Book Review | Looking Backward: 2000-1887 by Edward Bellamy

During my freshman year of college, I was assigned Looking Backward: 2000-1887 by Edward Bellamy in my first ever Political Science class. At the time, I was overwhelmed with the whole college thing, and didn't quite make it all of the way through the book. What I was able to read, however, I really enjoyed. In fact, it opened me up to a new political system that I never understood before - socialism.

Looking Backward is a classic, utopian novel. The story is told in the first person from the main character's point of view. His name is Julian West, and he's a Boston gentleman of the 19th century. He falls asleep one night in the year 1887, but then wakes up in the year 2000. The Boston he finds himself in is very different than the one he's spent his life in thus far. Social classes have been eliminated, and instead society works as a well-oiled machine with all citizens being equal. The novel follows West as he explains to the reader how this new society works, and what his new life is like.

I thoroughly enjoyed Looking Backward, and I'm so glad I finally finished it over five years later! It's definitely a dense read, and at times the lengthy paragraphs can be a bit of a struggle. That said, this book is beautifully written, and really shows readers what a society based on socialism can look like if implemented. Of course, this is a work of fiction, and the nature of a utopian society is that it's not grounded in reality. Nonetheless, I find this world refreshing, and my copy of the book is replete with tabs marking my favorite quotes.

I rated this book 4 out of 5 stars on Goodreads, and highly recommend it if you are interested in political philosophy. I think Looking Backward is also the perfect book for people who love the dystopian genre and are looking to break into classics. You can purchase this book on Amazon HERE using my affiliate link to support my blog.

Book Review | Unwind by Neal Shusterman

I am so excited to tell you all about Unwind by Neal Shusterman. I've loved the dystopian genre since I read The Hunger Games trilogy back in 2012, so when I heard the concept behind this series, I knew I had to pick it up. I wasn't prepared for how amazing Unwind was going to be!

Unwind takes place in a future America where abortions are no longer legal. The pro-life and pro-choice armies compromised and created the Bill of Life, which says that at the age of thirteen, parents can choose to have their child unwound. If you are an unwind, you get sent to a harvest camp and 100% of your body is dismembered and used much like organ donation to help others. Thus, an unwind is never dead as all of his/her body lives on in others.

This disturbing yet fascinating plot is run by three main characters. Connor is your standard, every day teenager whose parents are getting rid of him. Risa is a ward of the state, given up at birth. Finally, Lev is a tithe, born for the sole purpose of being an Unwind. Readers follow these three teens as they run from their fate and try to survive until the age of eighteen, when they can no longer be unwound.

I absolutely loved this book. The writing is extremely captivating, and discusses issues that are at the forefront of American society today. Part of the reason this book was so amazing to me is because this is a dystopian society that is somewhat plausible. As someone who enjoys political philosophy, I appreciated Shusterman's confidence to write Unwind in an age where abortion is such a controversial topic. Plus, the story itself is like nothing I've ever read.

I highly recommend that you pick up Unwind especially if you enjoy young adult dystopians. I gave it a full 5 star rating on Goodreads, but would give it a 6 if I could! This is the first book in a series, with book four being released this fall. You can get Unwind on Amazon for around $5 HERE. I cannot wait to pick up the next book in the series!

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