Unwind by Neal Shusterman

“The Heartland War” has been fought and was resolved by the “The Bill of Life.” So human life cannot be touched from birth until you reach the age of thirteen, but then you can be UNWOUND between the ages of thirteen and eighteen. Unwinding doesnt technically end life, but they sort of cut the person to peices and the body parts are taken to hospitals and used for medical transplants (arms, legs, and other things like that are given to people who need them--for large amounts of money, that is). In this distirbing future, unwinding cannot be undone, and once the papers are signed, you are sent to Harvesting Camps, where you are eventually brought to the Chop Shop. . . and well, things happen. BAD things

Three Unwinds are brought together by chance: Connor, Risa, and Lev. 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 birth, as a part of his religion (its called tithing) If they can survive until their eighteen birthdays, they cannot be harmed--But when every peice of them, from their hands to their hearts, eighteen seems far far away. . .

Review:

I just finished this book - literally.

The UNWINDing process is so disturbing, but Shusterman does not go into detail about it, for which i am partially greatfull yet disappointed; i would have liked getting more information on it.

The fact that mankind could even AGREE on a process so disturbing is just well . . . there is no word for it other than REPULSIVE. And the fact that they consider it OK since the Unwind is technically still ALIVE. . . it is such a weird ( and terrifying) topic, yet the overall plot is still very realistic.

Throughout the story, Neil Shusterman 'challenges your ideas about life--not just where life begins, and where it ends, but what it truly means to be alive. This story was disturbing with just a touch of hope and some romance mixed in. There is no possible way to descirbe what i thought. But i can some it up in one word: UNBELIEVABLE! And you'll have to read it to find out just how unbelievable it is!

YOU WOULD ESPECIALLY LIKE THIS BOOK IF YOURE A FAN OF: The Host, by Stephenie Meyer

Grade: A-