Unwind - Neal Shusterman (pt. 2)
04/09/18
Unwind was a fast read from start to finish. The chapters are short, so the reading is quick. Multiple perspectives provide a full picture of the world the characters live in. The theme of this story was survival. This becomes an interesting theme to discuss in terms of "living in a divided state" which refers to being unwound. The adults say that the unwound is technically still alive but in different body parts. This seems to be true with the experience of Cy-Fi. The piece of Tyler's brain that resides in Cy thinks that he hasn't been unwound by his parents. Obviously, the kids who are trying to not get unwound believe that when you get unwound, you die. After reading this book, I think that for some reason, the parts of the body remain "alive", but the person (unwind) is dead. The parts continue working, but the person from which the pars came from is dead. Isn't that how transplants nowadays work? Cy's case gave me much to think about when I read it. Tyler's brain is still working, and that part of Tyler is still aware.
Connor's character development is really interesting throughout the story. When we first meet him, he is an angry unwind who wants to survive (not get unwound). He is impulsive (when he takes the storked baby from the family that would have ended up with it), but as the book continues, he is able to think things through before acting. He thinks that Risa has had a good influence on him, and has been able to help him be more in control of his actions. Lev is an interesting character too. He starts off as a tithe who is trying to figure himself out. When we see him again he was no longer telling people he was a tithe, and his experience with Cy had changed him. He became a clapper but decided to save people instead. He saved Connor and Risa in the end, even though in the beginning he wanted to get them unwound as that was what was supposed to happen to them (and him).
This story provides multiple perspectives, so it doesn't seem to leave out much. It does address the stereotype that teens are out of control. At least, that seems to be the reason Connor's parents want him to be unwound. But Connor proves that he can become more mature and less impulsive. If Connor had been unwound, he wouldn't have the chance to grow up. Having teens unwound is basically judging their life worth at the stage when they're "the worst". I wouldn't want people judging me based on who I was as a teenager.
This text appeals to adolescents because it is exciting. The reader becomes hooked right away, and there are enough twists to keep them interested. The story focuses on teens, and the teens are in the middle of the action. Dystopian novels show teens that they have power. They can make a change.
Grade: A
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