History Literature / Unwind

* AllYourBaseAreBelongToUs: [[spoiler:The Graveyard in ''[=UnWholly=]''.]]

* DarkerAndEdgier: While ''Unwind'' is already pretty dark and edgy, ''[=UnWholly=]'' keeps the stomach-turning premise and adds more explicitly sexual content, cursing, and a brand-new illegal organ trade. And then in ''[=UnSouled=]'', Connor is forced to smoke tranquilizers and Risa calmly stabs a guy with a pitchfork (granted, it was in self-defense, but it's still jarring).

* DarkerAndEdgier: While ''Unwind'' is already pretty dark and edgy, ''[=UnWholly=]'' keeps the stomach-turning premise and adds more explicitly sexual content, cursing, and a brand-new illegal organ trade. And then in ''[=UnSouled=]'', Connor is forced to smoke pot and Risa calmly stabs a guy with a pitchfork (granted, it was in self-defense, but it's still jarring).

** Roland attempts to do this to Risa, though we don't know if he was actually planning on following through or if he just did it to provoke Conno

* BackFromTheDead: While unwound people are still considered legally "alive", the characters treat it as death, and Camous Comprix in ''[=UnWholly=]'' is technically dozens of unwound boys come back to life.

* DisneyDeath: [[spoiler:Connor in ''Undivided''.]]

* MedicalHorror: Obviously.
* MercyKill: [[spoiler:Connor strangling Starkey before he can be unwound.]]

** Connor gets this over the course of the series. In ''[=UnWind=]'', [[spoiler: he takes over the Graveyard and the care of the AWOLs who live there, but with no Christ-like undertones. ''[=UnWholly=]'' adds betrayal by Starkey, who he had adopted into his inner circle and an attempt to sacrifice himself for his followers. Most of ''[=UnSouled=]'' involves him being persecuted by Proactive Citizenry and the Juvenile Authority while fostering the burgeoning social movement against unwinding. And of course, ''[=UnDivided=]'' has his unwind and subsequent "resurrection."]]

* MoodWhiplash

* SecondAmericanCivilWar: In the backstoryt, a Second American Civil War happens over abortion. It ends with the compromise allowing "unwinding" that sets up the main plot.

* BodyHorror: In ''Unnatural Selection'', from ''[=UnBound=]'', it's revealed that the Dah Zey do human experiments on kids who aren't unwound. Such [[SarcasmMode lovely]] experiments include a boy with hands on his feet, a girl with four eyes ''and'' four arms, and another boy with ears instead of eyes.

* Karma Houdini: [[spoiler:Divan gets away with all of his crimes.]]

* BlackComedy: "He was not a very [[IncrediblyLamePun happy Jack]]." Accompanied by a literal RimShot!

* DangerousSixteenthBirthday: Replace "sixteenth" with "thirteenth". The moment you turn 13, your parents are legally allowed to have you taken away and chopped up into organ transplants. If you run, you will be labeled an AWOL, hunted down by the Juvey-cops, and dragged to a harvest camp. You will only be safe if you reach 18.

* TheRez: In ''[=UnSouled=]'', Connor, Lev, [[spoiler: Grace, and eventually Camus]] spend most of the book on a "Casino Rez", [[RagsToRiches which has gotten very wealthy over the years and is now practically independent.]] They hunt for their food and live in luxurious homes that are carved into the walls of a gorge.

* [[FantasticRacism Fantastic Prejudice]]: Storks and wards are both subjected to significant classism, even at the Graveyard.

* FutureSlang: Lots.

** [[NativeAmericanCasino "ChanceFolk"]] is the politically correct term for a Native American. [=SlotMonger=] is the politically incorrect term.

** To be [[MosesInTheBulrushes "storked"]] means having a baby left on your doorstep.

* ADateWithRosiePalms: Apparently Connor once hallucinated Roland’s tattoo telling him to “Spank the monkey with your own damn hand.”

