Unwind by Neal Shusterman is the first book in a 4 book series, which Shusterman refers to as
a “dystology.” After a war breaks out between pro-life and pro-choice people in America, both
sides come to an agreement to implement a practice called “unwinding,” or the retroactive
abortion of teenagers ages 13-18. The method promises to keep 98% of the child’s body alive,
but harvest all of their organs and donate them. This is the story of three teens, Connor, Risa,
and Lev, learning how to navigate a world that is working against them.
This was an incredibly deep and thought provoking book for me. The characters were going
through things that are nearly impossible to imagine in real life, but they still managed to be
relatable. I really enjoyed the switching of the perspectives, and how all of the stories ended up
intertwining or overlapping with each other. This story was action packed, emotional, and
thoughtful. I would recommend this book to teens interested in science fiction or social issues. I
rate it a 5/5.