
In a future America after the Heartland War, a peace treaty was signed allowing parents to have their children unwound between the ages of 13 to 18, where their body parts are harvested. The book follows the journey of three unwinds, Connor, Risa, and Lev, as they try to escape being unwound and find purpose in a society where children's lives are disposable. The plot is fast-paced, filled with twists and turns that keep the reader engaged, exploring themes of identity, escape, and survival.
The writing style of the book is described as intense, thought-provoking, and gripping. It presents a dystopian universe where the concept of unwinding challenges societal norms around life, compassion, and the value of human beings. The author, Neal Shusterman, skillfully weaves together multiple storylines, creating well-formed characters that evolve throughout the narrative, making the readers question moral dilemmas and the consequences of societal decisions.
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Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
Content warnings include themes of abortion, body horror, and graphic descriptions of organ harvesting.
Has Romance?
While there are romantic elements, they do not overshadow the main plot.
From The Publisher:
Three teens fight for their lives and each other in this breathtakingly suspenseful first book in the twisted, New York Times bestselling Unwind Dystology series by Neal Shusterman.
After America's Second Civil War, the Pro-Choice and Pro-Life armies came to an agreement. According to their Bill of Life, human life may not be terminated from the moment of conception until the age of thirteen. But between the ages of thirteen and eighteen, the child may be gotten rid of by their parent through a process called "unwinding."
By repurposing a teen's organs and other body parts in living recipients, the unwound child's life doesn't technically end. According to society's leaders, unwinding leads to a healthier and safer community, as troublesome and unwanted teens are used for the greater good.
Curtis is a rebel whose unwinding was ordered by his parents. Rita, a ward of the state, has been slated for unwinding due to cost cutting. And Lev, his parents' tenth child, has been destined for unwinding since birth as a religious tithe. As their paths intersect, they start to fight for their own destinies. But do they stand a chance of escaping their fate or proving their lives are worth saving?
Ratings (83)
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7 comment(s)
Decently scary dystopian which had a terrible way dealing with overpopulation. Held my interest though out and would definitely read the other books in the series. Wonder why it took me so long to start the series
Imagine a world where human life is protected from the time of conception until the age of twelve. Imagine a world where between the ages of thirteen to eighteen, a parent may choose to retroactively “abort” their child on the condition that the child’s life doesn’t technically end. The process by which a child is both terminated yet kept alive is called “unwinding” and has become a common and accepted practice in society.
At its core, “Unwind” is a story about life, memory, beliefs and purpose. The story focuses on three teenagers who are destined to be unwound but are instead thrown together and come to depend on each other for survival.
The book begins with 16 year old Connor planning to run away from home after discovering his parents plan to have him unwinded. He tries to convince his girlfriend to runaway with him and although she first agrees to go with him, she changes her mind since this isn’t directly affecting her.
Risa is a fifteen year old orphan living at a Staho (state home) when she is told that she is going to be unwound so they can have more room at the orphanage.
Lev is a thirteen year old boy who been born and raised to be a human tithe. Lev is happy that since he has now turned thirteen, he will soon be fulfilling his God given purpose by being unwound.
As Connor is running away from cops, he runs into the freeway . By Conner darting in the freeway , this causes the bus Risa is riding on to head to the harvest camp to turn over and soon she sees a chance to escape. Also as Connor crosses the freeway, he jumps briefly into the car which is being driven by Pastor San who is taking Lev to harvest camp as well. Connor manages to pulled Lev out of the car and tries to use him as a hostage.
Connor, Risa, and Lev soon find themselves on the run from cops but also now have to figure out how to hide, survive and stay alive until they are eighteen and legally viewed as adults. Along the way, the trio form bonds, betray each other and by the end of the book, each character has grown and matured in ways they never would’ve thought possible.
The most disturbing part of the book comes when the process of unwinding in actually presented. The process takes twelve surgeons in teams of two, nine surgical assistants, and four nurses to complete. It takes three hours to complete an unwinding.
Legally, the teen has to remain conscious through the entire unwinding process. Throughout the process, the nurse explains what is being done from blood being removed, to other body parts such as knee, chest and jaw.
