In the near future, the United States is torn apart in another civil war. This time the war is over abortion. After the war, a "Bill of Life" is created and a new way of defining life emerges. Abortions are no longer legal and a child's life is protected until age 13. Then children between the ages of ages 13-18 can unwound or retroactively aborted. Unwinding is the process in which every body part is harvested and parceled out to those who need them. Technically, the person is not killed or aborted, but lives on in others. Connor has been scheduled for unwinding by his parents who are fed up with his unruly behavior. Risa's unwinding order was signed by the orphanage to cut costs. Lev is the 10th child who is being offered up by his parents as Tithe. Circumstances bring the three together and their fight for survival binds them. It is a cross country race to avoid Happy Jack Harvest Camp at all cost. This a heart-pounding read filled with bombshells, cliff-hangers, and plot surprises. The chapter where a teen is actually unwound is one of the scariest and unsettling things I have ever read. The author is evenhanded about the issues of abortion, when life truly begins, free will, and what it means to be a person. This book will appeal to all readers, even reluctant ones. "Unwind," will stay with long after you finished reading it. California Young Reader Medal Nominee for 2010.