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Unwind
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Monthly Book Read Talk
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Unwind
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Gorfo
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rated it 4 stars
Jan 01, 2012 12:06PM
Here's the discussion thread for the first monthly read of 2012! Unwind by Neil Shusterman. Feel free to discuss and talk about stuff you liked, hated, were confused about, and any general feelings or rantings you want to let out! And if you've read the book before feel free to comment also.
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Ok my wife and I both love this book and are looking forward to the sequel that is supossed to come out this year. I was introduced to Shusterman's work after having EverLost recommended to me and I thought that book and the sequels afterwards to those were awesome. I really enjoy the worlds Shusterman creates and his characters are so vivid and alive or in some cases dead :o) I think anything he writes has got to be fun.
Steven wrote: "Ok my wife and I both love this book and are looking forward to the sequel that is supossed to come out this year. I was introduced to Shusterman's work after having EverLost recommended to me and ..."Ayyy! I just realized actually that this was yet another Neil Shustermann book and I don't want us to really focus on one author but I figure reading the same Author twice won't kill us! I really liked Everlost too! (I think that you were the one who made it the rd a few months back) and this book came so highly recommended! What did you think of it?
it's twisted actually more twisted than the Everlost book. It's definitely got a different feel and could make a great movie someday. I found out that he and that D.J. MacHale guy are pretty good friends. I'd love to sit in on a conversation with both those guys someday.
As my main focus during these holidays was ..............................................................food, I kind of stayed behind on my reading SO I'll probably begin this book in the middle of the month, but I'll catch up with ya all :)
Anastasia wrote: "As my main focus during these holidays was ..............................................................food, I kind of stayed behind on my reading SO I'll probably begin this book in the middle o..."Steven wrote: "it's twisted actually more twisted than the Everlost book. It's definitely got a different feel and could make a great movie someday. I found out that he and that D.J. MacHale guy are pretty good f..."
Haha! You'd be like a kid in a candy store! I'm really excited to read it but may not end up reading it till halfway through the month because I have to get this one from the library :(
I just bought the book on Walmart.com, since I had a giftcard and my mom hates the store, so I can't go to the actual store. I hope it gets here soon :)I bought Everlost almost three years ago, but I could never get into it. Is it really any good?
Sierra wrote: "I just bought the book on Walmart.com, since I had a giftcard and my mom hates the store, so I can't go to the actual store. I hope it gets here soon :)I bought Everlost almost three years ago, b..."
The 1st time I tried to rd Everlost it was really bad I couldn't get into it but then Steven listed it as the monthly book read and I was like ok. And the 2nd time I stuck with it for 2 chaps and after a while it got interesting. And suddenly I couldn't put it down! You just have to stick with it! Hopefully I can get Unwind tomorrow, & I just spent 2 hrs in Walmart funny enough
Gorfo wrote: "You just have to stick with it! Hopefully I can get Unwind tomorrow, & I just spent 2 hrs in Walmart funny enough."Alright. I'll try to pick it up again after the 6 books I just bought haha. Good luck finding Unwind!
I am....GAME!!! :)
I think the thing that grabbed me with Everlost was how brutal and morbid it was for a YA book and the direction Shusterman took with these kids was so dark. I also enjoyed the characters and being kids that were dead it gave such a new perspective of things from the other side. Unwind is totally different though. I actually think it could be darker and more twisted. It's a world you all definitely want to stay fictional :O)
Darker than Everlost? That makes me afraid! I just got the book though and I'm ready to go, but can't start reading it cause I'm also rding the Scarlet Letter & Survival of the Sickest for school! Hopefully tmrw!
I loved the Scarlet letter!
Wow. Just wow. I could not put this book down. I loved the characters, the setting (as implausible as I found a lot of it to be!), the plot, the morbid idea of it all. I was so disturbed by the chapter dedicated to the process of unwinding (I won't say more for those who haven't read it yet) that I had to put the book down and walk away. One other thing that I really enjoyed about this book was the character development. By the end of the book, each of the three main characters had grown and changed drastically, especially Connor and Lev, and Shusterman did an excellent job of actually showing that change as it occurred.
This is my first Shusterman book, but I know it won't be my last. I know a lot of people think the ending was too open-ended, but I was actually really satisfied with it. I was happy with where the characters all left off and I liked that there was still more struggle to come for them...but I tend to like books that end on a dark note. That being said...I can't wait for the sequel! Does anyone know anything about it? According to Goodreads, it is scheduled to be published in Sept. 2012. I hate to have to wait that long!
