In a society where unwanted teens are salvaged for their body parts, three runaways fight the system that would 'unwind' them. Perfect for fans of THE HUNGER GAMES.
Unwinding: the process by which a child is both terminated and yet kept alive. Unwinding is now a common, and accepted, practice in society.
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 unlikely companions make a harrowing cross-country journey, knowing their lives hang in the balance.
If they can survive until their 18th birthday, they can't be harmed - but when every piece of them, from their hands to their hearts, is wanted by a world gone mad, eighteen seems far, far away...
"Gripping, brilliantly imagined futuristic thriller… The issues raised could not be more provocative - the sanctity of life, the meaning of being human - while the delivery could hardly be more engrossing or better aimed to teens."Publishers Weekly, starred review
"A thought-provoking, well-paced read that will appeal widely"School Library Journal, starred review
"A breathless tale turning pages for teenage boys, as it challenges not just where life begins and ends, but what it means to be alive." Educ8 magazine
"a powerful, shocking, and intelligent novel... It's wonderful, wonderful stuff." The Bookbag
"This is the kind of rare book that makes the hairs on your neck rise up. It is written with a sense of drama that should get it instantly snapped up for film." The Times
Also by Neal Shusterman: Everlost
Everwild
Everfound
UnStrung
Unwholly
Unsouled
Undivided
I definitely did not know what I was going into when I started reading this book. It was one of those times where I just picked up the book because I saw some good reviews but never actually read what it was about. I always love when I do that.
I tried getting my husband to read this because I loved it so much and I figured he would like it, but when I tried to explain it to him he looked at me like I was crazy (Granted, I'm awful at explaining books in person). Which I admit, the idea of the book seems kind of weird at first, but the world is so interesting! How did the world even get to the point where parents can choose to have their children unwound? The fact that parents could get annoyed with their child and decide to get rid of them so easily. And the fact that they don't see it as killing! It's just crazy! And the actual unwinding scene! It was just crazy. Amazingly crazy.
When I first started reading a realized what unwinding meant, that these kids were sent to a harvest camp and pretty much chopped up so people who needed certain body parts had them at the ready. The fact that they don't consider this as killing because all their body parts are kept alive, alive in someones body. It's all crazy! And that they set all this up to ease the pro-choice pro-life people.
I loved this book. The whole concept is pretty crazy, but it's amazing to really think about. The whole unwinding is crazy and I loved that there were religions that thought it was a good thing to raise their children solely to be unwind when they turned 13.
The whole idea of this book really makes you think. It had me in it's grip for the whole book because I was so amazed.
