The novel Unwind by Neil Shusterman is set in the future where, in answer to the abortion debate, parents can choose to “unwind” their teenagers, sending the children to a harvest camp where their organs will be harvested for transplant. The three main characters represent various reasons why a teen might be unwound: Conner, the trouble-maker, Risa, the ward of the state “storked” or abandoned by her parents as an infant, and Lev, a “tithe,” who, as the tenth child in his family, will be unwound as a tithe to the church. When Conner decides to run away to avoid being unwound, he unwittingly involves Risa and Lev in his escape attempt. All three characters must come to grips with their situation, a particularly difficult task for Lev, who is torn between his own will to survive and his dedication to his church. His pastor, who is actually opposed to unwinding, further confuses him. Lev’s indecision leads him to turn in Conner and Risa, and the trio is split up. Conner and Risa wind up at a camp for escaped unwinds while Lev hooks up with CyFi, who it is later revealed was the recipient of a transplant from an unwind and who suffers with latent memories of the unwind’s life. Eventually the three main characters meet up again at the harvest camp just as Conner is about to be unwould and a group called the Clappers are about to blow up the building. All three survive, but with various levels of injury, both physical and emotional.
Unwind was one of five books challenged in Montgomery County, Kentucky, in 2009. The book was banned from classroom use but is still available in the school library and for use by the student book club. Parents complained that the novel contained foul language and dealt with topics, such as suicide and child abuse, that we “unsuitable for discussion in coed high school classes” (Doyle, 2010, p. 8). Additionally, parents complained that the novel did not provide rigor appropriate for the college prep classroom. The superintendent of Montgomery County schools removed the book because it was not on the approved reading list and could not be added by a teacher during the school year without permission (Doyle, 2010, p. 8).
Unwind is the winner of a number of awards, including the Boston Globe/ Horn Book Award, the Nevada Young Reader Award, the 2010 Washington Evergreen YA Book Award, the 2010 Oklahoma Intermediate Sequoyah Award, the 2010 Virginia Readers Choice Award, the 2009/2010 Missouri Gateway Readers Award, the 2009/2010 Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award, the 2010-2011 One Book for Nebraska Teens award, the United Kingdom Coventry Inspiration “Simply the Book” Award, and the 2011 Nutmeg Book Award. The novel was also a 2008 ALA Top Ten Picks for Reluctant Readers and a 2008 ALA Best Young Adult Book selection (“Neil Shushterman, n.d., “Awards and Honors” section).
Reviews of the book are positive. The New York Times says that “the power of the novel lies in what it doesn’t do: come down explicitly on one side or the other” of the abortion/ unwinding debate, thus placing the responsibility for forming an opinion squarely on the readers (“Neil Shushterman,” n.d., “Reviews” section). A VOYA review argues that the novel poses two questions: “When does a life have value? Who determines whether it is worth keeping?” (“Neil Shushterman,” n.d., “Reviews” section). The reviewer is confident that the story of the three protagonists will “enjoy popularity with a wide range of readers beyond its science-fiction base” (“Neil Shushterman,” n.d., “Reviews” section). School Library Journal praises the novel in a starred review, arguing that the value of the novel is in its addressing of important issues, such as “when life starts, consciousness, religion, free will, trust and betrayal, suicide bombers, and hope” (“Neil Shusterman,” n.d., “Reviews” section).
Personally, I found the book to be a powerful read. I can see where the issues of abortion, religion, and suicide could create controversy, but the power of the novel is in its ability to make the reader think about and address these issues personally. The fact is that Unwind is exactly the kind of novel teens today should be reading and discussing in the classroom. These children will one day be in charge of our society, and they need the opportunity to confront these difficult issues and develop an informed opinion. Novels like Unwind can help with this process by opening the discussion.
