think about all those parents who gave their children up. If this didn't depress you so much let me add that this book had ending.
___________________________________________
CHARACTERS :
____________________________________________
♦ Connor :
Fifteen-year-old Connor's parents can no longer control him. He is a typical, bad boy type, problematic, but in the end – his parents decided to get him unwound. When he accidentally found the signed contract for unwinding – he became as good as possible to try to make them see what they had done. But when the time comes, he is forced to escape. And, by doing so, caused an accident that killed a bus driver, left dozens of others injured. And then, he took a hostage AND shot a Juvey-cop with his own tranq gun. Fascinating.
He is not a bad person at all...he is really really good soul and he is brave and reckless and you just can't help but feel for him the whole book. There was one part of the book with him which made me cry my eyes out.
♦ Risa :
Risa, a ward of the state, is a victim of shrinking budgets since she is not a talented enough musician to be kept alive. She plays piano - she is quite good actually, but it was not enough and she is forced to escape as well.
♦ Lev :
Lev, a tithe, was raised by religious parents for the sole purpose of being unwound. It became his religion - his faith - that God had chosen him to help other people. Tithes can choose when they wish to be unwound - and they all do it mindlessly. Lev is one of those and when Connor and Lisa kidnap him, he makes their lives living hell - until he understands what it's like to be normal.
♦ Other characters :
There are many, many characters in this book: sarcastic, bullies, idiots, geniouses, brave ones, horrifying ones and so on... I wish to talk about all of them but it would take whole review so i'm skipping it :D
___________________________________________
OVERALL :
____________________________________________
It’s one of the thought provoking books, and it makes you think a lot about abortion, of organ donation of politics and religion and of health. Is it really worth it all??? Are the lives of thousands of children worth of being unwound because they couldn’t be cared for or if there wasn’t enough money to keep them alive? The ending was amazing and fantastic – and the sequel is even better (having read it before). And another thing: it's going to be movie :D (it's going to be such horror :D)
This review can be found on my blog: infinity-of-time.blogspot.com also known as...
Unwind by ~grayside
This book deserves more than just 6 stars. It deserves 10! This is my ultimate fav young adult and it was one of the most amazing and emotional reads. It's a roller coaster of emotions and don't read it if you don't wish for your heart to shatter, or if you don't wish for your heart to be cut out. Because that's how i felt while reading this.
But - in every darkness, there is light, and even if this book might seem quite grim, it was balanced. Because it's Neal Shusterman and his talent to write is amazing. It's fast page turner as well, and it's fabulous. If you have a faint heart, you have been warned!
Special mention: this review is dedicated to my dear Yael, who wished to know what I thought about it :D
___________________________________________
STORY :
____________________________________________
The story is pretty much really dark, morbid, sinister & twisted. It's told from Connor, Lisa and Lev point of view in third person and there were povs which were told by different people as well.
In the future, there is no need for medicines. There is no need for anything. You loose an arm, you will get one back. You loose your eyes/ears/whatever and you will get it back. Every sickness is cured by transplanting organs, body parts and everything else. People stay healthy and happy...but that's not all. For everything, there is a price.
“You see, a conflict always begins with an issue - a difference of opinion, an argument. But by the time it turns into a war, the issue doesn't matter anymore, because now it's about one thing and one thing only: how much each side hates the other.”
It all began when the second civil war was fought over abortion. It ended, but the compromise that was reached was called Unwinding. It stopped the practice of abortion by having one law - Every single parent on earth has a right to "abort" their children from ages of 13-17 by having them Unwound. To be unwounded means to be separated into parts - every single part of the body - and having it donated to other people. The evolved genes and cells of the humans in this era allows for the body parts to remember the instincts or even memories of the original owner. And - every single body part is alive. So it's not a murder - basically, the one who is unwound is still 99,94% alive. You don’t die – you just stop living.
“In a perfect world everything would be either black or white, right or wrong, and everyone would know the difference. But this isn't a perfect world. The problem is people who think it is.”
And then there is something called storking. Since abortion is no longer possible, unwanted babies can be put on someone’s doorstep and they must keep the baby as their own child. Storking a storked baby is a crime, but people do it anyway.
