In the spirit of The Hunger Games, I'm offering up another book that is a serious mind trip.
This book is set about two generations (50ish years) in the future. Some time in that 50 years, there was a war, called the Heartland War. This war took place over abortion. The pro-life side wanted life to be held sacred from conception while the pro-choice side wanted abortions to be available during the entire pregnancy. Both sides got so worked up that a war broke out between them.
Eventually, they reached a compromise: life is held sacred from conception to the age of 13. Between the ages of 13 and 18, if an abortion is still wanted, the parents can put an Unwind order on the child. All parts (or, actually, 99.4%) of the child must still be living after s/he is unwound. Basically, they divide you into pieces and give you to people who need new arms or hearts or eyes. Terrifying, no?
If you would've had an abortion and really can't take care of your child, you can "stork" the baby. Basically, you can leave it on someone's doorstep. That person, when they find the baby, is then legally obligated to raise it. If you get caught "storking" your baby, you have to keep it.
So twisted.
The story follows three teens who are set to be unwound: Risa, Connor, and Lev.
Connor is one of those teens that just exasperate his parents. He's not a bad kid, just difficult. He gets in a lot of fights and isn't the best student, but he can still be thoughful and get good grades when he wants to. Basically, he's a typical teen. Connor stumbled across his Unwind Order by accident. He was looking for something in his dad's desk and found it, along with three tickets to the Bahamas (one for mom, dad, and his little brother) for the day after he was to be unwound.
Risa is a ward of the state. She is bright, gets good grades, and is a very talented piano player. Unfortunately there have been some budget cuts and, since she isn't the next Mozart, they schedule her to be unwound to make room for someone else.
Lev is a tithe. He is the 10th child in his family and, because 10% of everything is supposed to be given to God, he was designated to be that 10%. He's being unwound for religious reasons.
The way in which these three stumble upon each other is a wild ride. And this book will make you think while horrifying you at the same time.
The sequel, UnWholly, will be out in August.
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