Unwind

Book by Neal Shusterman
Review by Stacy V., BCCHS student

The book Unwind is based sometime in the future where a war has been fought between the pro-life and pro-choice armies. Their conclusion or result is the Bill of Life, which ends abortion but allows parents to choose to have their children "unwound" between the ages of 13 and 18. "Unwinding" is the transplanting of every part of the teens' bodies to some other adults that need it, but since every bit of their bodies is still technically "alive," they haven't been killed, right?

One of the main characters of the book is Connor, who discovers that his parents have signed an order for his unwinding, and as soon as he finds out he escapes. He eventually meets a girl named Risa, another escaping unwind who is very well educated and intelligent, also a boy named Lev, whose life has been tithed to the church and whose family has lied to him throughout his life. Connor becomes the leader of their little group and tries to keep them all one step ahead of the police that are after them. But Lev may have other ideas and could ruin their escape; that could lead them all to Unwinding.

This book is full of suspense and disbelief upon what is right and who is right. You will find the story exciting and thought-provoking. It raises issues that range from abortion, organ transplant, and euthanasia, to the rights of parents, children, and society. Neal Shusterman takes an idea and runs with it far beyond where most authors are willing to go.