Title: The Unwind Dystology Series
Author: Neil Shusterman
Published: 2007-2012
Genre: Young Adult
I'm so excited to welcome our first guest contributor! Meet my friend Hannah! Rather than me telling you about her, however, I'll let her introduce herself. Check out her review below!
"Hi! My name is Hannah and I am a good friend of Kaylee's. We met at college where I am working towards a degree in Elementary Education with a minor in Communication Arts and Literature. (I only have one year left! Yay!) I can always be found reading at least one book. In my free time I enjoy hanging out with my friends, spending time with my family, and watching TV and movies. I hope you enjoy what I have to add and can use some of my recommendations to expand your own libraries!"
In one of my college classes, I was introduced to an excerpt from the first book in Shusterman's series. I had never read any of his books before, and if I had judged them by their cover art, I probably would never have. What got my attention is the deep issues covered and the realism portrayed through parts of his descriptions.
These books are about a future in which the United States has had its second Civil War over whether or not women could have abortions. Although this seemed over the top at first, I found that the story seemed similar to that of other religious or faith-based wars. As with most treaties, the agreement that ended this war made neither side very happy. It said that a mother could no longer abort a child. After giving birth, she could drop him/her off on a random door step in the dead of night and the family who owned the house would have to care for it. However, a parent could decide to retroactively abort their child when he/she is between the ages of 13 and 18. These children would be taken away from the government and "unwound", meaning they would be painlessly taken apart, and their parts would be a way of supplying organ registries. The books followed a few of these "unwinds" as they escaped from custody and struggled to change the laws while living their lives as outlaws.
I try not to get dragged into too many young adult fiction series because I feel like it is an endless spiral, as it is such a widespread and fast-growing genre. The fact that this one discussed abortion caught my attention because it is not often addressed even in adult literature. Without taking a definite side, Shusterman fully covers the issue and the divide the argument creates. The main characters do at one point come to the conclusion that in an ideal world, all fetuses/unborn children would be wanted.
I give this series 3 coffee beans. It had a different plot line in each of the four books as well as characters who developed realistically over time. I am not sure that I would recommend this for anyone under 15 or 16 years old though, because of the heavier, darker subject matter.
Hannah says:
I would not have thought to pick up this series to read, but you've piqued my interest!
ReplyDeleteThis would be a great example of what happens when you judge a book by it's cover. I'll admit that I probably wouldn't have picked any of these books out if I had found them sitting on a shelf, but Hannah's exploration of the content made me interested as well!
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