Unwind (Unwind Trilogy #1)

Reader reviewed by unknown

if i didnt know this was fiction id think it was real. it was extremeley uncomfortable finding all the connections between the book and real life situations. i think that the part of this book was realizing how strong your will to survive, and seeing to full extent how far people are willing to go to survive. seeing the story from many diffrent pionts of view kept you changing your mind throuhout the intire book. i have read many neal shusterman books, but this by far has to be my favorite.

Reader reviewed by Paige

Unwind is an excellent book for science fiction lovers. A war has recently happened known as the second civil war or the heartland war. The abortion bill has a terrible contract has people choosing, for life or against life. Unwinding the use of other body parts, is taking place. Conner and Risa are on the run from being unwound both for different reasons. They are stuck with each other and soon are stuck with young 13 year old Levi. Levi, due to his religion, is meant to be unwound. Together, they are thrown into a wild adventure. Levi tries to turn them in by pulling a fire alarm. Levi gets separated from them, and makes a friend. Risa and Conner are taken away to a safe house, known as the 'Graveyard', that isn't very safe at all. Then Levi gets there, as a clapper. (which means explosives in their blood) Together they try to free themselves.

This book could have been better. Toward the end it was going really fast. I was like whoa, when did that happen, then I have reread the recent chapter I finished. The setting in the being was not cleared up, like what state is this set in. What time in the future is this set. The book was funny in some places.
In my opinion this book is overall a good book in a weird way because of the use of other body parts. My favorite characters would be Risa, and Conner. Because Risa reminded me of myself in some ways. Conner was funny, and he is the one of the main characters. Levi really got on my nerves because of the reasoning behind unwinding people due to his religion. I found this book good, and more of a book for a science fiction lover.

Reader reviewed by Vicki

Very compelling story. I truly enjoyed Shusterman's novel about a society where unwanted teens are salvaged for their body parts. The story had twists and turns throughout and it makes you wonder about life. When does life actually begin, and end? It also makes you think about what it means to be alive! Highly recommended

Reader reviewed by Sara

Title: Unwind
Author: Neal Shusterman
Publisher:Simon and Schuster
Date Published:2007
Genre: Young Adult
Main Themes: Runaways, Suvival, Abortion(Pro-Life/Pro-Choice), Religion, Love,Family
Pages: 335
Plot:
From inside cover: "In a society where unwanted teens are salvaged for their body parts, three runaways fight the system that would "unwind" them...

Connor's parents want to be rid of him because he's a troublemaker. Risa has no parents and is being unwound to cut orphanage costs. Lev's unwinding has been planned since his birth, as part of his family's strict religion. Brought together by chance, these three unlikely companions make a harrowing cross-country journey, knowing their lives hang in the balance. If they can survive until their eighteenth birthday, they can't be harmed - but when every piece of hem, from their hands to their hearts, are wanted by a world gone mad, eighteen seems far, far away."

WOW! This book was simply amazing! When I decided to read it, I never expected to find such depth and intensity.

Connor, Risa, and Lev are unbelievable characters - I found myself drawn to their stories right from the first pages of the book. Actually, I was hooked as soon as I read the "Bill of Life" before the story even began and I realized what the story was going to be about.

The story begins years after the "Second Civil War", which pitted Pro-Life supporters against Pro-Choice supporters. There is one passage in the book where Connor and Risa are in an antiques shop with items from Connor's grandfather's time, like iPods and flat-screen televisions. Connor, Risa, and Lev's world is much more advanced, and much darker, than the world the reader knows.

Unwind forces the reader to consider when life begins and what it really means to live... In the story, storking, unwinding, and tithing are all common, accepted occurances - and leave the reader questioning the sanity of this future society.

Unwind is narrated by each of the three main characters, and, when appropriate, by other characters. Shusterman's writing style made it easier for the reader to comprehend this foreign society and for the reader to better understand the actions of various characters. I especially liked parts where Connor or Risa narrated...

Ratings (Out of 10):
Plot: 10
Characters: 10
Writing Style: 10
Romance: 10
Originality/Memorable: 10
Total: 50/50 (A)

It is hard for me to properly describe what goes on in the book or find the words to convey how amazing it is. I'm definitely recommending it to everyone...! It is just such an intense book and it really made me think about a lot of controversial issues, like abortion, adoption, religion, family, stem-cell research... so many different big issues all at the same time!

Neal Shusterman is the author of many books, but one that I have heard talk of most often is Everlost, which is soon to be adapted as a movie... I plan on reading that book as well, but in the meantime, I'll rave about Unwind!

