Crazy for Young Adult Books discussion
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Unwind
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Unwind (Unwind, #1) by Neal Shusterman → Start Date: June 15, 2013
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I could have done without the scene as well. It was a hard scene to read, very unsettling. I work in a library too, and I as well have been asked about the content in books.
Now I have to go back and read that chapter because I don't remember! LolI read this book a while back and yes, it was very disturbing; however, I love books that make you think and have a philosophical aspect to them. This book would definitely make students passionate about their opinions on what happens in this book. The problem would be in knowing which students would be mature enough to handle it. I teach freshman English and I had students who read this before I did. They loved it and talked about it, which is ideal (talking about a book)!
Vicki, I agree with you! It was very thought provoking and I can kids talking about this book. My daughter wanted to read it and she'll be 13 in a couple of months, but she's like me when it comes to books like this. We both can be little squeamish sometimes. I don't know, I'll talk to her about it before I let her read it.
Kathy wrote: "Vicki, I agree with you! It was very thought provoking and I can kids talking about this book. My daughter wanted to read it and she'll be 13 in a couple of months, but she's like me when it comes ..."I'd be curious to know if she reads it and what she thinks. Kids (for some reason) tend to like controversial subjects and this definitely is!
Amanda wrote: "I could have done without the scene as well. It was a hard scene to read, very unsettling. I work in a library too, and I as well have been asked about the content in books."
I hate when a parent asks me about a book and I haven't read it yet! I don't want to say "I don't know"! I feel like an idiot! lol
Kathy wrote: "Amanda wrote: "I could have done without the scene as well. It was a hard scene to read, very unsettling. I work in a library too, and I as well have been asked about the content in books."
I h..."
I know that feeling well but what's even worse is when I KNOW I've read it but I still can't remember. LOL Hopefully you girls don't have the "forgetful disease!"
Vicki wrote: "Kathy wrote: "Vicki, I agree with you! It was very thought provoking and I can kids talking about this book. My daughter wanted to read it and she'll be 13 in a couple of months, but she's like me ..."Yeah, I have let her read some books that had content that was a little more mature for her than I normally do because I feel like she is mature for her age, but she read
but she couldn't finish it because the bad guy tortured animals in the book. So I'm not sure if she could read this and not keep reading it. I'll have to talk to her about it. I'll let you know. :)
Vicki wrote: "Kathy wrote: "Amanda wrote: "I could have done without the scene as well. It was a hard scene to read, very unsettling. I work in a library too, and I as well have been asked about the content i..."
It's funny you say that cause my co-workers think I have a photographic memory when it comes to reading books and just random things! They ask me all the time about books that we all have read "what happen when..."!
Also I'm just gonna toot my own horn for a second here...I'm the go to person for readers advisory, my name gets passed around to all the patrons that come in asking for suggestions for books for their kids or if they want YA books! lol :D
I've been asked before about a book that has been a while since I read it and I can't remember many details about the book.
Kathy wrote: "Vicki wrote: "Kathy wrote: "Amanda wrote: "I could have done without the scene as well. It was a hard scene to read, very unsettling. I work in a library too, and I as well have been asked about..."
That's really wonderful, Kathy. Be thankful for that memory! I'll try not to be jealous of it but to just be happy for you that you have it. It's really a blessing to be able to suggest books to YA people because they often balk at reading, but if they just find the type of book they like most of them will read.
I have yet to find a boy that has not liked this one:
. Girls like it too, but you know how hard it is to interest boys. They like this one.
Amanda wrote: "I've been asked before about a book that has been a while since I read it and I can't remember many details about the book."I'm so bad that I can be reading a book and go to post something and forget the character's names and have to get my book to help me remember. I think it's just "overload." LOL
Vicki wrote: "Amanda wrote: "I've been asked before about a book that has been a while since I read it and I can't remember many details about the book."I'm so bad that I can be reading a book and go to post s..."
I do that all the time. I have to keep the book by my side when I am writing reviews or comments about a book.
Amanda wrote: "Vicki wrote: "Amanda wrote: "I've been asked before about a book that has been a while since I read it and I can't remember many details about the book."I'm so bad that I can be reading a book an..."
Oh good, that makes me feel MUCH better! LOL
Vicki wrote: "Kathy wrote: "Vicki wrote: "Kathy wrote: "Amanda wrote: "I could have done without the scene as well. It was a hard scene to read, very unsettling. I work in a library too, and I as well have be..."
