Customer Reviews

Unwind

5 star:		(166)
4 star:		(33)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Imagine a society where a war was fought between Pro-live and Pro-choice. And the end result is more horrifying than either side could have thought.

Such is the premise of UNWIND by Neal Shusterman.

In the future being a troubled teen means something worse than being sent to a camp to get straighten out.

From The Bill of Life:

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 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.'

Three teens find out that they are to be unwound. Conner's parents want to get rid of him as he's a troublemaker. Risa is a ward of the state and is being unwound to cut state costs. Lev is a tithe as part of his parent's strict religion.

When Conner fights not to be unwound he ends up causing an accident in which he meets both Risa and Lev. Through their journey they meet others who are against the law and help them. Lev also finds out what really happens to those who end up getting the parts of those who were unwound.

They fight to make it till their eighteenth birthday. What they all learn on this terrifying journey will haunt readers long after the finish the last page.

This story both disturbed and fascinated me. The whole idea that a society would use rebellious teens to harvest body parts is beyond belief. I stopped more than once thinking what would happen if such a law existed? Would the desire to replace damaged body parts cause someone to become so numb to how the newer parts came into existence?


Chilling, this story will make you think about your ideas of life and what it means to be truly alive.

In his chilling new novel, Neal Shusterman paints a picture of a world where there aren't any cures and doctors, just surgeons and replacements.

Three unwanted teenagers face a fate worse that death -- unwinding. Their bodies will be cut up, and every part of them used, from their brains to their toes. But if they can stay out of the authorities' clutches until the age of eighteen, they just might survive....

The most frightening science fiction novels are always the ones that are most similar to our world. Shusterman doesn't fail to describe how a wrong solution to a modern issue can affect generations to come. Thought-provoking, terrifying, and almost inconceivable, UNWIND will keep you reading late into the night.

Reviewed by: The Compulsive Reader

The idea behind this story is what intrigued me to buy it, and I am really glad that I did.

Shusterman has creates a world were a human being can be viewed simply as valuable parts. Unwinding is the outcome of a war based on the pro-life and pro-choice debate. Unfortunately, unwinding means different things to different people. For some it has become a huge money making business, to the kids it happens to, is a horror and for some parents and some parts of society, it is a nice convenience.

The story follows Conner, Risa, and Lev and how, for different reasons, they all have been selected to be unwound. Conner and Risa hate the idea of being unwound and have been selected against their wills. However, Lev has grown up knowing that this was his path in life, and he looks forward, with trepidation and conviction, for being offered up as a gift to God because of the unwinding. Due to an accident caused be Conner, Risa and Lev end up joining Conner as he tried to escape his unwinding. Together and apart, their fears and hopes are tested as they strive to stay alive in a world that believes they shouldn't be. The answer is, will they make it?

I would recommend this book to people for different reasons. First, I think that Shusterman did an excellent job in keeping the storyline going; there were no parts that I become bored or wanted to skip. Second, he makes the characters very realistic, and not without flaws. These are kids going through a horrific event and I fell that they acted true to real human nature. Third, the idea and premise behind the book is so intriguing and horrifying that you can't help but want to read the whole thing. All the way around it was an excellent book.

Unwind, Neal Shusterman's newest novel, is the story of three teenagers in a futuristic society. Mankind now believes in the sanctity of life - or do they?

Because abortions have been outlawed, many unwanted children are now raised in state homes. Other unwanted children are left on the doorsteps of unsuspecting families, who, by law, must take them in and raise them. Then there are those children who are born into families who love them and who live a fairly normal life.

However, once a child turns 13, a family can chose to have the child "unwound." (The decision does not have to be made immediately - the adults are given a five year window in which to make it, but once the child turns 18, he or she cannot be unwound.) The child becomes known as an Unwind and is taken to a harvest camp where he or she will spend his or her last days living life as they have known it. When their time comes, the children are unwound - their organs and tissues are removed and used for transplants. The child does not cease to live, but lives in an altered state.