“The way I see it, it's got nothing to do with all of that. It has to do with love...A person don't got a soul until that person is loved. If a mother loves her baby--wants her baby--it's got a soul from the moment she knows it's there. The moment you're loved, that's when you got your soul.
This story follows three teenagers: Connor, Risa and Lev. They are all to be unwound, one of them went out of control, one has no other choice, and one was getting ready for it whole life. But when fates intervene and all of them meet up, which choices will they make?
There was a scene of unwinding, and I must say…it was really and utterly disturbing…. And sick… and it makes me think – how can they think that is right and how can they just ignore it? This world is so cruel, and it gives me shivers to even think about all those parents who gave their children up. If this didn't depress you so much let me add that this book had ending.
___________________________________________
CHARACTERS :
____________________________________________
♦ Connor :
Fifteen-year-old Connor's parents can no longer control him. He is a typical, bad boy type, problematic, but in the end – his parents decided to get him unwound. When he accidentally found the signed contract for unwinding – he became as good as possible to try to make them see what they had done. But when the time comes, he is forced to escape. And, by doing so, caused an accident that killed a bus driver, left dozens of others injured. And then, he took a hostage AND shot a Juvey-cop with his own tranq gun. Fascinating.
“Most people have two emergency modes. Fight and Flight. But Conner always knew he had three. Fight, Flight, and Screw Up Royally.”
He is not a bad person at all...he is really really good soul and he is brave and reckless and you just can't help but feel for him the whole book. There was one part of the book with him which made me cry my eyes out.
♦ Risa :
“Connor tries to hold her arm to give her support, but she shakes him off and throws him a nasty gaze. "If I want your help, I'll ask. Do I look feeble to you?"
"Actually, yes."
"Looks are deceiving." she says. " After all, when I saw you, I thought you looked reasonably intelligent."
"Very funny.”
Risa, a ward of the state, is a victim of shrinking budgets since she is not a talented enough musician to be kept alive. She plays piano - she is quite good actually, but it was not enough and she is forced to escape as well.
♦ Lev :
"I never knew there was a choice.”
Lev, a tithe, was raised by religious parents for the sole purpose of being unwound. It became his religion - his faith - that God had chosen him to help other people. Tithes can choose when they wish to be unwound - and they all do it mindlessly. Lev is one of those and when Connor and Lisa kidnap him, he makes their lives living hell - until he understands what it's like to be normal.
♦ Other characters :
There are many, many characters in this book: sarcastic, bullies, idiots, geniouses, brave ones, horrifying ones and so on... I wish to talk about all of them but it would take whole review so i'm skipping it :D
___________________________________________
OVERALL :
____________________________________________
It’s one of the thought provoking books, and it makes you think a lot about abortion, of organ donation of politics and religion and of health. Is it really worth it all??? Are the lives of thousands of children worth of being unwound because they couldn’t be cared for or if there wasn’t enough money to keep them alive? The ending was amazing and fantastic – and the sequel is even better (having read it before). And another thing: it's going to be movie :D (it's going to be such horror :D)
This review can be found on my blog: infinity-of-time.blogspot.com also known as...
December 18, 2020
¡Brutal! Una distopía con una premisa terrible: una sociedad futurista en que la ley protege la vida hasta los 13 años, castigando fuertemente el aborto, pero que permite que entre los 13 y 18 años los jóvenes puedan ser desconectados. A pesar de toda la propaganda del sistema, que enmascara esta desconexión como una nueva forma de existencia –con un propósito elevado para adolescentes conflictivos–, no es más que un “troceado” de personas para garantizar órganos para trasplantes. Por supuesto, detrás de todo, lo que prima son los intereses económicos.
Más aberrante aún es que la desconexión no es una sentencia del sistema, sino que es decisión de los propios padres o tutores de los jóvenes, quienes tienen la autoridad de firmar la orden de desconexión, para lo que, además, no es necesario que haya algún motivo.
El libro me impactó mucho, no solo por su argumento, sino porque Neal Shusterman realmente escribe muy bien, es un placer desplazarse entre los párrafos. Todo lo que cuenta, hasta el detalle más nimio, tiene repercusiones en los capítulos siguientes. Los personajes son magníficos, así como también cómo van evolucionando durante la novela. Uno de los capítulos, en los que se describe el proceso de desconexión de uno de los personajes, es probablemente lo más perturbador que he leído en mucho tiempo.