Thanks for letting me know about that book! It look really good and I'm always looking for books for my soon to be 15 year old son, he has his favorites, but when I ask him to give me titles to get for him from the library and he pitches a fit! Yet when I bring something home that he really likes you would think it's Christmas or something!!
I'm always telling him that in high school...which he is a freshman now...that he will have to read books that he wouldn't pick for himself and he will not have a choice but to read what the teacher assigns. lol!! :)
I assign "outside reading" better known as OR and they are allowed to pick a book of their own choice each quarter. First I have them write down books they've read before. Then I ask them to write the type of books they might like to read. Sometimes I have to guide this and ask lots of questions: Would you prefer fiction or non-fiction, do you like sports, which ones, realistic or fantasy, etc. Then I come up with an extensive list of possibilities for them. All I really want is that they read! I give them in-class time each week and that's when they really get into their book if they've chosen wisely.
That's a really good idea, I wish I had a teacher like you when I was growing up!! I didn't have anyone encourage me to read, but the school district I went to was really really awful! So bad! So I think that's so awesome that you help and encourage them like that! :)
Thanks, Kathy. My biggest reward comes when I see students reading on their own that had never been true readers. It's awesome!
I know! I love it when a parent comes in and says their child loved the books I helped them pick out and wants more!! Very satisfying! :)
Sorry, just got back from traveling and I'm way behind...I am just reading comments as I get to that section.Part I: Liked Risa and Connor and I felt sorry for Lev. I can't imagine tithing a child. Is there a monetary reward or some other advantage to a family who Unwinds a child? Why were so many children, like Risa, in State Homes?
That's ok Marla! I'll discuss with you!! :)I liked Risa, Connor and Lev too! I didn't get the tithing either at first. It seems that they just do it because the society says that it's ok, they believe it's an honor and the right thing to do. They believe that they person lives on in the limb or organ or whatever part of the body that was donated so it's ok and their child isn't really dying, they are going to a better state of being(?)...I guess that is the only way I can think of to explain it. And they have to use ever part of the body.
I have to ask you, are you squeamish at all? If you are I want to warn you of a certain part in the book, but only if you want me to and only when you get closer to that part. Let me know. :)
Thanks for talking with me Kathy!!! Yes, I can see how people would feel like an Unwound would live on in other people, kind of like organ donors. Are there really that many people who need organs and limbs?!Part II: Sonia was great! Her idea was a good one. Roland scares me and I don't trust him at all. I was really sad about Lev. I understand why Connor took the baby, but he does not think before he acts and that worries me. I'm glad that Connor told Risa the story, so she understood. That was a sad story.
I'm embarrassed to say that I have a pretty high tolerance for just about anything, so thanks for the warning, but I'll be fine.
You're welcome! I'm always glad to discuss books!Roland scared me too! He's just not a good guy!
After hearing the story Connor told Risa about the baby that was storked in his neighborhood, I was glad he took it! That was just awful! It's like their society isn't held accountable for their actions, this whole Unwinding of the kids and thinking that their soul (or whatever) lives on in the recipient gives them the excuse to make bad decisions. I mean out of a whole block of houses no one cared enough to make sure the baby survived? I don't want to live in a world like that! *shudder*
Don't be embarrassed, I should be the one embarrassed! I'm so sensitive on some stuff, I can't watch Hallmark commercials without crying! LOL! :D
Kathy wrote: "You're welcome! I'm always glad to discuss books!...Don't be embarrassed, I should be the one embarrassed! I'm so sensitive on some stuff, I can't watch Hallmark commercials without crying! LOL! :D"I like all kinds of books, especially serial killer mysteries, and violence doesn't usually bother me too much, and sex and language doesn't if I'm expecting it. I go ballistic when people "sneak" sex into books and movies for middle school, especially when it is just for shock value or to boost sales and does not relate to or isn't necessary for the story.
I know!!! That makes me so mad! The super hero movies are really bad about that! It's a real shame!Speaking of serial killer mysteries!! Have you read
??? If you haven't then you definitely should!!! It's soooooo good!!! Book #2
is much better than the first! So good! :)
Part III: CyFi was interesting and I read a book a few months ago about body parts "remembering" their previous lives. And in the other book, it was a serial killer of course, so CyFi should consider himself lucky his brain has kleptomania. I was so pleased that Connor held his temper and handled Roland after Risa's warning. I was a little surprised at Risa's reaction, but I chalk that up to adrenaline and shock. Roland is the worse type of bully, smart and sly.
