Unwind

 by Neal Shusterman

As if the teenage years are not stressful enough, if your parents don’t want you they can have you “unwound”. Not killed, really. But taken apart, piece by piece and those parts will be recycled or harvested. Not all the kids in the book are unwanted teens, though; some of them will be unwound for other reasons.

I liked the fast paced plot and the twists it took. I also appreciated that there were a few adults in this crazy society who recognized the madness. I would have liked to see more of them.  I liked the variety of the characters’ backgrounds and empathized with their struggle for survival.  The world that Mr. Shusterman creates is shocking in its coldness, although it was not difficult to accept the premise of the story. The coldness of the world reminded me of Brave New World.  I think adolescents will really enjoy the novel.