Unwind by Neal Shusterman
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Source: Bought
ISBN: 9781416994961
Release Date: June 2009
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Connor, Risa, and Lev are running for their lives.
The Second Civil War was fought over reproductive rights. The chilling resolution: Life is inviolable from the moment of conception until age thirteen. Between the ages of thirteen and eighteen, however, parents can have their child "unwound," whereby all of the child's organs are transplanted into different donors, so life doesn't technically end. Connor is too difficult for his parents to control. Risa, a ward of the state is not enough to be kept alive. And Lev is a tithe, a child conceived and raised to be unwound. Together, they may have a chance to escape and to survive.
"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."
This book was simply amazing. I actually slowed down reading it near the end because I just did not want to finish it. Throughout the novel, I had so many questions. Something would happen and I would have ten questions pop up in my brain. But, what is so great about this book that I feel other young adults books doesn’t have is that the author actually answers all your questions as the book progresses.
Ronald was one of my most hated characters, but in a good way. I just despised him. He was a great villain and his character was well fleshed out. He was a bully, but a brilliant one. He didn’t use force (for the most part) to get his way. He slowly manipulated kids into following him. And that’s what was truly terrifying about him. No one had the guts to stand up to him and it took Connor a long time to grow and become the hero to do it.
Connor and Risa had great chemistry together. Even though they may have been thrown together under bad circumstances, they become a dynamic duo. Risa made Connor think before he acted. At the start Connor is rash and reacts to situations without thinking things through. The first time it happens Risa freaks on him and he learns to control his impulses as the book goes on. Connor changes quite a bit during the book. He matures and other kids start to look up to him and rely on him for guidance.
Usually, I’m not a fan of multiple point of views, but in Unwind it really aided in pushing the plot forward and with the character development. Each character who well developed and had their own voice. I didn’t get the characters mixed up (which happens a lot when I read multiple POVs).
