A New Look at an Old Debate

Unwind by Neal Schusterman

I had put off reading this book because every adult I spoke to said it was disturbing. One even said it was graphically descriptive (negative, Ghost Rider). My students, on the other hand, raved about this book, almost to a one. So, I paid a dollar and bought a copy. I am so glad I did.

Obviously, this takes place sometime in the future, after the Heartland Wars. These wars were fought over the abortion argument. What came as a result of these wars were what is known as unwinding. If a woman gets pregnant, she goes through the pregnancy and delivers the baby. One of two things then happen: 1 she raises the baby herself or 2 she storks it. Storking a baby involves leaving a baby on the front porch of a house without getting caught. If the mother gets caught, she has to raise the baby herself. If she is not caught, the family that finds the baby has to raise it. As a result, there are a ton of unwanted babies who make it to at least age thirteen.

Once a child is thirteen, parents can choose to have them unwound. There are a variety of reasons why a parent may choose to have their child unwound. One reason is that the kid is a troublemaker, and they are just done. Once a child turns eighteen, they cannot be unwound.

So, I know you're asking what unwinding means exactly. Basically, children who are scheduled to be unwound become organ donors. Their body parts are harvested, and these parts go to people who need them. Creepy, no?

Connor is fifteen or sixteen (I don't really remember). He's a bit of a troublemaker, and doesn't bring home the grades his parents want. They decide to have him unwound, and so he runs away. In the process, he causes a huge bus accident, where Risa, an orphan from a State Home who is scheduled to be unwound, escapes, and he kidnaps Lev, a tithe. (Tithes are children who are born and raised to be unwound as their family's tithe to God. Like tithes at church.) These three end up on the run, or AWOL.

Lev is not happy that he was "rescued." He always knew what was in store for him, and he was ok with it. When Connor and Risa were hiding out with him, he escapes and tries to turn them in. Lev ends up on the road with a guy named CyFi, and learns to live off what is available. Connor and Risa end up in a warehouse safe house for AWOL unwinds. Shortly after that, Connor and Risa end up at an airplane graveyard in Arizona with about 400 other unwinds. All they have to do is make it until they are eighteen, and then the threat of unwinding is gone.

Will they make it? You seriously have to read this book. So, so good.