A YA {{novel}} by Creator/NealShusterman. A long time before the book started, there was a war called the Heartland War between the pro-life and pro-choice sides. The government compromised by making abortion illegal as a baby, but from the ages of 13-18, children can be "unwound", which is when all their body parts are donated to other people. Connor, a troublemaker from Akron, Ohio, is going to be unwound. He decides to run away and hitches a ride with a truck driver. His parents find him and he escapes the "juvie cops", or police who specialize in catching runaway "unwinds," and runs into Risa and Lev. Risa has been consigned to unwinding because, at a State Home, or [=StaHo=], her piano skills were not good enough and they needed to cut costs. Lev is a "tithe" -the 10th child of a rich, religious family who gives 10 percent of everything. Brought together by chance, and kept together by desperation, these three unlikely companions make a harrowing cross-country journey, knowing their lives hang in the balance. If they can survive until their eighteenth birthday, they can't be harmed -- but when every piece of them, from their hands to their hearts, are wanted by a world gone mad, eighteen seems far, far away.

* TeenHater: Taken UpToEleven, as all of society seems to have turned against teenagers. From ages 13 to 18, it is legal for parents to have their teenage children "unwound", which means to be dissected alive and have 100% of your body used as living organ transplants. Parents can have their teenagers unwound for being a troublemaker, being born the wrong gender, being mentally ill, being a financial burden, as a religious sacrifice, to spite their ex in a divorce--in fact, legally they don't need a reason; all they have to do is sign off on the order and the Juvey-cops will take their "troubled teen" away to a harvest camp, no questions asked. A special police force exists specifically to hunt down Unwinds who "kick-AWOL" (i.e. run away) and deliver them to the harvest camps. [[spoiler:It is revealed that after the Heartland War, the teenagers who protested the terrible state of society were labeled "Feral Teens" and the "Terror Generation", and the Unwind Accord was signed into law so the government would have an excuse to get rid of them.]]

* TeenHater: UpToEleven--all of society seems to have turned against teenagers. From ages 13 to 18, it is legal for parents to have their teenage children "unwound", which means to be dissected alive and have 100% of your body used as living organ transplants. Parents can have their teenagers unwound for being a troublemaker, being born the wrong gender, being mentally ill, being a financial burden, as a religious sacrifice, to spite their ex in a divorce--in fact, legally they don't need a reason; all they have to do is sign off on the order and the Juvey-cops will take their "troubled teen" away to a harvest camp, no questions asked. A special police force exists specifically to hunt down Unwinds who "kick-AWOL" (i.e. run away) and deliver them to the harvest camps. [[spoiler:It is revealed that after the Heartland War, the teenagers who protested the terrible state of society were labeled "Feral Teens" and the "Terror Generation", and the Unwind Accord was signed into law so the government would have an excuse to get rid of them.]]

* TeenHater: All of society seems to have turned against teenagers. From ages 13 to 18, it is legal for parents to have their teenage children "unwound", which means to be dissected alive and have 100% of your body used as living organ transplants. Parents can have their teenagers unwound for being a troublemaker, being born the wrong gender, being mentally ill, being a financial burden, as a religious sacrifice, to spite their ex in a divorce--in fact, legally they don't need a reason; all they have to do is sign off on the order and the Juvey-cops will take their "troubled teen" away to a harvest camp, no questions asked. A special police force exists specifically to hunt down Unwinds who "kick-AWOL" (i.e. run away) and deliver them to the harvest camps. [[spoiler:It is revealed that after the Heartland War, the teenagers who protested the terrible state of society were labeled "Feral Teens" and the "Terror Generation", and the Unwind Accord was signed into law so the government would have an excuse to get rid of them.]]

* ActuallyPrettyFunny: In ''[=UnWholly=]'', at the Easter dance for the ex-tithes, the DJ starts putting the Hokey Pokey on, but realizes it's probably a bad idea to put on a song involving body parts to a group of kids who escaped being turned into living organ transplants. However, the kids think it's hilarious.

