Unwind :: Education by Design Store

Customer Reviews

Suspenseful story about a frighteningly real world

2008-07-26
This is a brilliant, disturbing, engrossing young adult novel, not to be missed. Shusterman paints a frightening picture of a society in which parents can sign orders to have their unwanted teens "unwound," or salvaged for their body parts. Three runaways make a harrowing cross country journey to escape their sinister fate. If they can survive to age eighteen, they'll be free. Shusterman knows how to construct cinematic, emotional scenes, and the plot takes many surprising, unexpected turns. I highly recommend this book!

Many flaws

2008-07-14
Unwound is an interesting premise, but the book itself has far too many holes in it to be enjoyable. My biggest problem with the story is the fact that the premise of the is simply too unrealistic. The thought that within 100 years or so that the human race would become so indifferent towards a living person that they would allow him to be carved up for parts against his/her will is just too far of a reach.

It is a terrifying prospect, to have your life taken from you while young, and one that has been previously addressed in stories such as Logan's Run. The difference is that Logan's Run was set in an indeterminant time, so far in the future that it was essentially an alien culture. If Unwound had been set 500 years in the future or perhaps in an alternate reality, the story might have worked better.

The book seems to try too hard to provoke thought about the right to choose/right to life debate. Also, there are several instances where you can see plot points and and complications coming from a mile away. Foreshadowing is one thing, but to be so ham-handed in technique is disappointg.

Just so that this isn't a totally negative review, I did enjoy the evolution of the two lead male characters, though again it was pretty obvious about where things were heading.

This book might be enjoyable to younger readers who can look past the short comings or who might be more startled by the "coming to get you" premise. But for older readers, adults, or those who enjoy a good Sci-Fi yarn, you are going to be disappointed.

A True Masterpiece

2008-06-25
Neal Shusterman's Unwind is a true contemporary American classic. It goes far beyond just simply story-telling. It is very similar to Animal Farm. It is so much deeper than its plot. It deserves to be ranked with Catcher in the Rye and The Diary of Anne Frank. It should be mandatory reading for all high school and college students. Neal Shusterman is absolutely the John Steinbeck of Young Adult Fiction.

Unwinds Your Feelings

2008-06-05
After the Heartland war, a war between the pro-life and pro-choice armies of the United States, the Bill of Life is created. It states that a child cannot be aborted until they are between the ages of 13 and 18, when they can be "unwound" or have their body parts harvested for other uses. It isn't "killing" the Bill of Life says, but rather changing their form of life.

But three teens, Connor, Risa and Lev who all come from entirely different situations, battle to survive until they're 18.

This book was one of the most impacting books I've ever read. I am a huge reader and read probably two books week. But it took me a day to read this book.

It makes you think about life, and what life means, and what a soul is. Read this book and your thoughts about life will forever be altered. Five stars to Neal Shusterman.

This is a MUST READ.

The Best YA Novel in Ages....

2008-05-22
This was a book I bought on a whim. It had an interesting premise so I thought "why not". That was almost a year ago and I still can't get this book out of my head. It is one of those stories that hit you in the gut just when you think that every topic has been written about. This was an entirely new idea wrought with intense emotion and survival from every character. There was no overlap in 2 dimensional character traits. Each character was fully developed, had a voice and you could feel their point of view. The book was so disturbing in a "Twilight Zone" sort of way. There was no sugar coating or breaks given to the characters. Their was no apology for the situation it just was. The reality of that sets an ambiance that you won't be able to get out of your head for some time. This is a book I would love to see my teenager having to read for an English class. It is wrought with discussion topic possibilities and could stimulate some intense discussion. I could type on all day about the wonders of this literary masterpiece. The emotion, the depth, the color, the pain and the creative world in which it was weaved is beyond description. You must read it regardless of the genre you like. I can't imagine anyone not being in awe.

Amazing

2008-04-02

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, and kept together by desperation, these three unlikely companions make a harrowing cross-country journey, knowing their lives hang in the balance. If they can survive until theireighteenth birthday, they can't be harmed -- but when every piece of them, from their hands to their hearts, are wanted by a world gone mad, eighteen seems far, far away.

In Unwind, Boston Globe/Horn Book Award winner Neal Shusterman challenges readers' ideas about life -- not just where life begins, and where it ends, but what it truly means to be alive.

Unwind 2008-03-30
This book was amazing! The plot works off of the controversial topic of abortion. In the book, abortion is outlawed, but parents can choose to 'unwind' their children between the ages of 13 to 18. The children are taken to a harvest camp, where their body parts are separated and used as transplants for other people. In the book, it's called 'living in a separated state.'
The story has 3 protagonists: Connor, Risa, and Lev. Each are being unwound for a different reason. The entire book is basically their fight to stay alive.

The Future Is Near 2008-03-14
Being a fan of Shusterman, I was very eager to read this novel when I saw it recommended to other intermediate teachers. After loving both the Downsiders as well as the light-hearted The Schwa Was Here, my faith in Shusterman's writing has been even more solidified.

The horrific future painted by the author in which children are "saved" only to be "unwound" for the benifit of society may seem like a far fetched idea of science fiction, but it is painted so visually in the reader's mind that you get sucked into the story as if it were today's society around us already.

As I read, I pulled out certain aspects in each character that I both despised as well as admired. Connor's "morph" from bad boy to "hero" was believable and did not seem farfetched in the least. Risa's caring nature was consistant throughout the novel, but she as well changed into a more outspoken and confident individual once faced with unspeakable events. The fragile character of Lev was the only character that I found true fault with. I understood his transformation from a religious individual into a haphazard extremist, but I disliked how Shusterman left out his transformation into this state of being. I would have liked to learn exactly how and why his mind was changed into a teen of hatred and defiance. Did it take away from the story? No, but it would have added to it.

The part that I enjoyed the most was the various themes running through the book that are still present in Shusterman's future that are seen in our current society. Abortion has been abolished, but is still present and heavily debated in the form of unwinding. Suicide bombers and terrorists are now "Clappers," which I thought was both ingenious and frightening. The battle over religious extremest still are found in the topic of "tithing."

These frightening and endless battles that have been fought for years and never have been resolved, only changed with technology and the times. This concept is more believable than other science fiction books where these issues are nowhere to be found.

Long story short (too late, I know), this is one of the best books for youngsters that I have read in many years. It will spark debate, open the lines for conversation on many current issues, and the short chapters will hold the interest and entertain the most reluctant readers.

amazing 2008-03-01
This is one of the best books I have read in a long time, and I've recommended it to everyone I know. The story is so thought provoking, I think it would be excellent for classroom discussion. The scene of the actual "unwinding" is one of the most terrifying/sorrowful things to read. I was crying and couldn't breathe at the same time. Neal Shusterman is an excellent writer.

Disturbing but fascinating tale 2008-02-24
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.