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My reading list grows exponentially. Everytime I read a book, it'll mention three other books I feel I have to read. It's like a particularly relentless series of pop-up ads.
-A.J. Jacobs

Monday, May 3, 2010

Spread the Awesome: Books That Deserve 10 Stars

Unwind by Neal Shusterman





Goodreads description:
In a society where unwanted teens are salvaged for their body parts, three runaways fight the system that would "unwind" them.

Connor's parents want to be rid of him because he's a troublemaker. Risa has no parents and is being unwound to cut orphanage costs. Lev's unwinding has been planned since his birth, as part of his family's strict religion. Brought together by chance, and kept together by desperation, these three unlikely companions make a harrowing cross-country journey, knowing their lives hang in the balance. If they can survive until their eighteenth birthday, they can't be harmed -- but when every piece of them, from their hands to their hearts, are wanted by a world gone mad, eighteen seems far, far away.
In Unwind, Boston Globe/Horn Book Award winner Neal Shusterman challenges readers' ideas about life -- not just where life begins, and where it ends, but what it truly means to be alive.

***

I'm not a huge fan of giving away too much about a book. I'm the type that enjoys picking up a book, having no clue what it's about, and devouring it in one sitting.
That would be what Unwind was for me.

I have a soft spot in my heart for dystopian novels, and this one was the definition of what one should look like. Complete with twists and turns and unpredictable on every level, I read this book in record time, trying to figure out what was happening.

The idea of being unwound is fascinating and keeps the plot moving quickly. And a part I will only touch on, but is one of my favorite things so much so that I wish Neal Shusterman would write a book entirely about it, is the Clappers. Brilliant, I'm telling you.

Two of my favorite quotes from Unwind:
"Stupid dreams. Even the good ones are bad, because they remind you how poorly reality measures up."



"Statistically speaking, there's a better chance that some part of me will go on to greatness somewhere in the world. I'd rather be partly great than entirely useless."


This book has also been optioned for film rights, so stay tuned for new developments along those lines.

I want to personally thank Neal Shusterman for inspiring me to write my own dystopian, which is one of my current WIPs. And I want to thank all of you for stopping by to see what an amazing book this is. I'll be holding a contest very soon, giving away a copy of Unwind, so check back soon for those details. (I'm working on trying to get a signed copy for the giveaway, which is why I'm not holding the contest during this post).

Unwind is not the only genius book that Neal Shusterman has written. His website has more information about his other books, three of which I've read and loved, so you should check those out as well.

And kudos to
Elana Johnson who set this all up and constantly amazes me with her fabulous ideas at supporting fellow writers/authors. Thanks Elana!
Go check out all the other Awesome Books That Deserve 10 Stars
here.

It also appears that I've forgotten to send you over to the next author to find out what book they chose. You can do that on Suzette Saxton's blog! (Sorry Suzette - I promise I try to follow directions, most of the time anyway!)

19 brilliant remarks:

Kristen said...

Hello there Critter. I will most definitely be adding this to my immense pile of must reads for the summer!!! Great post!

Casey Something said...

I was sooo glad when I saw that you had chosen UNWIND. It was my second choice and I was worried no one would pick it.

It's an awesome book. So original and exciting!

Katie said...

This sounds incredibly awesome!! I love dystopian novels, so I would eat this one up.

Suzette Saxton said...

Creepy cover - it sounds so good! I will definitely read it.

Suzette Saxton said...

And I believe you are supposed to link to me in your post. Here is my URL:

http://suzettesaxton.blogspot.com/2010/05/spread-awesome-contest.html

Yamile said...

Oh wow! This one sounds AMAZING! Thanks for the review!

Christine Fonseca said...

This sounds absolutely FANTASTIC!

Stina said...

This sounds like a great book. Thanks for the review. :)

Unknown said...

The book sounds amazing. It's now on my TBR. Thanks for the great review!

Suzette Saxton said...

No problem whatsoever, Tiffany. =) It sure has been a fun day, hasn't it?

Unknown said...

The cover art for this book is intriguing! Your review rocked. Thanks!!

Shannon O'Donnell said...

Wow. I LOVE the cover art. And you've convinced me to read the book. Great review! :-)

Sherrie Petersen said...

The cover is kinda creepy and the premise kind of gives me chills. Love those quotes!

Mandy said...

Excellent choice! This is my most favoritist book ever!

Unknown said...

Sounds good. I don't generally read much YA, but if I can find this one at the library, I'll be making an exception! Thanks for the recommendation.

Callie Forester said...

I have been meaning to write a blog on this book forever. Just haven't gotten around to it. It's awesome though, isn't it? I LOVED it. So thought provoking and different. The whole concept just really blew my mind. Great post!

prashant said...

It's an awesome book. So original and exciting!
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