I just won a GoodReads's group challenge and I picked I Hunt Killers for my Nook as my prize! I will have to read it!
CyFi was different and I never thought that it could have gone differently, as in worse! Wow! That definitely would have been bad. I was glad Connor was thinking before acting too! It was like he was maturing, I kept thinking that if his parents would have just given him a little more time and some guidance that wouldn't have had to sign that paper. I still don't understand how they could plan for that and a vacation too! I mean what parent does that!?!?!
Ronland was very smooth in his manipulations and I agree about Risa. She should have remembered her talks with him, but like you said, she was probably shocked by the whole incident.
Wow! That's so cool you won that book! Congrats! It really is good! I'll look for you're review on it! :)
Part IV: Impressed with Lev dealing with the pawn broker. Wow, I'm glad that Connor is spontaneous and still alive, that container episode could've been very different. The interaction and discussion locked in a container on the cargo plane was great. I'm glad that CyTy didn't want to do anything violent. Admiral at the Graveyard is an intriguing character.Sad that someone would think that unwinds don't have souls or aren't given souls by God. :( Diego thinks you get a soul when someone loves you. Connor thinks the baby gets a soul when it is born. Emby says unborn babies have a soul as soon as they are conceived, according to the law.
If all your parts are used when you are unwound, are you dead? What happens to your soul when you are unwound? Does the soul divide and go with each piece? If the soul is indivisible, then is it stretched between each piece?
This would be a great book for book club! We would discuss it a ton! The ideas about death and a soul are very deep for a YA novel. Loved the reply from ebay about listing a soul.
I know! Poor CyTy! That was so sad! And thank goodness Connor thinks on his feet! That would have been so bad! And then to be stuck in a create like that...so scary!It definitely makes for a good discussion! The whole time I was reading I was thinking that there wouldn't be any way that this could happen. But the author puts up such a good argument about the need for organ donation that it really started to scare me that anything could happen. Not that I think it's a good idea! It just sounded so logical when he put it in those terms!
Even at the end of the book it's still not clear what happens to the soul. But there are 2 more books after this one. I'm just not sure I could read them because of the graphic nature this one presented. I'm such a wimp when it comes to things like this! lol! :)
I am sort of claustrophobic and I would've had to be unconscious to not be crazy in the crate.After I finish the book, I want to research the author because I cannot determine if she is pro-choice and this book is a crazy alternative view if abortion is abolished or if she is pro-life and just as unwinding is unacceptable, so is abortion. Hmmmm... I don't think she is going to answer the question of what happens to a soul, but just wants you to think about it.
Part V: Connor and Lev's reunion was perfect. Sad to see Lev involved with the chaos at The Graveyard. I can see revenge against your parents and the society that want to unwind you, but The Admiral is trying to help the Unwinds. Roland and Connor are both not as smart as I thought. Risa would've figured out a better plan to find evidence.
As soon as Connor and Risa showed up at The Graveyard, I knew its days were numbered. I did not predict any of those events, so nicely done! The Admiral is trying to make amends for his part in passing the law and his son is Harlan Dunfree. Is Emby really going to see The Admiral's wife?
Life in The Graveyard reminds me of Gone and The Maze Runner. The children adapt to living in a community and surviving. Like the Gone children, the Unwinds tended to have a higher than normal number of delinquents.
Yes! I agree with you on being put under for the plane ride in a create! *shudder*I felt so bad for Lev! I mean he's taught to be one thing and only that! He has no idea of how to really be a just a kid! I really think that it made him more susceptible to that kind of influence!
I loved the Admiral's character! He was so awesome! Definitely one of my favorites of the book!
About the higher number of delinquents; that's why I thought that parents just used the unwind process as an easy out! If they couldn't control their children, they would just have them unwound! Instead of letting the child develop and mature, they would just give up! It almost made me think that the government/powers that be brainwashed them into thinking that the child shouldn't be having many or big(?) problems at that age! Also of course the brainwashing extends to the people that actually thinks it's ok to tithe their children!