Muy, pero muy recomendable. Lecturas como ésta son las que me recuerdan por qué leer es uno de mis pasatiempos favoritos.
Reto #5 Pop Sugar 2017: Un libro escrito por una persona de color
Más aberrante aún es que la desconexión no es una sentencia del sistema, sino que es decisión de los propios padres o tutores de los jóvenes, quienes tienen la autoridad de firmar la orden de desconexión, para lo que, además, no es necesario que haya algún motivo.
El libro me impactó mucho, no solo por su argumento, sino porque Neal Shusterman realmente escribe muy bien, es un placer desplazarse entre los párrafos. Todo lo que cuenta, hasta el detalle más nimio, tiene repercusiones en los capítulos siguientes. Los personajes son magníficos, así como también cómo van evolucionando durante la novela. Uno de los capítulos, en los que se describe el proceso de desconexión de uno de los personajes, es probablemente lo más perturbador que he leído en mucho tiempo.
Muy, pero muy recomendable. Lecturas como ésta son las que me recuerdan por qué leer es uno de mis pasatiempos favoritos.
Reto #5 Pop Sugar 2017: Un libro escrito por una persona de color
July 13, 2020
نویسنده اگه یکم بیشتر به فکر قلب خواننده بود بهتر میشد
عالیـــــــــــــــــــــــــــــه!
عالیـــــــــــــــــــــــــــــه!
November 17, 2014
Find all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/
“What does it take to unwind the unwanted? It takes twelve surgeons, in teams of two, rotating in and out as their medical specialty is needed. It takes nine surgical assistants and four nurses. It takes three hours.”
If you are at all familiar with my reviews, you’re probably well aware that I’m a “big meany” when it comes to doling out 1 Stars and super stingy when it comes to granting 5s. I’m here to tell you that Unwind knocked my damn socks so clean off my feet I would easily grant it a 6th Star if it were allowed. You’re probably wondering what made this story so different from the other gazillion YA dystopian stories out there, huh? In a nutshell???? EVERYTHING.
Connor has always been a troubled-child and his parents just can’t deal with him any longer. Risa is a ward of the state who no longer has a place in the system. And Lev is a “tithe” – the 1/10th that his family must give to their church. The fate of the three is to be “unwound” – a compromise the Pro-Life and Right-to-Lifers made into law wherein parents (or the state, as the case may be) can choose to have 99.44% of a child between the ages of 13 and 18 transplanted into the most deserving (and highest paying) recipients. Unwind is the story of how unfortunate coincidence leads to Connor, Risa and Lev meeting and their attempt to save themselves from certain fate.
So not only is the “dystopian” subject matter fresh, but there is no awful “world building” to muck things up either. The “world” is the United States – the only difference is that the Second Civil War has been fought that created the “unwinding” law to begin with . . .
“A conflict always begins with an issue – a difference of opinion, an argument. But by the time it turns into a war, the issue doesn’t matter anymore, because now it’s about one thing and one thing only: how much each side hates the other.”
Another bonus? The characters aren’t sparkly sissies. They kick SERIOUS ass. Connor is a “bad boy” (not in an annoying stereotypical way – just in the way that it doesn’t need to be explained that if the poo hits the fan he will jump right in to the mix). Rissa is definitely no shrinking violet. In fact, “she’s a bit annoyed that she’s not included . . . It ought to be a Bonnie-and-Clyde kind of thing. The rumor mill is definitely sexist. ” Lev goes through a total transformation. And, let’s just say there are plenty of other characters and surprising twists and turns along the way too . . .
The best part of all about the characters? NO INSTALOVE!!!!! In fact, there are only THREE PARAGRAPHS – that’s right PARAGRAPHS – that are “romantic” at all. Unwind is all about surviving . . . these kids could give a flying fart about getting laid.
As for the unwinding itself?
“No one knows how it happens. No one knows how it’s done. The harvesting of Unwinds is a secret medical ritual that stays within the walls of each harvesting clinic in the nation. In this way it is not unlike death itself, for no one knows what mysteries lie beyond those secret doors, either.”
Have no fear – you’ll find out everything younever wanted to know about unwinding.
