Unwind by Neal Shusterman

Unwind is a 2007 science fiction novel by young adult literature author Neal Shusterman. It takes place in the United States in the near future. After the Second Civil War or the Heartland War, was fought over abortion, a compromise was reached, allowing parents to sign an order for their children between the ages of 13 and 18 to be unwound—taken to "harvest camps" and having their body parts harvested for later use. The reasoning was that since 99.44% of the body had to be used, unwinds did not technically die because their individual body parts lived on. In addition to unwinding, parents who are unable to raise their children to age 13 for retroactive abortion have the option to "stork" their child by leaving it on another family's porch. If they don't get caught, the "storked" baby then becomes the other family's responsibility.

I???ve read this book before years ago, in Dutch. Then I already really liked it. But now that I knew there were more books, I wanted to read it in English again. The story really makes you feel for every character in every chapter. Every person has a motivation you can empathize with. I also like how everything comes together. Nothing seems to be really filler, everything feels like its been done on purpose. Every detail matters.

Also the whole thing with Tyler and Cyrus is amazingly powerful, honestly this book is full of powerful moments and meaning full words. Definitely recommend it.

Unwind follows runaway teens Connor, Risa, and Lev in a chilling dystopian world where abortion is illegal, but parents can choose instead to retroactively “unwind” their children between the ages of 13-17. Unwound teens are often troubled (Connor), unwanted wards of the state (Risa), or religious tithes (Lev); what they all have in common is that their bodies are systematically dismantled and the various organs purchased by the highest bidder. Rather than considered the end of life, however, unwinding is excused by society as living on in a different form, since 100% of an Unwind's body parts are required by law to be used as organ donations. This society, as you might expect, makes for plenty of teen runaways–and Connor, Risa, and Lev must make it to a place called “the graveyard” if they hope to hide out successfully until they reach the safe age of 18. Unfortunately, the graveyard turns out to be even more dangerous than the streets. A thrilling, heartbreaking book, Unwind will have you at the edge of your seat in a way that is thought-provoking rather than simply entertaining. I would recommend this book for both teens and adults.

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.