These tithes know that their purpose in life is to be unwound and are strangely accepting of their fate. Some are 'tithes'-children conceived for the purpose of unwinding and giving back to the community. Children chosen to be unwound are called 'unwinds.' Not all unwinds are problem children, though. Parents can choose to unwind their problem children at any time between the ages of 13 and 18. The Heartland War culminated in The Bill of Life, which outlaws abortion but leaves parents with the option of 'unwinding' their children once they reach the age of reason-13 years old. Unwind is set in futuristic America, an unspecified year, after the Heartland War, which was a second civil war between the Pro-Choice and Pro-Life factions. That's not to say that this is a sad book, it's just extremely powerful.

Sure, I may tear up during moving scenes or feel my throat tighten, but it's rare that a book moves me to outright crying. It put me into the 'ugly cry,' something very few books are able to do. (Nov.I was totally blown away by this book. The issues raised could not be more provocative-the sanctity of life, the meaning of being human-while the delivery could hardly be more engrossing or better aimed to teens. Characters undergo profound changes in a plot that never stops surprising readers. He brings in folklore, medical practices, and slang that reflect the impact of unwinding, creating a dense and believable backdrop. Beyond his pulse-pounding pace, the cliffhangers and the bombshells, Shusterman has a gift for extrapolating the effects of alien circumstances on ordinary people and everyday behavior. Connor’s escape inadvertently sweeps up two other Unwinds: a ward of the state who is not quite talented enough to merit her place in a state home any longer, and the 10th son of religious parents, who gave birth to him just to “tithe” him. As the novel opens, 16-year-old Connor has secretly discovered his parents’ copy of his unwind order, and decides to “kick-AWOL,” or run away. Human life can never be “terminated,” but between the ages of 13 and 18, a child can be “unwound” by his parents, an irrevocable decision that leads to every single bit of his body being harvested for medical use. After a civil war waged over abortion has almost destroyed America, completely new laws are in effect. ) explores one of the most divisive of topics-abortion-in this gripping, brilliantly imagined futuristic thriller.

Unwind novel