And the best part of it all (well, for me at least) – YOU DON’T HAVE TO READ THE OTHER BOOKS IN THE SERIES!!!! Obviously you can if you want, but I hate when books are in a series and I was 100% A-Okay with the ending of Unwind and just pretending that it’s a stand-alone novel.
Like I said, Unwind blew me away and gets all the stars. It gets the first 5 for the alllll of the aforementioned items and I’d give it another if I could because I can’t remember the last time I read a YA book that could spark actual conversation between kids and parents about some serious grown-up topics like when life begins and abortion and organ donation and stem cell research and on and on and on.
“You can’t change laws without first changing human nature.”
“What does it take to unwind the unwanted? It takes twelve surgeons, in teams of two, rotating in and out as their medical specialty is needed. It takes nine surgical assistants and four nurses. It takes three hours.”
If you are at all familiar with my reviews, you’re probably well aware that I’m a “big meany” when it comes to doling out 1 Stars and super stingy when it comes to granting 5s. I’m here to tell you that Unwind knocked my damn socks so clean off my feet I would easily grant it a 6th Star if it were allowed. You’re probably wondering what made this story so different from the other gazillion YA dystopian stories out there, huh? In a nutshell???? EVERYTHING.
Connor has always been a troubled-child and his parents just can’t deal with him any longer. Risa is a ward of the state who no longer has a place in the system. And Lev is a “tithe” – the 1/10th that his family must give to their church. The fate of the three is to be “unwound” – a compromise the Pro-Life and Right-to-Lifers made into law wherein parents (or the state, as the case may be) can choose to have 99.44% of a child between the ages of 13 and 18 transplanted into the most deserving (and highest paying) recipients. Unwind is the story of how unfortunate coincidence leads to Connor, Risa and Lev meeting and their attempt to save themselves from certain fate.
So not only is the “dystopian” subject matter fresh, but there is no awful “world building” to muck things up either. The “world” is the United States – the only difference is that the Second Civil War has been fought that created the “unwinding” law to begin with . . .
“A conflict always begins with an issue – a difference of opinion, an argument. But by the time it turns into a war, the issue doesn’t matter anymore, because now it’s about one thing and one thing only: how much each side hates the other.”
Another bonus? The characters aren’t sparkly sissies. They kick SERIOUS ass. Connor is a “bad boy” (not in an annoying stereotypical way – just in the way that it doesn’t need to be explained that if the poo hits the fan he will jump right in to the mix). Rissa is definitely no shrinking violet. In fact, “she’s a bit annoyed that she’s not included . . . It ought to be a Bonnie-and-Clyde kind of thing. The rumor mill is definitely sexist. ” Lev goes through a total transformation. And, let’s just say there are plenty of other characters and surprising twists and turns along the way too . . .
The best part of all about the characters? NO INSTALOVE!!!!! In fact, there are only THREE PARAGRAPHS – that’s right PARAGRAPHS – that are “romantic” at all. Unwind is all about surviving . . . these kids could give a flying fart about getting laid.
As for the unwinding itself?
“No one knows how it happens. No one knows how it’s done. The harvesting of Unwinds is a secret medical ritual that stays within the walls of each harvesting clinic in the nation. In this way it is not unlike death itself, for no one knows what mysteries lie beyond those secret doors, either.”
Have no fear – you’ll find out everything you
And the best part of it all (well, for me at least) – YOU DON’T HAVE TO READ THE OTHER BOOKS IN THE SERIES!!!! Obviously you can if you want, but I hate when books are in a series and I was 100% A-Okay with the ending of Unwind and just pretending that it’s a stand-alone novel.
Like I said, Unwind blew me away and gets all the stars. It gets the first 5 for the alllll of the aforementioned items and I’d give it another if I could because I can’t remember the last time I read a YA book that could spark actual conversation between kids and parents about some serious grown-up topics like when life begins and abortion and organ donation and stem cell research and on and on and on.
“You can’t change laws without first changing human nature.”
February 28, 2016
Finished my re-read! It's been eight years since I read this book for the first time (damn, that makes me feel old). In my original review, I stated that this story would "haunt me forever," and I was definitely right about that. Even after all these years, there were a lot of scenes that I still remembered vividly. But there were also many details I'd forgotten. And there were also a lot of powerful themes that I think went over my head when I was younger, so I'm glad I decided to re-read it.