Reader reviewed by Banana Split

"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

Reader reviewed by Debbie

The concept of this book was what first grabbed me.  The idea that
society could get to the point where they think harvesting a body of
its part is not really killing a person but letting them live on in
other people is just disturbing.  In fact, its so crazy that I can see
after any big disaster or war people actually falling for it and
supporting the idea.   At one point in the book you are actually there
for the unwinding of one of the characters and talk about disturbing.

Connor initially appears to be a jerk that deserves to be unwound
but from his interaction with Risa he soon realizes the person he can
become.  Although their journey was not an easy one we see how Connor,
Risa and Lev change as they are on the run and they realize the world
is not really what they thought it was and what they can do to change
it.  I thought this was a really thought provoking book for both adults
and teens.

reprinted here with author's permission.

Reader reviewed by mearley

One of the best YA books I've read this year!

In a future society, following a war between the pro-life and pro-choice factions, a compromise is reached: Life is sacred from the moment of conception to age 13; between age 13 and 18, parents may choose to "unwind" the child. "Unwinding" means that every part of the teenager will be reused in another human's body; theoretically, the child does not die since every part is still alive in another body.  The scariest aspect of this book is that nothing is really that implausible.  

Unwind focuses on three runaway teens marked to be unwound.  If they can stay alive and hidden until their 18th birthdays, they will not be unwound.  As they hide from authorities, sometimes alone, sometimes with the help of an underground network of helpers, they grapple with questions like "Is being unwound the same as dying?" and "What happens to your soul if you are unwound?"  

This book was very similar in theme to The Adoration of Jenna Fox, although quite different in style.  Both books will appeal to students and adults who don't mind being faced with tough moral questions.

Reader reviewed by Stephanie

In an alternate (or future)
United States, the Heartland War between pro-life or pro-choice parties has
been fought, and one of the compromises that the people have come up with is
unwinding: any teen between 13 and 18 can be signed over by their parents to
the government, to be "unwound" into parts for other people's bodies.
It's not death, they say, because you remain in divided parts. But is it really
living?

Connor is a troublesome teen
whose parents are having him unwound. Risa is an orphanage at the overcrowded
state home that is planning to cut costs by having a number of kids unwound.
And Lev is a tithe--born and raised to fulfill his role of being an Unwind, and
thus giving back to his god and the community.

The three teens are thrown
together in a desperate adventure to save their own lives--and, eventually, the
lives of thousands of other Unwinds. But the journey they must make is a
dangerous one, one that can fall apart at any second through betrayal or bad
luck. How much can they possibly do to undermine the system that threatens to
dismantle them?

UNWIND takes on a variety of challenging topics that to
this day still have no clear answer: abortion, how to deal with unwanted
pregnancies, religion, and the existence of souls. Thankfully, it provides no
cut-and-dry answer to these issues, and instead presents them in a thrilling
and approachable novel. While I was not particularly impressed by Shusterman's
writing style (too much telling and not enough showing), the
characters--especially Connor and Risa, but even some of the secondary
characters--come across as strong, unique, and appealing. They are good
protagonists for readers to follow in this book that will most certainly leave
an impression on you.

Reader reviewed by Hedgi

While a bit creepy, Unwind is a wonderful book. Its charatars are crafted with detail, the Plot is thrilling, and the very way it is written is stunningly beautiful and captivating. I truly felt the pain, joy, fear, sorrow and hope of Lev, Connor and Risa. This is a book that belongs on all shelves.

Reader reviewed by LaTonya M. Baldwin

I just finished reading _The Unwind_ by Neal Shusterman. The novel is set after the second civil war between pro-lifers and pro-choice armies. There are massive losses. In the end, the opponents sign a Bill of Life which ends abortion as we know it. The Bill says between thirteen and eighteen years old, a parent can sign an unwind order. This essentially means retroactive termination. Children are sent to harvest camps where all of their organs are harvested, and the child lives on in the lives of many. The story is about three unwinds who run away and hope to survive to their eighteenth birthdays.


The way Shusterman presents complex moral and ethical issues here is similar to speculative fiction writer, Octavia E. Butler does. Neither of the authors supplants simplistic stances over others. While a reader may have an initial preference or belief, they soon find their ideas and perspectives challenged. The work demands deeper examination. What the reader initially feels repelled by becomes complicated when faced with circumstances that dont lend themselves to either/or choices.


There are parallel stories involving the three main characters that collide, and there are some good secondary characters to help round out the cast. There is intrigue and mystery and action that move the story along at a good pace. The reader can feel the adrenaline kick in for the characters and feels choked with anxiety and fear.


I really enjoyed this page turner. The author doesn't take a position on abortion, when life begins or what army was right. Instead, his characters wrestle with the ramifications of the war and the creation of the Bill of Life. Shusterman is a new author for me. I intend to check out more by him.