Neal Shusterman has long been one of my favorite authors. I first read Unwind in 2017. I gladly put his series on my classroom shelves. Two years ago we had to take all books off and put them away until the district told us which books we could keep on our shelves. They all had to be "reviewed", and not by the teacher. I went from over 3000 books to a little under 700 books. Last year I changed schools. I started collecting books again. Parents signed letters giving their children permission to read whatever they wanted. I began purchasing my favorites once again. The first books I purchased over Christmas break this year was Neal Shusterman's Unwind Series. I reread them this week.

Unwind takes the issue of abortion and turns it on its head. After years of pro-life and pro-choice arguing the issue of abortion war breaks out. It is finally decided that the abortion issue is dead until the age of 13. At that time, with the advancement of technology and medicine children can be "unwound". This mean their body can be chopped up and sold to the highest bidder with all parts being used. There are two nefarious factions at play here. First you have the "tithes". They are children who have been dedicated as a tithe from birth. They are raised and trained that they have a higher purpose and willingly go to be unwound, to live on in the lives of others. The second is those that for whatever reason have not done well in school or society have been given to the government for unwinding; signed over to them by their parents. There is a third group that is lumped in with this second group. If you end up in a state home and are lucky you live there until you are 18. If you aren't lucky and they need more room you will be sent off to be unwound.
Our three main characters are Connor, who found papers his parents had signed to have him unwound. The reason? He was always in fights and had low grades. Then there is Levi, called Lev who is a tithe. Finally we meet Risa who is being unwound because they need more room in the state home she lives in. Connor leaves the night before he is to be unwound. Unfortunately he is caught the next day. He escapes across a highway, sees Lev and takes him as hostage. All of this causes a major accident which also involves the bus that Risa is being transported on. The three of them end up together and so the adventure begins.

We learn a lot about each of their lives, about something called "getting storked" and a group of people who want to destroy these "chop shops" and a group that is trying to help them survive. This is an awesome book. It is followed by 3 other books. I highly recommend the entire series, just like I will to my students when I return after winter break. ( )

wow. and I mean wow. A reality you don't want to think about.
storking....unwinding...tithing...it's all just so horrific, I just want to assume and imagine that it could/would NEVER happen. Right, it would never happen?!?! ( )

I really enjoyed this book. It's one of the few books that I've read lately that kept me up reading well into the night, and I could not wait to find out how it ended. An exciting story of survival with interesting, well fleshed-out characters. I was a bit disappointed to find out that there are sequels to this book—I thought the ending to this one was perfect. I kept thinking of this one long after I'd finished it, and I am excited to hear what my friends think of this thrilling tale of survival. ( )

This book was positively stomach churning. It snatches at you in the first two pages, and Shusterman is an accomplished literary veteran, with more than enough talent at his fingertips. The concept sounds like a truly ugly joke, but Shusterman makes the topic real. Even more real are the characters, who are truly different in every sense. Every character in the book--all of them--see their world from entirely different points of view. Some of them agree, and some of them do not. Many of those that don't agree still find themselves on the same side and vis versa. The settings, which Shusterman lingers on with care, also reflect this division. An arid desert is a haven, and a constructed paradise is a prison. A truly masterful book that seeks to scare the reader out of complacence--and does an excellent job. ( )

I have never read any Shusterman books and this one sounded interesting enough. And it was. There were even parts that I enjoyed.

But this, to me, is an example of some lazy storytelling and a clear lack of thought in the world that is being built. I mean, are there really THAT MANY parents that would "unwind" their teenagers? I mean, I get that kids can be annoying as all get out, but you still love them and for the most part don't want them to be chopped up so their body parts are given away. It just didn't feel right and was so far out of the realm of reality in a book that tried to make everything else feel like our world. This could have easily been explained by population control or something else, but it was just...existed.

Which leads to the characters. Bland, cardboard cutouts that I really didn't care for. Oh, an angsty teenage boy who loves to fight but is also morally centered and protects another teenage girl? Color me surprised.

I didn't HATE this book, but it just felt underdeveloped and lazy. ( )

THAT WAS SO CREEPY-COOL!!! ( )

Holy Cow, this book was intense, in part because it really seems like something that could happen in America's future. Loved it. ( )

Disturbing. But good. ( )

When I was a child, my mother took me to a pediatrician that had a plaque hanging on his wall that said "Kids Are People Too." Quite a few characters in this book seem to have forgotten that - or never seemed to have realized it at all. The complete disregard that society has for these teenagers is unreal. That they can "unwind" them and justify it by saying they are not dead but simply going on living in a "divided state" is astounding. Unwinding just shows how far people are willing to go to get the parts they need, how far man will go when science has advanced too far, and how far the pro-life/pro-choice zealots can take their feud.