Also, while I read and enjoyed the second book, I never got around to reading the third and fourth books in the series––so I'm hoping to do that once I re-read the first two books.
New review coming soon! Old review under the cut.
----------
Also, while I read and enjoyed the second book, I never got around to reading the third and fourth books in the series––so I'm hoping to do that once I re-read the first two books.
New review coming soon! Old review under the cut.
----------
November 27, 2023
If you have read or follow me on anything then you know I have a terrible fear of having my organs harvested... THIS BOOK IS WHY!!! It has taken me a very long time to build up the nerve to talk about this book. It really freaked me out that much. The concept of Unwinding is truly terrifying. It's not like you went to the dmv and checked the organ donor box thinking "yeah I'll give my organs up, I'll be dead what do I care what happens to them"... No, this is about having them taken while you're still awake, alive, and having no say in it.
Unwind, or as I like to call it "Why I'm not an organ donor" is just so different. I don't think there's any other way or word to use to describe it. I love controversial books or books with controversial topics and this is one.
This book is about the battle between two groups, Pro-Life and Pro-Choice. The two groups reach a compromise called "The Bill of Life" that states that nothing about a child can be decided until they reach the age of thirteen, and at which the child's parents can put the child up to be "unwound". People don't consider it dying because the child will still be "alive" just in a divided state. (yeah you heard me right... DIVIDED STATE!!!)
This book follows three kids. Two who decide they don't want to be sold in pieces and one who was raised to think that being a sacrificial lamb is okay. Their parents/state just decided they weren't worth the trouble or weren't good enough and they sign them up to go to a harvest camp.... (yes again you heard what I said, A HARVEST CAMP!) Connor and Risa decide to continue the plan of escaping and basically have to underground railroad themselves to find safety. Lev has plans of his own; aka wanting to return to the camp and fulfill the tasks he's been brought up to face. Their journey is neither predictable nor easy.
Connor’s situation was probably the hardest for me to read and had me so uncomfortable. His parents basically just gave up on him. Instead of trying to help him out and do what parents are supposed to do they figure they'll cut their losses and just get rid of the problem. I could never do what they chose to do to him, and his story was heartbreaking. Risa is so musically talented but since she's not top of the class the state has decided not to "waste" anymore time on her. Since she doesn't have any parents she has even less say in what happens to her. Lev was born to be unwound. His parents are basically obsessed with their imagination. He is one of several children in his family. Some of his brothers and sisters aren't even blood related they were just storked to the family. (I'll get to the whole stork thing in a minute.) As part of their image they have him just to "give back to the world". They even throw him a big, lets just call it a going away party, to say their goodbyes.
Now to the stroking thing. You know how people can leave their babies at police and fire stations and it's not against the law, well in this world it is... What's not illegal is leaving your baby on someone's porch. Once you've been storked you have to keep that child. That just adds to the twisted and sickening plot of this book..
The reason I didn't give this book a higher review despite the description I've given so far is because at some point in the middle of the book the plot gets a little mucky. The characters tend to spend a good amount of time just talking, and not about anything relevant, just things. Also the introduction of like a million characters wasn't too thrilling to me either. Then it dips to this bizzaro kind of murder mystery thing.... Yeah I don't really know what to say about the thrown together mid-plot, BUT it does pick back up closer to the end. Once you get past the WTH did I just read section, the story will have you returning to the edge of your seat.
There are two scenes in this book that stand out above the rest. One is a scene where the kids write letters to their parents while in hiding. It made me a little teary. The other scene is what I've seen other people describe as the "WTF scene" or "that one scene"... It's the scene that will give you nightmares for months (speaking from personal experience).
It's not only the craziest scene in the book, it's also the hardest to explain. There was nothing explicit, nothing overly descriptive, but by the way it is narrated it's, it's just …horrifying. It made my skin crawl and my jaw drop. Just to give a little tease, someone in the story gets unwound and the scene describes what happens to them and what their brain goes through while the procedure is happening. I will flat out say I HAVE NEVER BEEN SO HORRIFIED. I still can't even wrap my brain around how well the author used so little words and made such an impact.
It's those few chapters right there that hit you in the gut and turn this book from something was so/so to something unbelievable. I had to release the breath I didn't realize I was holding after reading it (only ya fans will get that one).
