The Unwind Dystology
Dystopian Fiction
“In a perfect world everything would be either black or white, right or wrong, and everyone would know the difference. But this isn’t a perfect world. The problem is people who think it is.”
What is a Dystology?
Derived from the Greek dys (“ill” or “bad”) and ology (“the study of”), the word Dystology derived by Neal Shusterman literally means “The Study of a Bad Place.”
A Dystopia is normally an imagined state or society in which great suffering or injustice occurs, typically one that is totalitarian by nature and in which information, independent thought, and freedom are restricted, censored, or ignored by the masses.
An iconic Dystopian Fiction—The Unwind Dystology Summary
After America’s Second Civil War over yet again the value of human life, the pro-life and pro-choice factions came to a compromise in what is called The Bill of Life. Anybody between the ages of 13-18 who is deemed a burden on society, a ward of the state, or a tithe could be subject to a body harvesting process known as “unwinding” in which their organs and tissues would be donated as an opportunity for others to have a better quality of life.
Unwinding became not only became an alternate solution to abortions and unwanted teens, but it also was a choice for particular extremist sects of religion for families to “tithe” one of their teens to the government. In each instance, the guardian, not the child, is given the decision of Unwinding.
In a series of four books (Unwind, UnWholly, UnSouled, & UnDivided) this dystology follows a particular group of those who would-be Unwound as they try escaping their fate and the world with it.
Connor, a seventeen-year-old screw up, Risa, a talented sixteen-year-old pianist and ward of the state, and Lev, a thirteen-year-old Tithe for his religious family. Through a twist of unusual circumstances, these three teens find one another where their fates become intimately connected as they fight not only for their lives, but the lives of every kid destined for Unwinding.
Shusterman feared the lack of value for human life would ruin us
The days where the fiction stayed in the books is in the past:
“And he thinks that if his soul had a form, this is what it would be. A baby sleeping in his arms.”
What is The Unwind Dystology about?
The Unwind Dystology is a classic study on the intertwining of personal choice and the value of human life. Who owns our bodies? Do we? Does someone else? Does the government? Does anyone but the individual have the right to determine the value of their life? Because of the volatile nature of abortion, especially after the overturning of Roe V. Wade, the storyline seems extreme. However, The Unwind Dystology is no more extreme than other classic dystopian novels such as 1984 and A Brave New World in which the individual citizen, in this case, teens, become subject to the will of the state.
With all this being said, these works of Neal Shusterman are disturbing to read, but they provoke deep thought, nonetheless. Personal rights, personal choice, government power, and the sanctity of life, these questions are but a few that flow through a reader’s mind as they wrestle with these difficult topics within their personal convictions.
In both fact and fiction, Utopias will always propagate Dystopias.
Kawika Miles is an American dystopian author who indulges in conversations of faith, family, and freedom. As a long time patriot, Kawika understands that only liberty minded individuals can save the future from the dystopian nightmare it is tumbling down, protecting the sanctity of life and individual independence. Read his debut novel Saga of the Nine: Origins today!
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