Hey Nicole, I believe the sequel should be out before Christmas so probably around Sept. or Oct. You should check his site for more accurate dates. Oh and yes let these people get to the unwinding and suffer like we did oooo ah ha ha ha :O)
Oh and Gorfo, yep definitely a bit darker and very twisted. Shusterman has quite the imagination and so far he's a fav of mine.
One of the positive things about this book is that it went so fast...I practically devoured it!!So here is my review for it :I actually would put 3,5 stars if I could. This book was undoubtedly very interesting to read, with a lot of suspense and an appealing plot. Unfortunately, as I have read some books in the past about similar situations, it wasn't as surprising and innovative as I would expect, so, this kind of ruined it for me..but not so much as not to follow the sequels!!So, I'll be looking forward to them..
When I saw that we are reading Unwind this month I was so excited. I've been wanting to read it for a while now. I love his Skinjacker Trilogy (Everlost,Everwild, and Everfound)! I'm about to go and start Unwind now.
My book should be here Monday! I'm so excited, or today, if UPS delivers on Weekends o:
I just started Unwind a few hours ago and I'm already on page 223. At first I wasn't exactly feeling this. I was thinking "it's just like ever dystopian book I've ever read" but this character development is amazing and the plot is so unpredictable that it's kept me hooked. It took a great deal of self-control to rip myself away just to write this!
Oh I loved this book. It really made me appreciate what this country has. Ioved this book!
This is one of my 15-year-old daughter's favorite books. I think it's extremely well written, and really draws you in -- though I have trouble swallowing the premise.
Karen wrote: "This is one of my 15-year-old daughter's favorite books. I think it's extremely well written, and really draws you in -- though I have trouble swallowing the premise."Yeah I did think it was a little strange that people would just one day decide to essentially erase their children. I'm not a parent but I find it strange that after 13 yrs of parenting anyone would be willing to give up their child after all that they've invested in them!
I read Unwind last year and LOVED it. Totally sick and twisted, so good! Definitely darker than Everlost, which I agree you just have to stick with. Didn't care for the first book too much, but loved the 2nd and haven't quite got to the third. But Unwind, man, like Steven said, definitely a world you want to stay fictional!!! haha.
Books like this are why I read with bookclubs. I would have NEVER picked this up on my own. I looked at this month's pick and thought "ugh another teen boy book". I really enjoyed this book; probably more than anything I've read in a good while. The pacing was spectacular, moving at breakneck speeds. (I finished the book in 2 days...I worked 8 hour shifts both days.) The POV shifts were interesting, I liked that you got to experience how "unwinding" effected other individuals like the "teacher" the "security guard" "the cop" and the "pawnbroker". Interestingly enough all of the POV changes didn't confuse or muddle the story as they did with Dark Inside. The premise is a bit far fetched...but the book is written so well you just go with it. Loved it. Thanks for making me read it.
Gorfo wrote: "Karen wrote: "This is one of my 15-year-old daughter's favorite books. I think it's extremely well written, and really draws you in -- though I have trouble swallowing the premise."Yeah I did thi..."
I thought I agreed on this point. As I was reading, I found it far-fetched that any parent would be able to unwind his or her child. However, upon further reflection, maybe it's not that huge of a stretch? At this point in time in the book, people have been raised to believe that unwinding is part of the natural order of things...if a kid is mediocre, you can just have him unwound and he's no longer your problem. Many people also believe that it's a good thing to unwind a child - helping others, not really dying, etc. When you think about parents who do horrible things to their children in our current society, I bet you wonder, "How could a parent do that to the child they're supposed to love unconditionally?" Today, kids who are disappointments are sent away to boarding school, disowned as soon as the parents are legally allowed to, or worse. The reason Mai was being unwound was because she wasn't a boy...don't certain cultures kill or get rid of daughters in our current society? I absolutely believe that if this law was enacted right now in our country, 50 years down the line people would be unwinding their kids - the same people who would have neglected them anyway. At least in unwinding, there's the idea (however wrong it is) that the children keep on living.
Rebecca wrote: "Books like this are why I read with bookclubs. I would have NEVER picked this up on my own. I looked at this month's pick and thought "ugh another teen boy book". I really enjoyed this book; probab..."I feel the same way, Rebecca! And I also enjoyed reading the POVs of lots of people, especially the cop at the harvest camp, who didn't even want to be there himself!