How humane. How generous of the adults who have raised these children who become Unwinds.

This is the story of three of those Unwinds: Conner, Risa, and Lev. Each is being unwound for a different reason, but of course, the end result will be the same: Conner will cease being Conner, Risa will cease being Risa, and Lev will cease being Lev.

However, things do not go as the adults planned. Conner, Risa, and Lev escape from their captors as they are being transported to the harvest camp and must run for their very lives. How do they survive? Are they able to escape the fate that adults chose for them?

This is one of the best and most thought provoking YA books I have read in a long while. I laughed out loud, cried, and became angry at characters. I kept wanting to question the adults - "Why haven't you learned from history?"

Unwind

Unwind by by Neal Shusterman is based on the premise that there is a war in the U.S. between the pro-choice advocates and the pro-life advocates. The outcome of the war leads to a crazy compromise: retroactive abortions, which means that a child is protected until he or she is 13, at which point the parents can choose to have the child "unwound." Being unwound means that the child harvested for all of the parts and organs, which will then "live on" in other people. The children who are to be unwound are called "unwinds," and if they try to escapse they are hunted down mercilessly by the "juvie cops" because the unwinds' harvested parts are big business. There are three main types of unwinds. Some are unwinds because their parents can't cope with their behavior any more, some are unwinds because they are orphans and the state can't afford to support them any more, and some are unwinds because they are "tithes" to the church or religion. Of course, there are exceptions, such as the boy whose parents got divorced and couldn't come to a custody decision, so they decided to have him unwound so that neither would have to deal with the other getting custody of him. One of each of thes main types of unwinds is, of course, a main character in this book: Connor the troublemaker, Risa the orphan, and Lev the tithe. They all meet when both Connor and Risa, escape, coincidentally, at the same time, knowing that if they can survive until their 18th birthday they will be safe because they will be adults. When they escape, however, Connnor unintentionally drags brainwashed Lev along with them. Their escape is a harrowing one with many close, and even closer, calls as they try to find somewhere to hide until their 18th birthdays.

I liked the book, but it was very disturbing - especially for a teen book, but fairly original. And disturbing.

Disclaimer: I am an adult who loves science fiction and often reads young adult science fiction. So I don't know how a young person would receive this. It might be too scary for some:

The chilling portrayal of doctors and nurses doing a horrible, unspeakable act in a clinical, professional and not unkind manner:and a society that is set up to support this in many ways, is described powerfully. The fact they are "unwound" gently and with anesthesia makes it even worse: and scarier.

It made me think of so many things: the Holocaust (the description of the band playing for the kids who were being unwound is not an accident), the abortion issue (what if it were not unborn babies who were killed but 13 to 18 year olds? this really makes it hit home) and also the issue of the military draft: I hope we are not faced in our country with not 13 to 18 year olds, but 18 to 26 year olds, having their right to life taken away and facing being blown to bits.

I liked the fact that there were no real villains: most of the adults seem to at least believe they are doing the right thing, and are deluded rather than sinister: the young people are multi faceted: even Roland
is revealed to be courageous in how he faces an extremely difficult situation late in the book: a situation that is sad, but results in his, for me, redemption as a character who has learned and grown.

I liked the question it asks about, which is brought out toward the very end about: maybe life DOES continue for the unwound kids in a sense? Can the unwound be a new form of life, where people who receive these parts are united? This made me think about the 4 blood donations that I've made: are these people finding a new enjoyment of reading science fiction? Seriously, no, but heart transplant recipients have reported a change in their tastes/habits/preferences, so who knows?

The one thing I couldn't get my self to accept is the idea that pro life and pro choice people would accept the termination of teenagers as a valid compromise. This was so unrealistic, that it bothered me and kept me from the suspension of disbelief that is necessary in science fiction or fiction about the future.

But a very powerful book: it left me with chills and made me think about my values and how I stand on certain issues as well as what is life/what is a life (versus an existence)?

