I (grandma) LOVED the book as did my 15 year old grandson and his old mother. It is extremely well written with absolutely delicious descriptions, great building of characters, fascinating concept and full of "discussable" moral dilemmas. Grandson and I "read" this via audio book while on the road and couldn't wait to get back in the car to read some more! We were so disappointed the book ended because we wanted MORE of these characters! I recommend this to anybody 13 and up...parents should read it as well as it has many great opportunities for starting parent-child conversations, discussions of values and thought-provoking possibilities! My grandson, a voracious reader puts this book at the top of his favorites list as do I!

Sick and Disturbing.

Unwind is a positiv e read that really gets into detail about a futuristic life and about a kid on the run

This book is a very interesting mix of levels of complexity, which raises the question of whether it is appropriate for kids. The three main characters are a boy named Connor is a delinquent who has anger management, a Girl named Risa who is a state ward, and Lev who is a wealthy boy heavily invested in religion. But despite their very different backgrounds, they all have one thing in common; they're being sent off to be unwound. Unwinding was the solution that concluded the heartland war between the armies of life and choice. The theory of it was that it could remove people who were considered societal problems without killing them, and it would even provide for those who would remain. The practice itself is a horrifying prospect; as it involves the amputation of every body part during a painless operation until each unwind is nothing but the pieces that once made up his whole. But despite the horrifying nature of this practice, Neal Shusterman is quite obvious about this fact, and the children facing the unrelenting fate sugarcoat nothing. As I read through the story, I saw unique leadership unfold as Connor was proclaimed to be a hero. He became one despite his violent tendencies, simply because he has a kind heart and received a random chance at survival as we know it, and unlike others he took it and didn't look back. I felt the unique experience wash over me as I walked in Connor's shoes, knowing his fear of being unwound, and feeling his hesitant wonderment at what might come after. I wondered at length what made a human who he was at the end of this story, and my answer was similar to the words of one of the unwinds "I think I'll still be alive, as long as I can keep my soul". Although the implications of violence and the well translated fear of the characters may be of impact on a child, those with maturity will have an interesting exploration into Unique leaders, Strange alliances, and children near their own age fighting valiantly despite having the world against them, to prove that existence is a right and not a privilege.

Being a senior in High School this book has touched my heart. I really enjoyed the book's thematic and plot makeup. The author makes every character important in it's own way. It does require a medium-High level of understanding of the problems in the "utopic" society presented. It includes very light love scenes (no mature situations). This book will capture the heart of anyone who is a rebel at heart.

great for high school students to discuss

This book was awesome!!! This book has many good messages because it makes you think of where would we be if this actually happened would it really be this easily to sign you kids off to die? But this book also makes you think of how precious a human life is and it also makes you think about the wonders of the human soul. I would read this book again.... in a heart beat!!!!

All I can say is if I lived in this time, I wouldn't know whether to be pro life because of unwinding, or pro choice because of storking. But I do like the way the author put it - if there were more organ donors then there would never be unwinding. I'm all for organ donations!