It took a little while, but I came to feel for these characters in the book. Connor and Risa, I wanted nothing more than for the two of them to escape to their freedom. Lev, there's a love/hate relationship with that kid all through the book. He just came across to me as being so conflicted. Roland, I just loathed, but wouldn't you know that HE is the one the author chooses for unwinding? Reading through the unwinding process, knowing it was happening to Roland, a character that I despised, I still found myself feeling terribly sorry for him. It was not a pleasant thing to read.

All in all, this book was amazing. Shusterman definitely knows how to write a page turner. Even though I purchased this book out of the Young Adult section, I have to say, this is definitely a book for ALL ages. It's been a little while since I've enjoyed a book this much. I'd give it more stars if I could. ( )

In the near future, after a second civil war over reproductive rights, the US lives under the Bill of Life, which makes life inviolable until the age of 13. From 13-18, though, a person’s parents can choose to have their child unwound, a process by which every bit of the body is harvested and used as grafts and transplants. Doctrine states that his isn’t death, but that the Unwound live on through the lives of the various people who receive those…parts. The book follows three teens who have been scheduled to be unwound and find themselves thrown together as they try to escape.

Charlie read this one and immediately handed it to me, saying that I *had* to read it. So, of course, I dropped all other books and read it. And he has excellent tastes when it comes to books. This was fantastic, and I’ll absolutely be continuing with the series (Charlie’s already halfway through the second book). The characters are really well drawn, the story is unique and interesting and really uncomfortable (in the best way) in parts, and there are some wild twists along the way. ( )

first off I want to say that I didn't think i was going to like this book at all but I was so wrong!

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 these 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, Connor 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 - ( )

I am using this book in the "Reread a Favorite Book of Yours" Category in Extreme Book Nerd.

I will never forget the first time that I read "Unwind." I did it in a Burgers and Books Teen Book Club years ago....and it led to one of the best pro life/pro choice discussions I have ever had. You would not expect this to be so (considering teenagers were involved) but it was. It is a book that has stuck with me over the years.

The concept is this: Every child is born....but then a parent can choose to have their child's life "unwound." Body parts are harvested and given to other people. So it is like they are still technically alive; they just might be alive in countless individuals. As you might imagine, there are those who accept being unwound and there are those who are against it to their core.

We meet Connor whose family chooses to unwind him. There is Risa who is a ward of the State. There is Lev who is a "tithe" (literally, his whole life was for the soul purpose of being an Unwind.) These characters converge and their lives are never the same.

I will admit that I have never read the rest of the series, which is weird considering that I adore the first book so much. This was the book that got me passionate about Neal Shusterman and by golly, do I eat his writings up. I don't want to review more (because I really want others to read this book). Just know that it is good! ( )

Unwind is a shocking and Grisly story of a futuristic sort of horror (especially if you are at the age of being unwound) what explores topics such as pro life, religion and humanity, it does so in a way that not only keeps the reader engrossed (reader being me...maybe not you... ) but also makes one think of the possibilities that are brought to the table.

Would I have lived (as a whole) till my 18th? PAH! fat chance!

Unwind follows a variety of people's point of view but mainly the three Unwinds known as Connor, Lev and Risa who all end up together in an escape to freedom. However escaping to freedom as an Unwind has its downfalls with a bounty strung up over their heads and Juvy cops hunting them down there isn't anywhere safe on the streets for an Unwind to....unwind (mentally speaking of course)

The characters in this book are full of depth and strong minded stubbornness that keeps them alive...or more specifically... not Unwound. It is their need for survival that keeps the pace of this book fast and formidable.

And when it comes to being unwound... well lets just say I found myself momentarily traumatised and while Shusterman takes you through the procedure, the horror of feeling myself being taken apart while fully concious was a little overwhelming, I had to stop reading after the chapter to take a moment to put myself back together.


Every step of this book feeds you the emotion of the characters, anger comes easily when one feels helpless... fear comes easier when your time is up.



Look out Amazon, I'm coming to buy Unwholly! ( )

Unwind is a shocking and Grisly story of a futuristic sort of horror (especially if you are at the age of being unwound) what explores topics such as pro life, religion and humanity, it does so in a way that not only keeps the reader engrossed (reader being me...maybe not you... ) but also makes one think of the possibilities that are brought to the table.