Another of the five books challenged in Montgomery County was Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson. In Twisted, Anderson tells the story of Tyler Miller, a teen who goes from a nobody to a somebody after vandalizing the school and working a summer landscaping job, and his muscles, as part of his sentence. Tyler’s new persona as “the bad boy” and his newly developed body get the attention of “it girl” Bethany Milbury. While it seems like this would be a change for the better in Tyler’s life, it isn’t. He is dealing with some pretty serious anger issues and a very difficult home life. His father refuses to move past Tyler’s crime and can never be satisfied with anyone in the family. His mother hides behind alcohol rather than dealing with the situation at hand. Tyler hides, instead, in his video game, a video game set, appropriately enough, in hell. Tyler’s situation on gets more complicated when he attends a party where Bethany gets drunk, presenting him with a choice: take advantage of her or do the right thing. Tyler does the right thing, but there is someone else who doesn’t make the same choice. When naked photos of Bethany begin making the rounds, “bad guy” Tyler is easy to blame. The difficulty of this “twisted” situation drives Tyler to contemplate suicide but, ultimately, he decides to confront his problems and comes out on the other side.
Like Unwind, Twisted was challenged by parents who felt that the foul language and issues of sex, suicide, drug use were inappropriate for discussion in high school classes and did not provide the proper rigor for college prep courses. Again, the superintendent of the school system pulled the book from the curriculum, though it is still available in the school library (Doyle, 2010, p. 8). Twisted was an ALA Best Book for Young Adults selection, an ALA Quick Pick for Young Adults selection, an IRA Top Ten of 2007 selection, an IRA’s Young Adult’s Choice List selection, a New York Times Bestseller, a YALSA Teen Top Ten of 2008 selection, and was nominated to 12 state reading award lists (Anderson, n.d. “Reviews and Awards” section).
Twisted earned starred reviews from Kirkus and KLIATT. The Kirkus review compared Twisted to Anderson’s earlier novel Speak in its addressing of serious issues facing today’s teens. The review also praised the author for effectively creating a man narrator. The KLIATT review celebrated the novel’s ability to not only entertain but encourage serious discussion. School Library Journal commended Anderson on her characterization of Tyler and his emotional instability as he contemplates suicide (Anderson, n.d., “Reviews and Awards section).
I found Twisted to be a gripping novel, as are most of Anderson’s novels. I thought her portrayal of Tyler was spot on, despite the fact that she was a female writer creating a male character. The novel tackles issues that are real for teens today: strained family relationships, popularity, bullying, drinking and drugs, sex, and suicide. I’m sure that these are the same issues that led parents to challenge the novel. The truth is, though, that teens today are living this like Tyler is living, and worse, and reading books like Twisted can help them learn to cope and open up communication about these serious, and sometimes deadly, issues. These types of novels have an important place in the school library and curriculum. I can see, though, where a realistic fiction novel like Twisted might be even more of a threat to parents or other adults than a science-fiction novel like Unwind simply because it is more realistic. Still, parents and other adults need to realize that these books are simply a product of today’s world and that opening a dialogue about these issues is much more effective than hiding from them. Interestingly enough, Anderson includes a sort of caveat at the beginning of Twisted: “Note: This is not a book for children” (Anderson, 2007). The author addresses her choice to include this warning on her blog, “Mad Woman in the Forest,” explaining that she did not foresee the controversy the statement would cause. Anderson explains that she has written a variety of novels for a variety of different age levels and simply wanted to clarify the intended audience for the novel.
References
Anderson, L. H. (n.d). Mad woman in the forest. [Web log]. Retrieved from
http://madwomanintheforest.com/
Anderson, L. H. (2007). Twisted. New York: Viking Juvenile.
Doyle, R. P. (2010). Think for yourself and let others do the same: Books challenged or
banned in 2009-2010. Retrieved from http://www.ila.org/pdf/2010banned.pdf.
(n.d.). Neil Shushterman. Retrieved from http://www.storyman.com
Shusterman, N. (2007). Unwind. New York: Simon & Shuster.
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