Aside from "The Silenced", young adult books for a similar age level that it reminded me of were "The Shadow Children" series by Margaret Haddix, and also "After" by Francine Prose, both of which deal with youth at risk from oppressive governments or regimes.

The door is left open at the end for a sequel: might we hope for one?

Neal Shusterman's harrowing new novel, UNWIND, is set in the years following the Second Civil War in the United States, also known as the "Heartland War." Shusterman imagines a world in which today's debates over abortion ultimately lead to armed conflict, in which pro-choice and pro-life armies clash.

Just like today's wars of words over the abortion issue, however, there can be no clear winners or losers in such a conflict. Instead, at the close of the war, the two sides come to a compromise that fails to adequately address the situation. As a result of the agreement, abortion is outlawed, and there is a place for every baby, wanted or not --- either at one of the State Homes or on the doorstep of other families, who are legally obligated to take care of each of these "storked" babies.

That is, until they are 13. At this point, any children who are unwanted can be, effectively, retroactively aborted. They're not exactly killed. Instead, their body parts live on, thanks to recent medical advances that enable every single body part --- from hair to feet to internal organs --- to be donated to others who need (or at least can afford) them. From the age of 13 until 18, millions of kids are at risk of undergoing this procedure, of becoming "unwound."

No one knows the dread of this situation or the contradictions inherent in the new social order better than the three teens at the heart of Shusterman's thought-provoking novel. There's Connor, a troublemaker whose parents find it easier to sign an unwind order than to deal with his disruptive tendencies. There's Risa, a ward of the state whose excellent piano playing abilities are not quite enough to save her from unwinding in the face of budget cutbacks. And there's Lev, whose parents are unwinding their tenth child as part of the church's mandate to tithe, or to give one-tenth of their earnings back to the community.

Even Lev, who might agree with unwinding on a philosophical level, finds it hard to accept the reality of being unwound. And when he, Connor and Risa learn the stories of countless others who face the same terrifying outcome, the three teens become desperate enough to seek any alternative to what appears a certain, horrifying fate.

Shusterman's extrapolation of current political tensions into a horrific dystopian vision results in a riveting portrayal of a future that could, however terrifying, still seem a real possibility. His comprehensive examination of a world in which a single moral issue results in countless questionable moral actions gains a human face in the person of these three young people, whose compelling personal stories will draw readers in. In fact, this human dimension is one of the reasons UNWIND is simultaneously enthralling and repelling, as harrowing descriptions of capture and unwinding procedures result in a narrative that will engage readers with every fiber of their bodies --- shocking their hearts and emotions even as it engages their minds.

--- Reviewed by Norah Piehl

It's hard to put into words how I feel after reading this very powerful dystopic fiction novel. It sucked me in heart and soul in a way that has rarely happened to me and I know it's going to stay with me for a long time to come. Which is not necessarily a good thing!
Once I started reading it there was just no way that I could stop til I had seen it through to the end. There was just no natural stopping point for me. It seemed terribly callous to just suspend the action and go and do something so mundane as take a shower. What kind of person would I be if I could just look away and go about life as normal when this heartbreaking plot was unfolding before my eyes. And heart breaking it was.
I read this as the mother of an almost 12 year old boy, there are times I admit when the concept of military school has crossed my mind. If I lived in the world portrayed in this book where such a thing was socially acceptable and " no big deal," would the concept of unwinding cross my mind in the same way?
My son is reading this book now and it has already sparked some interesting discussions. He was struck by the description of Connor at a certain point in the book as " the type of kid who only does the wrong thing when it is the right thing to do." Also the concept of a place which masquerades as hell but is actually heaven as opposed to hell disguised as heaven.
There are obvious parallels between the pro life debate of our society and the unwinding policy portrayed here. e.g, Imagine If the technology was somehow available today that would enable people considering abortion to somehow, just for an hour, see their child grow up. Realize its potential, if they could feel what it would be like to have this person in their world but even after such a supernatural vision could still go ahead with the abortion. Those are the type of people who could unwind or retroactively abort a teenager.
Chapter 61 was a very difficult chapter to read. I dont want to put any kind of spoiler into this review but I admire the author for putting this chapter in at all and for writing it with such heart. I don't think I'll ever fully recover from it, and I don't say that lightly.
One of the most satisfying reading experiences of recent years. highly recommended.