** [[spoiler:In the second book, a clapper kills off Pastor Dan.]]

* TeenHater: All of society seems to have turned against teenagers. From ages 13 to 18, it is legal for parents to have their teenage children "unwound", which means to be dissected alive and have 100% of your body used as living organ transplants. Parents can have their teenagers unwound for being a troublemaker, being born the wrong gender, being mentally ill, being a financial burden, as a religious sacrifice, to spite their ex in a divorce--in fact, legally they don't need a reason; all they have to do is sign off on the order and the government will take their "troubled teen" away to a harvest camp, no questions asked. A special police force exists specifically to hunt down Unwinds who "kick-AWOL" (i.e. run away) and deliver them to the harvest camps. [[spoiler:It is revealed that after the Heartland War, the teenagers who protested the terrible state of society were labeled "Feral Teens" and the "Terror Generation", and the Unwind Accord was signed into law so the government would have an excuse to get rid of them.]]

* OrganTheft: Unwinding is essentially this taken up to eleven. The worst part is that it's legal and government-sanctioned. And then there's the formation of parts pirates in ''[=UnWholly=]''.

* TeenHater: UpToEleven -- all of society seems to have turned against teenagers. From ages 13 to 18, it is legal for parents to have their teenage children "unwound", which means to be dissected alive and have 100% of your body used as living organ transplants. Parents can have their teenagers unwound for being a troublemaker, being born the wrong gender, being mentally ill, being a financial burden, as a religious sacrifice, to spite their ex in a divorce--in fact, legally they don't need a reason; all they have to do is sign off on the order and the government will take their "troubled teen" away to a harvest camp, no questions asked. A special police force exists specifically to hunt down Unwinds who "kick-AWOL" (i.e. run away) and deliver them to the harvest camps. [[spoiler:It is revealed that after the Heartland War, the teenagers who protested the terrible state of society were labeled "Feral Teens" and the "Terror Generation", and the Unwind Accord was signed into law so the government would have an excuse to get rid of them.]]

-->'''Sonia''': This is an old building. Way back in the early twentieth century, during the first Prohibition, they hid hooch down there.\\

** A "Boeuf" is a young person looking for military service.
** [[MosesInTheBulrushes Storked]] means having a baby left on your doorstep.
** [[TheRunaway Kicking-AWOL]] means running away in order to escape Unwinding.

** "Umber" is the new word for African-Americans while "Sienna" is the new word for Caucasians.
** “Low cortisol” refers to those with special needs.

* TeenHater: UpToEleven -- all of society seems to have turned against teenagers. From ages 13 to 18, it is legal for parents to have their teenage children "unwound", which means to be dissected alive and have 100% of your body used as living organ transplants. Parents can have their teenagers unwound for being a troublemaker, being born the wrong gender, being a financial burden, as a religious sacrifice, to spite their ex in a divorce--in fact, legally they don't need a reason; all they have to do is sign off on the order and the government will take their "troubled teen" away to a harvest camp, no questions asked. A special police force exists specifically to hunt down Unwinds who "kick-AWOL" (i.e. run away) and deliver them to the harvest camps. [[spoiler:It is revealed that after the Heartland War, the teenagers who protested the terrible state of society were labeled "Feral Teens" and the "Terror Generation", and the Unwind Accord was signed into law so the government would have an excuse to get rid of them.]]

* TeenHater: UpToEleven -- all of society seems to have turned against teenagers. From ages 13 to 18, it is legal for parents to have their teenage children "unwound", which means to be dissected alive and have 100% of your body used as living organ transplants. Parents regularly have their teenagers unwound for reasons like getting in trouble, being born the wrong gender, being a financial burden, for religious purposes, simply to spite someone else, and more. A special police force exists specifically to hunt down Unwinds who "kick-AWOL" (i.e. run away) and deliver them to the harvest camps. [[spoiler:It is revealed that after the Heartland War, the teenagers who protested the terrible state of society were labeled "Feral Teens" and the "Terror Generation", and the Unwind Accord was signed into law so the government would have an excuse to get rid of them.]]