Unwind (Unwind, #1) in OSU 3356 Spring 2013

Apr 16, 2013 Emily Brown rated it it was amazing

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Mar 20, 2013 Andrew Wisler rated it it was amazing

I would rank this among one of my favorite fiction books I've ever read. Some in my book group were critical of the rotation between character perspectives. I, however, really enjoyed it as I think it really helped you learn about each character and the way they see the world. Without this feature, it would have been all too easy to get immersed into the view of one character and only see things through their ethical lens.

Although the writing style and story content are not why this is one of my ...more

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Feb 18, 2013 Angela Regoli rated it liked it

Shelves: adolescent-literature-sp13

This novel has been my least favorite of the YA literature I have read for class thus far this semester. Although the concept of the novel is very exciting and controversial, I did not find its development, characters, or overall execution entirely intriguing or effective given the book's agenda.

The first thing I found somewhat troubling about this novel is the fact that it is divided into a multitude of chapters that relay between characters and their view points. I did not find this constant This novel has been my least favorite of the YA literature I have read for class thus far this semester. Although the concept of the novel is very exciting and controversial, I did not find its development, characters, or overall execution entirely intriguing or effective given the book's agenda.

The first thing I found somewhat troubling about this novel is the fact that it is divided into a multitude of chapters that relay between characters and their view points. I did not find this constant switching of perspectives necessary given that the entirety of the novel is told from the third person point of view. In this sense, I found the rotating chapters to be very distracting - I would go as far as to say that I was unable to truly invest myself in any of the characters, because each time that I felt as though I was coming to know a character and become honestly intrigued in their story, the perspective shifted and I was forced to see a particular situation through another pair of eyes. Some could argue that the changing POV's were pivotal to being able to see different sides of the critical social/moral issues at hand, but I would counter that argument by reinforcing my opinion that it was an essentially pointless tactic due to the third person voice throughout the novel as a whole.

I also found the characters to be quite predictable and overall uninteresting. It's true that both Connor, Risa, and Lev all offer different backgrounds and perspectives to the controversial plot line, but I was never truly surprised by their actions and reactions to the given circumstances at hand.

Because the novel is of dystopian thematic elements, I found myself comparing it to The Hunger Games in every way. In this case, I found it to be in no way of the same caliber as The Hunger Games, although it may be somewhat unfair of me to do so. Being so, I wouldn't necessarily recommend this novel to an individual looking to explore dystopia in that I have found other novels (such as The Hunger Games) to be more successful in grasping the readers attention and ultimately producing a quality, thought-provoking novel.
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Jan 17, 2013 Tara O'malley rated it really liked it

Shelves: youngadult

Neal Shusterman’s dystopian novel “Unwind” is about a group of kids who run away and try to survive so they will not be unwound. After the civil war over pro-life vs. pro-choice, the “The Bill of Life” was created which made abortion illegal. However, between the ages of 13 and 18 parents could choose to unwind their child. Children who were unwound were not considered dead instead all their organs were transplanted into different donors.

Shusterman wrote the book from different perspectives of ...more

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Jan 13, 2013 Molly Duerré rated it really liked it

This novel is absolutely haunting. I feel as if I'm going to need a good, long while until I am fully able to process everything about Unwind. The challenges and questions it poses to it's readers are tough to face, but definitely worth exploring. This book forced me to reconsider issues that I thought I had made up my mind about, which I can always appreciate in a book. I was expecting the book to be entirely about pro-life vs pro-choice, but it is really about so much more than that. Shusterma ...more

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Jan 16, 2013 Michaela rated it really liked it

This novel was a page-turner. Dystopians, in general, are made to show us the traits of the characters through their actions over the span of the novel, we're not given everything we need to know about them from the first page. This allows the characters to grow and change throughout the book. Unwind stuck with this convention, which meant a lot of action and a lot of suspense. You never really knew what situation Risa and Connor would end up in, and that great mystery kept me reading as fast as This novel was a page-turner. Dystopians, in general, are made to show us the traits of the characters through their actions over the span of the novel, we're not given everything we need to know about them from the first page. This allows the characters to grow and change throughout the book. Unwind stuck with this convention, which meant a lot of action and a lot of suspense. You never really knew what situation Risa and Connor would end up in, and that great mystery kept me reading as fast as possible.

When we first meet Risa she feels unloved and under-appreciated. Connor is violent and impulsive. The situations the characters find themselves in are the biggest lessons in life they have faced. Do they decide to give up and act like they are worthless members of society, like those who wanted them Unwound believed them to be? Do they agree that their parts would better suit someone who can use them for good? Do they rise above their upbringing and become heroes?

Beyond the theme of an underdog hero and what it even means to be a hero, so many real and complex themes are introduced in this novel. Real things that teens will have to make a decision about in their lifetime. Is abortion unethical? Is it more ethical to give a child a chance to prove themselves before they die? How much of a hand will you allow to have government to have in your life? Is the technology behind harvesting body parts a good investment for the sick or will it just mess things up more? Is what taught to you in church and by your parents the only thing you should believe? Should you give up on a problem child? What is the point to war? And most importantly, what comes after? What is death? Are we ever truly gone or does a soul soldier on?

This novel addresses all of those concerns elegantly and with an unbiased view. If you want to read a novel that will make you put it down and think really hard about your own personal values, beliefs, and concerns, this is a novel that will do so. It had me contemplating what it really means to be alive and conscious and what it will mean to die from the very first chapters. And the characters undergo the same sort of personal questioning right along with you.

As stated before, the characters are well-rounded and dynamic, the themes are hard-hitting and cutting, and the story moves smoothly. The only real negative I found in the pages were some of the writing conventions. I've read many dystopians before and while this novel asks more of the important questions up front, its writing is not as eloquent as say, The Hunger Games or Divergent. At some points I found myself distracted from the story-world by the metaphors used in the text. On page 182 we see Risa comparing a first encounter as "feel(ing) as though they have been scanned like groceries at a checkout counter." These poetic devices were used on a lot of pages and made the story feel forced in an unnatural way. In the end, I still enjoyed the experience and loved the book, but didn't enjoy the world as much as other dystopians. But, still a great book to ponder serious questions and a great read for teens. I'd definitely recommend it! ...more

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Jan 17, 2013 Joshita rated it really liked it

Shelves: edutl

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Mar 21, 2013 Mia Balsamo rated it it was amazing

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Jan 16, 2013 Molly rated it it was ok

Shelves: dystopia

Dystopian Ficton: I liked this book more than I thought I would. I was a little nervous that the book would be too pushy on one side or another but I think Shusterman did a good job of presenting both sides and drawing attention to the gray areas surrounding a lot of heavy issues from abortion to terrorism. The whole time I was reading the book I had a hard time believing Shusterman's dystopia - I couldn't see how pro-life and pro-choice groups could agree on Unwinding since it goes against what ...more

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Jan 16, 2013 Shailyn rated it really liked it

This was a very intriguing novel. It really forced me to think about the possible implications of our ever-evolving medical and technological world. It was a really good story line, but as it went on, it became very predictable.

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