Would I have lived (as a whole) till my 18th? PAH! fat chance!

Unwind follows a variety of people's point of view but mainly the three Unwinds known as Connor, Lev and Risa who all end up together in an escape to freedom. However escaping to freedom as an Unwind has its downfalls with a bounty strung up over their heads and Juvy cops hunting them down there isn't anywhere safe on the streets for an Unwind to....unwind (mentally speaking of course)

The characters in this book are full of depth and strong minded stubbornness that keeps them alive...or more specifically... not Unwound. It is their need for survival that keeps the pace of this book fast and formidable.

And when it comes to being unwound... well lets just say I found myself momentarily traumatised and while Shusterman takes you through the procedure, the horror of feeling myself being taken apart while fully concious was a little overwhelming, I had to stop reading after the chapter to take a moment to put myself back together.

Every step of this book feeds you the emotion of the characters, anger comes easily when one feels helpless... fear comes easier when your time is up. ( )

A few of those scenes were far more intense than I was expecting. ( )

The premise is interesting as a thought experiment, maybe, but I find it wholly unbelievable that no-one had thought out the moral implications of this before Connor brings it to their attention. Or that lots of people who have their kids unwound are emotionally ok with it just because it's the law? I mean, I can believe that space aliens do butt-probes for reasons, or that there is a school where you can learn how to do magic, or that under-18's have to fight each other in an annual death match, but this was beyond my ability to suspend my disbelief.

3 stars because the writing is decent and it is a thought provoking story (even though the thoughts provoked were basically "shit, are you totally fucking kidding me? People are ok with this?"). I'm feeling generous, I guess. Plus, I got to check off another item from my "books by dudes" list. And also the "books I bought years ago but haven't yet read" list.

Just for the record, I'm 100% pro-choice. ( )

Oh my god, what a book. What a thought-provoking, totally disturbing, make-your-skin-crawl, wonderful book. It definitely gave me the creeps; some scenes (one in particular - if you read it, you know what I mean) made me feel physically ill. Seriously, be prepared - it's NOT for the faint of heart. I loved it, but I'm not sure I'll ever want to read it again. This was so much more than I expected from a YA book. Brilliant. ( )

In a crazy utopian world, children are often unwound by their parents when they are no longer wanted. This results in an uprising of kids that go against the government. ( )

This was a refreshing take on the teen dystopian novel. After a war between pro-life and pro-choice advocates, the two sides agree to a compromise: abortions are illegal but children between the ages of 13 and 18 can be "unwound" by their parents, where their bodies are divided into parts and used for transplant. The premise is pretty ridiculous but the author handles it well, and I love a good sci-fi story where the main characters are fighting for their lives against an oppressive regime.

While the writing is straightforward and simple, the author manages to capture a lot of emotion in what is otherwise a pretty typical dystopian action-adventure storyline. I was surprised by how emotional and intense some parts were, and really felt for the characters. They were pretty convincing teenagers and had fairly diverse background stories, though I think they could have been fleshed out a bit more.

All in all, this was a very gripping read and I definitely want to continue with the series! ( )

I read this book many years ago, and recently I started remembering it due to different issues that I am facing today in our world. I don’t usually get political when it comes to books, but I do believe that more people should read this book.

It’s an eye opening book, and for whatever I reason I remember vivid details from it about 10 years later. This is a Pro-life vs Pro-choice book. And if that topic upsets you, I don’t recommend reading it. But I do believe that it is another book that should be read in schools, similarly to 1984, Fahrenheit 451, Anne Frank, and many other novels that also tell a story about history and the future. ( )