This book had me thinking about so many things I really do just push into the back of my mind. Was this book my favorite, no, it wasn't. But it did leave a lasting impression. Unwind is unforgettable, and thrilling. I don't know where Neal Shusterman came up with the idea for this book, and I'm not sure I want to. Even with it not being one of my favs it will definitely always be a book on my recommended list.
(Btw You could probably make this review a drinking game. Every time I say horrified/terrifying feel free to take a shot.)
Unwind, or as I like to call it "Why I'm not an organ donor" is just so different. I don't think there's any other way or word to use to describe it. I love controversial books or books with controversial topics and this is one.
This book is about the battle between two groups, Pro-Life and Pro-Choice. The two groups reach a compromise called "The Bill of Life" that states that nothing about a child can be decided until they reach the age of thirteen, and at which the child's parents can put the child up to be "unwound". People don't consider it dying because the child will still be "alive" just in a divided state. (yeah you heard me right... DIVIDED STATE!!!)
This book follows three kids. Two who decide they don't want to be sold in pieces and one who was raised to think that being a sacrificial lamb is okay. Their parents/state just decided they weren't worth the trouble or weren't good enough and they sign them up to go to a harvest camp.... (yes again you heard what I said, A HARVEST CAMP!) Connor and Risa decide to continue the plan of escaping and basically have to underground railroad themselves to find safety. Lev has plans of his own; aka wanting to return to the camp and fulfill the tasks he's been brought up to face. Their journey is neither predictable nor easy.
Connor’s situation was probably the hardest for me to read and had me so uncomfortable. His parents basically just gave up on him. Instead of trying to help him out and do what parents are supposed to do they figure they'll cut their losses and just get rid of the problem. I could never do what they chose to do to him, and his story was heartbreaking. Risa is so musically talented but since she's not top of the class the state has decided not to "waste" anymore time on her. Since she doesn't have any parents she has even less say in what happens to her. Lev was born to be unwound. His parents are basically obsessed with their imagination. He is one of several children in his family. Some of his brothers and sisters aren't even blood related they were just storked to the family. (I'll get to the whole stork thing in a minute.) As part of their image they have him just to "give back to the world". They even throw him a big, lets just call it a going away party, to say their goodbyes.
Now to the stroking thing. You know how people can leave their babies at police and fire stations and it's not against the law, well in this world it is... What's not illegal is leaving your baby on someone's porch. Once you've been storked you have to keep that child. That just adds to the twisted and sickening plot of this book..
The reason I didn't give this book a higher review despite the description I've given so far is because at some point in the middle of the book the plot gets a little mucky. The characters tend to spend a good amount of time just talking, and not about anything relevant, just things. Also the introduction of like a million characters wasn't too thrilling to me either. Then it dips to this bizzaro kind of murder mystery thing.... Yeah I don't really know what to say about the thrown together mid-plot, BUT it does pick back up closer to the end. Once you get past the WTH did I just read section, the story will have you returning to the edge of your seat.
There are two scenes in this book that stand out above the rest. One is a scene where the kids write letters to their parents while in hiding. It made me a little teary. The other scene is what I've seen other people describe as the "WTF scene" or "that one scene"... It's the scene that will give you nightmares for months (speaking from personal experience).
It's not only the craziest scene in the book, it's also the hardest to explain. There was nothing explicit, nothing overly descriptive, but by the way it is narrated it's, it's just …horrifying. It made my skin crawl and my jaw drop. Just to give a little tease, someone in the story gets unwound and the scene describes what happens to them and what their brain goes through while the procedure is happening. I will flat out say I HAVE NEVER BEEN SO HORRIFIED. I still can't even wrap my brain around how well the author used so little words and made such an impact.
It's those few chapters right there that hit you in the gut and turn this book from something was so/so to something unbelievable. I had to release the breath I didn't realize I was holding after reading it (only ya fans will get that one).
This book had me thinking about so many things I really do just push into the back of my mind. Was this book my favorite, no, it wasn't. But it did leave a lasting impression. Unwind is unforgettable, and thrilling. I don't know where Neal Shusterman came up with the idea for this book, and I'm not sure I want to. Even with it not being one of my favs it will definitely always be a book on my recommended list.
(Btw You could probably make this review a drinking game. Every time I say horrified/terrifying feel free to take a shot.)
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