Book Recs

[methodwriter85]

Alright, so I just read this really good YA book, Unwind by Neil Shusterman. It comes with a pretty intriguing premise.

 

It's about 20 or so years after a Heartland War between Pro-Choice and Pro-Life factions tore the United States apart. As a compromise, they came up with the idea of "unwinding." Abortion is illegal, but there's a catch. When a child reaches the age of 13, and until they reach age 18, they can be subjected to what amounts to a retro-active abortion. Unwanted teenagers can be "unwound", with their body parts taken apart piece by piece and then given to people that want/need the parts. This way, they're not technically dead- they're just living in a divided state.

 

The book follows 3 teenagers- one a rebellious boy his parents had decided to be unwound, one an orphan who was an unfortunate victim of budget cuts, and the third a boy who was planned to be unwound since birth as his parents' religious tithe.

 

I've gotten into dystopian stuff lately, and this one was pretty damn good. The characters were interesting, the premise was gripping, and I gotta say it makes a great summer read. Give it a shot. Here's a fan film that kind of captures the mood of the book:

 

 

"Sweetie, you don't die. You just stop living." My sister's a nurse, and I thought the actress there nailed the nurse voice. I saw the fan film first, and it intrigued me enough that I decided to read the book. Glad I did.

[Cia]

Wow, that does seem like a very strange premise twisted in a new way. I'll have to see if I can get it for my kindle or borrow it from the library.

[Zombie]

Body parts you say ...

[Celethiel]

I am disturbed... it reminds me of a story in the 1800's about selling babies for food.... the book was a work of satire... didn't make it less disturbing... also reminds me of a book by James Patterson.

[PrivateTim]

Alright, so I just read this really good YA book,

 

"Soylent Green Is people!"

 

[methodwriter85]

Next up...

 

Warm Bodies, by Issac Marion. It's the story of R, a young man with an existential crisis - he's a zombie in a dying world. He shuffles through his day-to-day existence craving for more than just blood and brains.One day, R eats the brains of one of his victims- a 19-year old named Perry. Experiencing his memories, R decides to protect Perry's girlfriend, Julie. Embarking on a strange new friendship with her, R sets in motion a revolution that will change the relationships between the living and the living dead.

 

I mean, it's got a premise that horror purists are probably going to shudder at, but it's actually a pretty touching and well-written novel about what it means to do more than going through the motions in life.