Unwind

Neal Shusterman

Jun 2009 · Unwind Dystology Book 1 · Sold by Simon and Schuster

About this ebook

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 their eighteenth 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.

Ratings and reviews

Unwind is a fantastic book. Neal Shusterman has obviously studied the equation for creating the perfect piece of literature since writing the book preceeding Unwind, Duckling Ugly, which is part of the Dark Fusion Series. Unwind thrusts quirky, comedic, lovable characters into a series of dark adventurous events. The situations are disturbing and futuristic, but Neal Shusterman brings them to life by clearly explaining the background of the story. The contraversal tale brings up issues such as abortion, war, science and race, but in a way that teenagers can understand. Neal Shusterman twists the story so that all opinions and sides to these matters are present and well explained. Unwind also encourages thoughts about what the majority of humans take for granted, such as life and love. This dark, disturbing novel ends with a scene of hope that cannot be forgotten and this story will change the world for you, forever. Not recommended for children under the age of twelve, but recommended for everyone older.

This book is just the first in an amazingly futuristic yet all too plausible near future. All of the books and the collection of short stories (I've read them all) are fantastic. Unwind, the first, however is perhaps my favorite and the most terrifying in its relevance to the here and now. With pieces of real news articles and nonfiction scattered throughout, Shusterman at once pulls in the reader and horrifies them with "this isn't so fantastic and unrealistic after all". If you start the series, do yourself a favor and read all of it. The short stories add so much to the story and answer a few questions that you didn't even think to ask. In summary Unwind and all its companions are entirely worth reading. With every passing year, Unwind becomes more and more realistic. It's okay to be scared because maybe you'll be one of the people to do something about it.

This series owned me from start to finish. Every once in a while, a story comes along that you find yourself thinking about long after you've finished that last, bittersweet page. This series is one of those (for me). If you're a fan of 'The Hunger Games', 'Uglies', and/or 'Red Rising', then you have to get into this series. You can thank me later. Sidenote: I tried typing this review at least 5 or 6 times. I'd get 1/2 way into the 1st sentence, delete it, and try again before I found a few words to scratch the surface of my feelings about this series. 💞

About the author

Neal Shusterman is the New York Times bestselling author of more than thirty award-winning books for children, teens, and adults, including the Unwind dystology, the Skinjacker trilogy, Downsiders, and Challenger Deep, which won the National Book Award. Scythe, the first book in his series Arc of a Scythe is a Michael L. Printz Honor Book. He also writes screenplays for motion pictures and television shows. Neal is the father of four, all of whom are talented writers and artists themselves. Visit Neal at StoryMan.com and Facebook.com/NealShusterman.