Unwind

Reflecting on the text Unwind by Neal Shusterman, I can honestly say it is extremely well-written and filled with literary merit. The way Shusterman incorporates three points of view is genius and attracts many new readers because it's something new. The characters in the novel have qualities about them that many people can relate to, and for that I enjoy the text. The plot of the novel is extremely fast-paced but at the same time, easy to follow along with. I enjoy the imagery of the book, because as I'm reading it I can literally picture where the characters are and what they are doing. The book does a good job of steering away from gendered stereotypes because Risa, who is a girl, is extremely adventurous and takes the lead at times, contrary to many beliefs that boys are always the brave leaders. The text also does a good job of including characters from different class and racial backgrounds.

If this text does anything right, it has amazing characterization. I think teenagers can get lost in this book because it paints them in a good and exciting light. The thought of having these three teenagers band against the government, against their parents, against society is so exciting; the teenagers have the power for once. Shusterman does a great job of giving hese teenagers in the book the power to change something for the better. He gives them the opportunity to figure things out on their own, rather than having to abide by cultural norms and stay under adult power. Particularly with the characterization of Lev, Shusterman also does a great job of transitioning a character from assimilation to these crazy societal norms, into a strong-willed, smart character who realizes his worth.

 All of that being said, I give this text a D rating. I do not like the very basis of this text: abortion. I don't find abortion hard to talk about or a bad thing to read about, I find the idea of abortion-shaming a shameful thing to write about. I could write ten pages about why this book is abortion-shaming but I'll sum it up by saying that creating a fake society where abortion is outlawed is one thing, but allowing adults to “unwind” their children at thirteen is ludacris. The message I am receiving from a plotline like this is that if someone wants to have an abortion, they must wait till age thirteen because then maybe their baby will give them something to want to hold on to and they won't want to kill their child. I have two things to say about this: 1. I like how this book opens the conversation about abortion which is sometimes a taboo thing to talk about and 2. I don't like how this book is taking the controversy over abortion and turning it into a one-sided thing. Shusterman is basically saying that abortion is killing a child, which is a huge debate between pro-life and pro-choice people: is the fetus a person yet?