Unwind by Neal Stephenson | Teen Ink

Unwind by Neal Stephenson

April 3, 2019
By TheSuperFly1 BRONZE, Upton, Massachusetts
TheSuperFly1 BRONZE, Upton, Massachusetts
2 articles 0 photos 0 comments

Would you like to be harvested for your organs and body parts?  Well, this is the case for some teens in Unwind by Neal Stephenson.


Unwind is a book in a dystopian American future. The main character is not one but three teens, Connor, Risa, and Lev. In the book Unwind the government gives parents the option to send their child to be harvested for organs so others can live longer. This option is only available when the child is 13-18 years old. I personally shame this practice/idea that the government is using.


Lev is an interesting character because he is his family's “tenth” child which means he was born to be sacrificed. Lev is technically called a tithe.  Connor’s family decided to send him away because he did not like to behave at school and was causing problems. Risa is a ward of state meaning she has no parents and will be held by the government until she is old enough to be harvested.  While this concept makes the book very interesting I feel as if it is bad and there should be some sort of way that she can be able to find a family.


While on the way to a harvest camp (Risa and Lev in the same van) Connor hides in the back of an 18 wheeler has to jump out, this causes a major crash on the highway and Lev and Risa escape. Another thing that interested me about this book is that it always kept me on the edge of my seat because of all the drama and suspense in the book!

Lev was born to be sacrificed so he's brainwashed to believe that he wants to be harvested. This makes me think of how some people are raised thinking what they believe to be righteous but others in society believe to be terrible or inhumane. In my opinion, I think that the fact that the government is letting people do this to kids is bad because all adults were once kids. Therefore they should let the kids live their lives.


In conclusion, I think this book is a very good book and also it is very well written. Also, the book Unwind opens the door to the rest of the series, Unwholly, Unsouled, and Undivided. I highly recommend that you continue the series. I know I like a book that's well written, I hope you do too!!



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