This novel revolves around three teenagers: Connor, Risa, and Lev. All three are commissioned to be “unwound”. Unwinding is a process that has been accepted by a techinically “pro-life” society that allows you to retroactively abort your children between the ages of 13 and 18, as long as they remain “alive”. Instead of killing them, children are sent to be “unwound”, or parted out as body part donors. Every part of the body must be used by someone else in order for the process to be complete. Connor, a troubled child, was sent to be unwound because his parents couldn’t handle his unruliness and temper. Risa is an orphan who lives in a state home, and is sent to be unwound to free up beds for children under 13 who can’t legally be unwound yet. Lev, the only one of the three that accepts his fate, is a tithe. In the Christian faith, 10% of your worldly goods should be donated to the church, and Lev is the youngest of 10 children. This first novel in a trilogy chronicles how they find each other, and how they try to keep themselves alive.
I really enjoyed the premise of this book. Its overarching themes of morality and loyalty are pretty universal, but to be honest, it was the horror of the fate that awaited each of the unwinds that really kept my attention. One particular scene, when a character actually experiences the unwinding process, was horrific enough that I had to put the book down and walk away for about an hour. It wasn’t graphic or sick, but the implications of the passage really made my stomach turn, and forced me to question the morality of the society that would force its children to undergo such dismemberment.
One of the things I really had trouble with in this book is the world-building. The very first page of the novel, after the title page, is about 5 sentences of background that is supposed to be the foundation of this unwinding process. If you’re able to suspend your disbelief and jump headfirst into the story without needing more, this book will surely delight you. If you need more background information, or explanations on what happened to society to make it devolve (or evolve?) into what is written on the page, you might struggle with its authenticity. I went back and forth: during the reading, I surround myself with the novel, and nothing else matters; it’s easy for me to lose myself in the moment. However, when I extricate myself from the text, and really think about what I read, holes start appearing in the foundation. Connor, and his unwind order, is an excellent example. I feel as though his attitude problems were mild and were no reason for his parents to want to get rid of him. Unless unwinding itself had become so commonplace that it really was no big deal, and they just didn’t feel like addressing his authority issues. In some cases, like with Connor’s parents, unwinding was treated so casually. In cases like Lev’s, it was an honor and God’s work, which made it an event, but not a negative one. In still other cases, the idea of unwinding a teen, essentially killing a child, was an extreme and barbaric act. It was difficult for me to see where the society as depicted in the novel really fell in terms of acceptance of this as a common occurance.
( )

The concept is great, amazing, the idea behind this and pro-choice elements are really really good, but that's where the good ends. This book simply does nothing with what it offers you. I really wanted to see the concepts and ideas expanded upon, maybe a future book of this series will, but for a start, this was not ideal. ( )

I enjoyed this book. It was a well thought out, unrushed, dystopian book about a topic that has once again become a political hot topic: abortion/women's health issues/pro-choice. In this story there was a war between the pro-lifers and pro-choice camp and the result was a Bill of Life. This basically supported life starting at conception without abortion options until the age of 13-18, when parents could decide to do a retroactive abortion where a child is unwound. You'll have to read the book to see what this means. There is an option where an unwanted baby can be "storked," left at a neighbor's door.

There were many good points in this story. Realistic characters, teenage angst, a strong message overall. I especially loved the end. I will look into more books by this author for sure! ( )

In this distopian novel, abortion is illegal. But between ages 13-18, a child can be unwound. It's not death, because "100% of you will still be alive, just in a divided state." But it is death because the individual doesn't meaningfully live on when they donate their organs, and these children are murdered in order to harvest their bodies. The novel explores a variety of reasons why a child might be unwound: parents choose to unwind children they don't want, religious zealots tithe some of their children, and orphans who don't excell are unwound so their body parts can amount to more than they would have as a whole person. The novel follows three unwinds: Connor, an average boys whose parents decided to unwind him; Risa, an orphan who is scheduled for unwinding to make room for new infants; and Lev, a tithe. The three run away to escape their fate.

The novel is well written and, although aimed at teenage readers, contains an important warning about the value of life. Although large scale retroactive abortion is a frightening concept, Unwind itself is neither Thriller nor Horror in genre. The story focuses on the teenage heroes' attempt to survive and evade detection. This is not a novel about disembodied kids who live on while their body parts are donated to tens of recipients; it is a novel about kids trying to avoid being murdered. There are unsung heroes, adults who run an underground railroad to save unwinds, and there are betrayals from fellow unwinds. The juvenile actions of these minor villains is sometimes irritating but not completely out of character for 13-17 year olds.

"We have a right to our lives. We have a right to choose what happens to our bodies. We deserve a world where both those things are possible and it's our job to help make that world."

"Then we propose the idea of unwinding, which would terminate ynwanteds without actually ending their lives. We thought it would shock both [pro-choice and pro-life] sides [of the war] into seeing reason."

"It didn't take long for ethics to be crushed by greed."

"Please, says the boy. Please what? the teacher thinks. Please break the law? But no, That's not it at all. What he's really saying is: please be a human being. With a life stuff full of rules and regiments, it's easy to forget that's what they [Unwinds] are. She knows - she sees - how often compassion takes a back seat to expediency." ( )

I picked up this novel because I've read Shusterman before and it still haunts me to this day. While for this one I wasn't "scared", I was definitely thrilled. Overall the book is very much an "edge of your seat" thriller and kept me engaged but not terrified. ( )