Take a photo of a barcode or cover
A review by heyhawk
Beggars in Spain by Nancy Kress
4.0
I have mixed feelings about this one (3.5 but I'm rounding up). It's in the tradition of scifi that functions as much as an argument or examination of a political philosophy as it does a story. The idea is that some people are genetically modified to not need sleep and this gives them advantages over others.
In the preface she says, "I wanted to explore the long-range economic effects of creating a favored class of people in a United States becoming increasingly polarized between rich and poor. I also wanted to work out my reactions to other writers' philosophies: to Ayn Rand's belief that no human being owes anything to any other being except what is agreed to in a voluntary contract. To Ursula Le Guin's belief, expressed in the wonderful novel The Dispossessed, that humankind could live without government if it lived without personal property. I didn't believe Rand or Le Guin, but what did I believe? Like many greater authors, I wrote to find out."
Like her, I don't agree with either Rand's or Le Guin's beliefs as stated above (nor am I sure those summaries are entirely accurate, though I have read The Dispossessed and agree that it's wonderful). She tries to account for what an individual owes themself and what they owe their community. Sometimes is seems that she's just trying to split the difference between the two views she said she disagrees with by creating twin societies built on the nightmares of libertarians and communists. These societies are saved from being mere caricature, though, by the sense that Kress is genuinely wrestling with the implications of giving too much weight to the individual or to the collective. It's a thought provoking novel and I'm glad I read it even if I'm not entirely convinced by her solution.
In the preface she says, "I wanted to explore the long-range economic effects of creating a favored class of people in a United States becoming increasingly polarized between rich and poor. I also wanted to work out my reactions to other writers' philosophies: to Ayn Rand's belief that no human being owes anything to any other being except what is agreed to in a voluntary contract. To Ursula Le Guin's belief, expressed in the wonderful novel The Dispossessed, that humankind could live without government if it lived without personal property. I didn't believe Rand or Le Guin, but what did I believe? Like many greater authors, I wrote to find out."
Like her, I don't agree with either Rand's or Le Guin's beliefs as stated above (nor am I sure those summaries are entirely accurate, though I have read The Dispossessed and agree that it's wonderful). She tries to account for what an individual owes themself and what they owe their community. Sometimes is seems that she's just trying to split the difference between the two views she said she disagrees with by creating twin societies built on the nightmares of libertarians and communists. These societies are saved from being mere caricature, though, by the sense that Kress is genuinely wrestling with the implications of giving too much weight to the individual or to the collective. It's a thought provoking novel and I'm glad I read it even if I'm not entirely convinced by her solution.