  | Full Text Reviews: Booklist - 07/01/2012 Having floated a Modest Proposal to convert troublesome teenagers into involuntary organ donors in the near-futuristic Unwind (2007), Shusterman uncorks his version of a Frankenstein’s monster for this middle volume in the planned trilogy. Constructed by the shadowy Proactive Citizenry from grafted parts of 99 gifted donors, and with a face that is a carefully designed patchwork of skin colors, Camus Comprix accepts his role as the centerpiece of a public campaign to expand the general “harvest”—until he falls in love and begins to develop ideas of his own. Literary antecedents aside, Shusterman continues to develop and expertly twist plotlines begun in the first book, picking up the pace with short chapters and a present-tense narrative while interspersing for verisimilitude actual recent news items about real organ harvesting and abandoned and “feral” teens. Perfectly poised to catch the Hunger Games wave and based on an even more plausible dystopian scenario, this episode leaves its central cast of escaped teens in midflight, and should leave its target audience thoroughly discomfited. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: It has taken almost five years for this sequel to the highly praised Unwind to arrive, so fans will want to get their hands on this the second it’s released. - Copyright 2012 Booklist. Bulletin for the Center... - 09/02/2012 In Unwind (BCCB 2/08), unlikely teen rebels Connor, Risa, and Lev made a stand against unwinding, the legally sanctioned practice of terminating teens (and then transplanting their organs) that serves as a form of retroactive abortion in the future. In the aftermath of their uprising, things have only gotten worse, with the authorities cracking down on runaway Unwinds and black market for parts booming. While Connor attempts to run the resistance movement (no easy task when it’s mostly made up of rescued delinquents), Risa is captured and forced to become a friend for Cam, a prototypical “composite human” made from the harvested parts of ninety-nine different Unwinds and the harbinger of what unwinding’s strongest proponents see as its future. Hitting the ground running, this sequel introduces a huge cast of new characters and explores the technological and political origins of the unwinding system in greater depth than the first volume did, showing how such a horrific system could become socially entrenched (a case supported by strategically placed excerpts of actual contemporary news articles). Shusterman is not afraid to have his characters make unforgivable choices—the world they live in sometimes necessitates them—as they learn more about who controls the system they are fighting and try to defeat it. For now, the narrative reaches a satisfying climax in a complex high-octane battle among at least four different forces (including a splinter cell of unwinds who want to take over leadership from Connor). Thematically rich and packed with action, commentary, and consequences, this is a strong pick for dystopia fans that will also appeal to reluctant readers. CG - Copyright 2012 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. Loading...
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