Like most other Neil Shusterman books, this is not a feel-good fantasy or a gentle summer play day. Educators may have seen this marketed as a book for reluctant readers and wondered if it was worth bothering with. It is. It is worth bothering with and being bothered by for teens and adults alike. (It is not good for elementary. Resist the urge and pick something else.)

Connor is a typical bad kid, which is to say he's not nearly as ruined, evil, or irrecoverable as the adults who have to tolerate him think he is. Risa is a wonderfully average kid who Connor's parents would have thought a blessing. Lev is a blessing, raised to be one his whole life, a child who from birth is planned to be offered sacrificially for the benefit of mankind. It doesn't seem possible that they might share a common destiny, but they do. They are all set to be taken apart and used piece by piece for transplants. (If hearing that bothers you, don't go near the book.) In a world where all life from conception-13 and 18- natural death is carefully guarded, this may seem strange. But since all the parts live on (or 99.44% do, anyway) the individual lives on and this strange chop shop is not a death chamber for the 13-18 year olds who face it.

Besides being an adolescent adventure (will they escape from the pursuing Juvie cops or not?) and coming of age story (how can someone who's never been responsible for his own actions learn to be resonsible for a baby and two other teens?) this is a stirring exploration of the reader's own feelings about what makes us alive and how important each life ought to be (or not.) It also has potential to open discussions about how and whether individuals change, what makes us human, how do we come to terms with being dealt a bad hand (sorry for the pun if you've read the book) and where terrorism comes from. Young teens should have someone to discuss this with. Older teens and adults will find someone to discuss it with, guaranteed.

Connor Lassiter is an AWOL Unwind. In a society that has eliminated abortion, they have a new solution to the problem of unwanted children. At the age of thirteen a child's parents have the option of having their teen unwound. With unwinding, a child doesn't die because all of the parts of him or her are harvested and used in other people. Connor wanted to keep his parts to himself, and decided the best way to do that was to escape.

Risa Ward grew up in Ohio State Home 23. As a ward of the state she knew she had to be exceptional in her chosen vocation. Who knew five small mistakes in a musical recital would have her on a bus to Harvest camp where she would be unwound.

Lev always knew his purpose. He was one of God's chosen, and was willingly giving himself to God. Lev is his parent's tithe of 1/10. They have 10 children and Lev is going to be their tithe to God. He planned to fulfill his role dutifully, until the freeway accident that killed a State Home bus driver and led an AWOL unwind and a crazy state home girl to kidnap him for their escape. Who knew that those grand plans could change in an instant?

They are three teens on the run to keep themselves whole in a world that only wants them for their parts.

Unwind by Shusterman was an interesting read. As a parent myself, I can't believe that parents would willingly unwind their children, so the concept of unwinding is difficult for me. Once I got past that aspect of the story, it is interesting to see the society that Conner, Risa, and Lev live in. In the beginning, you have difficulty liking Connor. You can understand his reasoning for getting away, but you can't understand why he did the things he did that got his parents to sign the unwind order. Risa is a more sympathetic narrator. Nothing she did has gotten her into this situation--she tried to be perfect, but perfection isn't something that comes easily to humans. Lev's ideas were the most foreign to me, I had difficulty understanding why a child would willingly become an unwind, but Lev has had his whole life to prepare. He knows his purpose in life.

This novel is shocking, violent, alarming, and thought provoking. You keep wondering throughout the novel, how did this world get so messed up that something like unwinding would become an acceptable solution? These characters and their stories are well developed. You can't help feeling the urgency they feel and the betrayal.