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carlalaureano 's review for:
Beggars in Spain
by Nancy Kress
Beggars in Spain is one of those books that I enjoyed far more for its ideas than the reading experience, much like I still occasionally enjoy reading philosophy texts that I stashed away after college. Kress's choice of point of view creates a distance from the characters, a sort of sterile third-person viewpoint that occasionally shifts to omniscient; perhaps a suitable choice for the topic, but I finished the book without caring much about any of the characters.
What I did enjoy was the broad spectrum of ideas that Kress presents: the alternate failure/triumph of intellectualism and pure reason, a Rand-esque theory of enlightened self-interest (which the main character, Leisha, seems to espouse, regardless of what Kress claims in her forward), socialism vs. capitalism... I think I'd need to read it a few more times to completely grasp all the references. Many reviewers have said that they felt the writer's conclusions were forced on them at the end, but I feel the opposite: the character's conclusions are shown, but I have no real sense of whether those are Kress's conclusions, leaving me free to draw my own.
Above all, I believe Beggars in Spain is about what it means to be human, and the dignity that is conferred to mankind, regardless of intelligence, ability, or contribution to society-- moral equality, as best expressed in the Declaration of Independence (and misinterpreted by Kress's characters): "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."
What I did enjoy was the broad spectrum of ideas that Kress presents: the alternate failure/triumph of intellectualism and pure reason, a Rand-esque theory of enlightened self-interest (which the main character, Leisha, seems to espouse, regardless of what Kress claims in her forward), socialism vs. capitalism... I think I'd need to read it a few more times to completely grasp all the references. Many reviewers have said that they felt the writer's conclusions were forced on them at the end, but I feel the opposite: the character's conclusions are shown, but I have no real sense of whether those are Kress's conclusions, leaving me free to draw my own.
Above all, I believe Beggars in Spain is about what it means to be human, and the dignity that is conferred to mankind, regardless of intelligence, ability, or contribution to society-- moral equality, as best expressed in the Declaration of Independence (and misinterpreted by Kress's characters): "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."