All These Things I've Done by Gabrielle Zevin

     I may be "done" with the series of All These Things I've Done by Gabrielle Zevin.

     Great cover art!  Created by George Mayer, the cover is what attracted me to the book. I’m also familiar with Zevin from Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac.

     Anya Balanchine is a strong, female character, which is wonderful to encounter.  However, she could be a strong character on her own or without such a focus on a romantic relationship. 
      Anya has been dealt an unlucky deck of cards, and she continues to be dealt cards that don’t work in her favor.   As a chip off the Balanchine crime family, Anya has to face the reality of what is happening in her extended family and the attempt to remove her and her siblings from the lineage. Of course, she’s only 17.
      A student of mine made the comment about too many books with weak female characters or storylines of strong female protagonists that always involve a romantic relationship with a guy.  Good point! As a result, it lingers in my mind whenever I read reviews or books. 

    This was all I could think about when I read this book – Anya is struggling, while being forced to be the foundation of and for her family.  I would have liked to see the focus remain on her strength of character as personal development, and how she handles her immediate and extended family, especially when ethics are involved and she could, or be forced to, follow in the footsteps of her father and take leadership role.  While some of the relationship is realistic, it distracts from the potential of Anya, and what may not happen in the real lives of readers.

Separate the parts, is there still a whole? Unwind by Neal Shusterman

     Shusterman has hit a bulls-eye with Unwind. The reason I attempted to read it for a 2nd time was due to the rave reviews of students.  What a book for adults to read, too!   
     Shusterman poses questions about advances in technology & medicine, right & wrong & grey areas, the "essence" of a person, life & death, and role of government and authority. There may be more, too, that I've forgotten!
    Connor - the Akron AWOL, and runaways Risa and Lev are teens who are destined to go to the Chop Shop - they will serve the needs of others by "donating" their body parts.   However, upon stumbling upon the help of an underground support system, they fight the forced end to their lives, and it's no easy task.
     Together, they influence each other to think for themselves, stand-up for their individual rights, and help each other to do what is right, even if there is potential for failure or loss.
     Like so many other novels and authors, Unwind defies the stereotype of literature geared towards 15-22 year olds.
     I have encountered many people in the world of education who consider young-adult literature to be "less than" - not high-quality, well-written material that challenges students vocabulary, belief systems/philosophy, ability to think abstractly, analyze and synthesize, or material to which young-adults can relate.
     This novel could be used in a myriad of ways, engaging higher-order thinking, questioning, and writing, and relating to many facets of "real life" for students. 
     May this book get in the hands of many students and adults.