The concept is intriguing...abortion is outlawed. Well, almost. Abortion is illegal from the time of conception until a child reaches the age of 13. At that time, between the ages of 13 and 18, parents can elect to have their child "unwound", kind of a reverse abortion. "They're not exactly killed. Instead, their body parts live on, thanks to recent medical advances that enable every single body part --- from hair to feet to internal organs --- to be donated to others who need (or at least can afford) them. From the age of 13 until 18, millions of kids are at risk of undergoing this procedure, of becoming "unwound." No one knows the dread and fear that teenagers must endure. We meet Connor, a troublemaker whose parents find it easier to sign an unwind order than to deal with his disruptive tendencies. There's Risa, a ward of the state whose excellent piano playing abilities are not quite enough to save her from unwinding in the face of budget cutbacks. And there's Lev, whose parents are unwinding their tenth child as part of the church's mandate to tithe, or to give one-tenth of their earnings back to the community."
(http://www.teenreads.com/reviews/9781416912040.asp)
The social and moral issues brought to light while reading this book were quite intriguing. Although "unwinding" isn't exactly a practice one may see as happening in our society, the parallels one can draw (and discuss with a class) are quite interesting to say the least. I hope I have the opportunity to sit in on some of the class discussions as it would be very enlightening to see what point-of-view seniors will have about the subject!