It does remind me of the kids in Gone and The Maze Runner though. I'm glad you're enjoying it too! :)
I have two wonderful teenage girls, but not everyone is a great teenager. In fact, some of my favorite people were less than ideal teenagers, so they would have been ideal candidates for Unwinding, but those life experiences and overcoming their rebellious natures made them strong and interesting people. Yet, if they are unwound as teenagers then they would never grow up to influence others and make positive contributions.Part VI: Wow, Chapter 61 is horrible in a very sterile and unemotional way. It was terrible, but it couldn't have happened to a nicer guy. I was surprised that Roland couldn't bring himself to kill Connor, because I think Connor would've killed Roland to save himself. So maybe Roland wasn't as horrible as he would have had everyone believe him to be.
Happy Jack Harvest Camp in Happy Jack, Arizona sounds lovely in a very creepy, artificial way. "Just as the airplane graveyard was Heaven disguised as Hell, harvest camp is Hell masquerading as Heaven."
I cannot believe Lev is a Clapper...another legend come true. The way the author skims over where Lev has been since leaving CyFi/CyTy was nicely done.
The band playing for the Rewinds, reminds me of the band playing on the Titanic. I'm glad musicians are kept alive for their talent, at least until a week before your 18th birthday. I think Dalton's plan of jumping off the roof of the Chop Shop has potential for success. I'm glad that Risa is able to use her musical talents.
I cannot agree with you more! About everything! I'm really enjoying discussing this book with you! You take all of my thoughts and put them into words waaaaaaay better than I can! Talking about kids making mistakes over and over again, it's how they grow! Sometimes it takes them more than once to learn that particular lesson! Also you bring up points that I didn't even think about! Like the band!!! I never thought of it like that, but it's EXACTLY like that! Dalton's plan had merit, very risky but with potential!
Chapter 61 scared the daylights out of me, but we did get to see a different side of Roland that we never would have seen otherwise! It was awful though! I think his bully attitude was definitely a mask for something.
Aw, thanks. You have thoroughly improved my reading experience, because it is always better to discuss a book like this! I have already recommended it to at least 5 people in real life who are probably going to read it.I read other reviews and the band reminded other people of Nazi's playing music. The Chop Shop reminded me of Nazi's, but the music didn't.
I wonder what Roland's back story was. Did we ever hear why he became an Unwind?
You're welcome! I'm glad you posted your thoughts and we got to discuss the book, it was really fun!! I told a girl at work about it and she put it on hold at the library where we work, it came in for her today.
I didn't think of the Nazi's playing music either and you're right they remind me of Nazi's too!
We never did find out Roland's story and I wished we could have. I think I vaguely remember something about his dad maybe being military? I thought Hayden said something about his past while they were in that lady's cellar. I don't know, I could be wrong though. I would have liked to know what were the events that impacted his life to make him turn out the way he did.
I'm glad you enjoyed it!! :)
Kathy wrote: "You're welcome! I'm glad you posted your thoughts and we got to discuss the book, it was really fun!! I told a girl at work about it and she put it on hold at the library where we work, it came i..."
Thanks for liking my review, is it okay if I added a reference to you at the bottom? And thank you again for sticking with me.
You're welcome and I wouldn't mind that at all! I actually really liked the way you mapped out your review too! The way you listed the characters and the parts they played and all the subjects! Very cool! Like I said I really like discussing books and this one was particularly a good one! So thank you for posting you thoughts! :)
You are too sweet. I use my GoodReads account to review books for myself. And since the 3rd book isn't out yet, I might wait to read the 2nd book and I will forget everything, so those notes are so I can jolt my decrepit memory and not have to reread the book. Of course I liked this book so much, that I might make an exception and reread it.The keepers of GoodReads are very smart, because I would put all that stuff under my private notes, but they are too large, so I am forced to put it out there for everyone.
I normally put a list of Likes and Dislikes for each book and anything that would make my review With-reservations, but I set this one up by parts, since we were doing the Buddy Read and the Parts in the book were a natural breaking point. I liked the way this review is organized, unfortunately my reviews aren't always this tidy.
I did like how the book was broke up into parts too! And I know what you mean by not remembering things from previous books in a series! I'm lucky sometimes I can remember things from some books but others I have a hard time remembering. So I agree that the powers that be at goodreaads are geniuses! :D
Crazy for Young Adult Books
Books mentioned in this topic
Gone (other topics)The Maze Runner (other topics)
I Hunt Killers (other topics)
I Hunt Killers (other topics)
Game (other topics)
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Also I work in a library and get asked all the time on the content of a book or suggestions on books for kids by their parents or the kids themselves. I like to give them an informed opinion and then let them decide whether or not to read it, so now at least I can with this one.