Unwind is a science fiction novel set in the United States in the future. The issue of abortion has been debated hotly, leading up to a civil war which results in legislation that prohibits abortion until the child is between the ages of thirteen to seventeen. At that point parents can choose to retroactively abort their children. This process is called unwinding, in which the child is basically used for parts. The proponents of this method argue that the children that face this don't actually die because all parts of the body are used.
The novel opens up space for many different questions on many topics. Listed below are just a few to think about.
1. The law allows for children to be unwound at thirteen. Is this ethical? Why or why not?
2. What if a person wants to be unwound? Could unwinding be an acceptable form of...
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ending one's own life?
3. Connor's parents were keeping his impending unwinding a secret. Would you be able to trust your parents not to unwind you?
4. "Problem children" are often marked to be unwound. If people are going to be dangerous or show criminal behavior early in life, should they be unwound? What are the pros of this? The cons?
There are many potential discussion questions for the book Unwind. At its core, the book asks readers to wrestle with the idea of abortion. In Shusterman's book, pre-birth abortion is illegal, but retroactive abortion is legal. Parents may choose to have their teenager (ages 13-18) "unwound." An unwound child's body parts are then donated to other people. The legal document that outlines the entire process is called "The Bill of Life." What's interesting is that the document supposedly satisfied both the Pro-life and Pro-choice armies. For a discussion question, you could ask something as straightforward as the following: "What do you think about the Bill of Life?" or "What is the difference, if any, between aborting a teenager and aborting a fetus?"
You could ask something more directly related to the plot, too. I like asking my students about Connor's motivations. For example: "Why do you think Connor rescued Lev?" I would leave it open-ended like that because it will spark a lot of different discussion directions.
You could make discussion questions that ask your readers what they might do in situations that occur in the book. For example: "If you found out your parents planned to have you unwound, what would be your response? Why?" You could also turn that question around a bit: "If you knew your parents could choose to have you unwound for any reason, what effect would that knowledge have on your actions and behaviors?"