Unwind by Shusterman

There was a Second Civil War and it was fought over reproductive rights. The outcome has dire consequences: Life is inviolable from the moment of conception until age thirteen. Between the ages of thirteen and eighteen, however, parents can have their child "unwound," whereby all of the child's organs are transplanted into different donors, so life doesn't technically end. Connor is too difficult for his parents to control. Risa, a ward of the state is not enough to be kept alive. And Lev is a tithe, a child conceived and raised to be unwound. Together, they may have a chance to escape and to survive. This book was recommended to me by the school librarian. I also had the pleasure of seeing Shusterman when he gave a presentation at school and since this book is part of so many reading lists, I felt I should read it too. Right from the start, the book had me hooked --it definitely makes you stop and think. This dystopian book is told from the alternating points of view of three teens, Connor, Risa and Lev. They have all been sent to be unwound, Connor because of behavior, Lev as a tithe and Risa because she is not quite good enough as a pianist. This may be a shocking concept, but Shusterman makes it realistic by bringing in actual history such as Nazi Germany, to lay the foundations for the book. There is a bit of romance, and lots of adventure and tension and would appeal to both boys and girls. Check out the book trailer for this book http://www.nisdtx.org/site/Default.aspx?PageID=3590 Rating 10 out of 10 Reading next: Fractured