Week 5: Unwind

Book Cover Image:

Book Summary:

This book is set in the future in a dystopian society. The government is abusing technology and has almost complete control over its people. Parents are able to abort their children if they decide to when the kids are between the ages of 13 and 17. They call it being “unwound”. You can be unwound if you are tithed to society, are a troublemaker and your parents are tired of you, are an orphan and do not show enough special talent to keep draining the states’ services, or for many other reasons. Those are the reasons the three main characters are on the run from society, however. They are trying to avoid their unwinding. If they do get caught, they will be unwound, their organs will be donated, and they will cease to exist as a whole entity…a person. This Scifi thriller is best suited for young adult readers, grades 9 and up.

APA Reference:

Shusterman, N. (2007). Unwind. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster Books for

            Young Readers.

My Impressions:

Even though Science fiction is not my favorite genre, I did enjoy this book. I think the suspense and unusual, likely immoral, capability of aborting children once they have been born, held my attention. This could be seen as a controversial book because it discusses issues like abortion, organ harvesting (mostly without consent of the donor), religion, and other often political issues. Nevertheless, and maybe because of the controversy, many teens will be engaged by Connor leading the group on their journey of escape. Connor’s parents gave up on him and secretly were going to hand him over to the state for unwinding. Nonetheless, he still believes he is worth saving, and his new friends, too. It was strange to encounter a tithe, one who was always to be eventually unwound, that accepted his destiny. He actually felt like it was his duty to society and God to allow himself to be unwound. Regardless of the circumstances, I think teens will enjoy this read and would love to discuss the values, morals, and outcomes of these teen refugees.  

Professional Review:

“Gr 9 Up This dark futuristic thriller is set after the Second Civil War when parents have the option of retroactively aborting their troublesome teens and donating their organs to others in need. Two Unwinds and a Tithe (a 10th child in a family expressly conceived to be unwound) escape their transport to Harvest Camp and discover an underground network of supporters. A gripping and compellingly told story offering fodder for thought and discussion.”

Review Reference:

[Review of the book Unwind, by N. Shusterman]. (2008, April 2). School Library Journal, 54,

            74. Retrieved from http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/

Library Uses:

Focus ages: grades 9-12

This book would be a good book club book that both girls and boys would enjoy. It lends itself to many interesting discussions.

This book would be a good candidate for a series of book trailers on science fiction. It is suspenseful and engaging and would entice students to pick up the book at the school library.