Nicole wrote: "Gorfo wrote: "Karen wrote: "This is one of my 15-year-old daughter's favorite books. I think it's extremely well written, and really draws you in -- though I have trouble swallowing the premise."..."
Do they still have boarding schools nowadays? As a kid I always wanted to go to a boarding school because I read about them and thought the experience would be neat; even though I'd miss my family. The same things with "stay all summer camps" from movies like the Parent Trap. Definitely none of those when I was growing up.
I always thought it would be fun, too! They do have boarding schools still...I know at least one person who was sent away and hated it. There are a lot of boarding schools for "troubled" kids and teens. That's what I was really talking about.
I see you're reasoning and I think it's scary to think that if we did have the means of unwinding and this rule was enacted that people would accept it so willingly!
I got the book! I have to finish The Future of Us first though o:
Sierra wrote: "I just bought the book on Walmart.com, since I had a giftcard and my mom hates the store, so I can't go to the actual store. I hope it gets here soon :)I bought Everlost almost three years ago, b..."
I couldn't really get into Everlost either the first time I read it. It was just kind of weird to me and I couldn't make connections with the characters. The next time I tried to read it though, I found that it was really good.
It is hard to accept that parents would do this to their children so easily. I really do not think this would ever be plausible but would love to see this as a movie.
I feel conflicted. On one hand I would love to see this novel as a movie but on the other hand I'm sure they won't be able to capture the spirit of the book since most of it is thought based!
The freeway scene would be pretty awesome in movie format. :0)
Oh man, I'm trying to think of which director could do justice to the unwinding scene...Tarantino maybe?
Hmm I don't really know directors. My biggest issues with the behind the scenes process of movies is lighting. I find that many directors use light a little too sparingly. But more importantly, which actors would play the characters?How do you guys picture Connor, Risa, Lev, the General...?
Lev; Joel Courtney from Super 8 Risa; Hailee Steinfeld from True Grit
The general; Liam Neeson
I have no idea for Connor though
Oh LIam neeson is PERFECT for the general. Oh and Risa, I pictured a girl with curly hair but I think Hailee Steinfeld would be pretty good. I didn't see super 8 so I'm not sure who Joel Courtney is. You're right though. Connor is hard to place. If he has blonde hair then I think Benjamin Stone: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1276105/
Liam Neeson definitely as the general!!great idea..for Risa : I like Hailee Steinfeld but I would more see Jennifer Lawrence in this part, though we're gonna see much of her in the hunger games...
for Connor, maybe, Liam Hemsworth or Lucas Till or even Beau Mirchoff?
and for Lev out of the top of my head :Callan McAuliffe or Kodi Smit-McPhee?
Yeah I thought about Kodi Smith for Lev! I think that'd be pretty good! I feel like Callan is too tall.
I'm at the third part in the book so far, and it was really easy to get into this book. If I realized my school library had the book, I wouldn't of bought it. Oh well, lol.
Ya I dont feel like its the kind of book that you buy to re-rd again!
I am about halfway through now and it's finally starting to get good.
yay! once it get's good it doesn't stop!
this isn't about unwind I just wanted to say that: I've found the fault in our stars!!yayyyyyy!! :)
I'm halfway through it too; it's a good read indeed, although it feels as if it's a first attempt: so many logical errors and things that're left unexplained or half that you can't stop thinking the author could do better with a little bit of editing -- self editing, if need be.I love the story, I just wish he'd spent more time developing what's behind it.
Savvas wrote: "I'm halfway through it too; it's a good read indeed, although it feels as if it's a first attempt: so many logical errors and things that're left unexplained or half that you can't stop thinking th..."Hmm interesting. I never notice these kinds of things unless I re-rd the book though and for some reason I don't feel like I'll reread this one.
I just finished the book. I really liked it! It was hard to get through at first but towards the middle it started to get better and better.
Savvas wrote: "I'm halfway through it too; it's a good read indeed, although it feels as if it's a first attempt: so many logical errors and things that're left unexplained or half that you can't stop thinking th..."
I agree with you in some parts. Some parts were a bit confusing and weren't really explained. For example, the whole concept of a Clapper.
I agree with you in some parts. Some parts were a bit confusing and weren't really explained. For example, the whole concept of a Clapper.
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