Although all teens start the process by talking to the nurses, by the end, all they can do is blink until the final part of the process is done which is cutting out the medulla.
This was a interesting story told in a fast paced way. Connor, Risa, and Lev are three dimensional and while each character stands well alone, their best work is done when they are written in scenes together. The reason this book resonated with me so much is that I could see something like this occurring due to lack of organ donors. Although the idea is fat fetched, it’s still not out of the line of possibilities. Lastly, I’ll admit that I initially didn’t think I’d like this book but by the end, I was rooting for all of the characters to not only survive but thrive.
In this world that Neal has created, the conflict over Pro-Life and Pro-Choice lead to the Second Civil War, known as the Heartland War. To end the war, constitutional amendments, known as The Bill of Life, were passed.
The Bill 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"."
Additionally, there's a Storking Initiative, which is like an acceptable ding-dong-ditch version of leaving your unwanted infant on someone's doorstep. Should the DDD'ed family spot you, you must take the baby back. Get away without being seen and the family must take on the responsibility of raising the child.
Unwinding follows three teens, Connor, Risa and Lev. While each of the children share few commonalities prior to their chance meeting, they are all scheduled for unwinding. This unites them as they strive to stay alive until they are eighteen.
Every Unwind has a story you don't want to know.
Along the way, the trio meet many different Unwinds. Each of them has a sad and pitiful story to tell. Some feel they were chosen, others hope that
"... some part of [themselves] will go on to greatness somewhere in the world. [They'd] rather be partly great than entirely useless." But, no one really knows what to expect.
The harvesting of Unwinds is a secret medical ritual that stays within the walls of each harvesting clinic in the nation.
The freakiest part of the story, for me, was the Unwinding process. The author does an amazing job of bringing the reader along on the terrifying process in which 99.44% of an Unwind must be kept alive for transplantation. I look forward to continuing the series.
4.5⭐️. Great dystopian book - makes you nice and uncomfortable! Crazy idea but yet, unfortunately, it’s not too far off that it couldn’t ever become a reality. A lot of people want to make this a cut and dry pro-life/pro-choice issue, but it’s really something deeper than that. It’s a very uneasy look at the bystander effect and how we as humans tend to take the easy path even if it compromises our morals - especially if there’s money involved. It’s a great start to a conversation about human identity and ethics.
I found the premise of this book unfeasible to really, fully jump into it. The idea of unwinding is so inhumane that I find it difficult to believe the government would willingly enact it. But perhaps that's just me.
The book is quite powerful, in and of itself, and speaks on many different levels. The characterization is excellent, the pacing is good, and it's a very good book. It's just...a bit...too hard to suspend my disbelief.
This book combines good character development, especially in Connor, with a really moving and heart wrenching concept. It takes the secret hidden idea of abortion and forces you to look at it in broad daylight. It’s a truly tragic story. But yet in it we see Connor, this teen who is really what we might call an at-risk child: violent, angry. But throughout this book as he faces trial after trial, each trial forcing him to take a moral stand and act upon his beliefs. And it changes him: the way he thinks, the man he is. So we’re seeing this boy become a man and decide things for himself about reality, all the while watching the echoes of a reality that while in the book is lived out in the open, in real life is often pushed to the sidelines, designed for us to forget what it is we’re actually doing.
This book is an absolute must-read, and I honestly believe it should be required in schools. The characters are incredibly well-developed and easy to invest in, but what really stands out is the thought-provoking world they inhabit. It feels deeply relevant to today’s ongoing debates about abortion, pushing the conversation to its extremes. I wish everyone could experience this story.
About the Author:
Neal Shusterman is the New York Times bestselling author of more than thirty award-winning books for children, teens, and adults, including the Unwind dystology, the Skinjacker trilogy, Downsiders, and Challenger Deep, which won the National Book Award. Scythe, the first book in his latest series, Arc of a Scythe, is a Michael L. Printz Honor Book. He also writes screenplays for motion pictures and television shows. Neal is the father of four, all of whom are talented writers and artists themselves. Visit Neal at StoryMan.com and Facebook.com/NealShusterman.
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