In this episode of the show, Claire and I discuss Unwind by Neal Shusterman, with special guest Ashley, who you might recognize from the Loneliest Girl in the Podcast episode, for Would You Rather. If our last episode was too jolly, this episode is too melancholy, but we're displaying our full range of emotions and our depth of character, so it's okay.
This book is twisted, and I don't mean that as a pun of the title or anything. It is legitimately chilling. Parts of it left me feeling completely empty inside. BUT IN SUCH A GOOD WAY. I can't explain it. You should read the book, and then you should definitely listen to our discussion of it, because yikes. So, what's it about?
Connor, Risa and Lev are all unwanted teenagers in one way or another. Connor is a bad kid, Risa grew up in a State Home, and Lev is a Tithe, born to be a 10% sacrificial offering to the church. After the second civil war, The Heartland War, fought over reproductive rights between those who are pro-life and pro-choice, it was decided that a child's life can't be touched from conception until the age of 13. Then, between the ages of 13 and 18, children can be retroactively aborted in a process called unwinding, where they are surgically taken apart and salvaged if their guardians decide that's what they want to do. This book really makes you question where life begins and ends, and what that means for everyone involved.
Here's some of the faces we made while recording.
So, like I said. Yikes.
Until next time...
Amanda
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