The Genius Factory: The Curious History of the Nobel Prize Sperm Bank
Description
From the former editor of Slate and CEO of Atlas Obscura comes the unbelievable story of “the Nobel Prize sperm bank” and the children it produced—“a superb book about the quest for genius and, ultimately, family” (Malcolm Gladwell, author of The Tipping Point and Talking to Strangers).
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS
It was the most radical human-breeding experiment in American history. The Repository for Germinal Choice—nicknamed “the Nobel Prize sperm bank”—opened to notorious fanfare in 1980, and for two decades women flocked to it from all over the country to choose a sperm donor from its roster of Nobel-laureate scientists, mathematical prodigies, successful businessmen, and star athletes. But the bank quietly closed its doors in 1999—its founder dead, its confidential records sealed, and the fate of its children and donors unknown. Crisscrossing the country and tracking down previously unknown family members, award-winning Slate columnist David Plotz unfolds the full and astonishing story of the Nobel Prize sperm bank and its founder’s radical scheme to change our world.
Praise for The Genius Factory
“[David] Plotz’s wonderful history of the Nobel sperm bank is filled with wit, pathos and insight. . . . [He acts] as narrator, ethnographer, historian, social critic and even go-between, brokering reunions between children and their genitors.”—Chicago Tribune
“Perfectly pitched—blithe, smart, skeptical, yet entranced by its subject.”—The New York Times
“By turns personal, confounding, creepy, defiant of expectations and touching . . .The Genius Factory isn’t merely curious, it’s useful.”—San Francisco Chronicle
“Tense, hilarious, and touching . . . wonderfully readable and eye-opening.”—The Wall Street Journal
“Terrific . . . [a] lively account.”—The Washington Post Book World
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS
It was the most radical human-breeding experiment in American history. The Repository for Germinal Choice—nicknamed “the Nobel Prize sperm bank”—opened to notorious fanfare in 1980, and for two decades women flocked to it from all over the country to choose a sperm donor from its roster of Nobel-laureate scientists, mathematical prodigies, successful businessmen, and star athletes. But the bank quietly closed its doors in 1999—its founder dead, its confidential records sealed, and the fate of its children and donors unknown. Crisscrossing the country and tracking down previously unknown family members, award-winning Slate columnist David Plotz unfolds the full and astonishing story of the Nobel Prize sperm bank and its founder’s radical scheme to change our world.
Praise for The Genius Factory
“[David] Plotz’s wonderful history of the Nobel sperm bank is filled with wit, pathos and insight. . . . [He acts] as narrator, ethnographer, historian, social critic and even go-between, brokering reunions between children and their genitors.”—Chicago Tribune
“Perfectly pitched—blithe, smart, skeptical, yet entranced by its subject.”—The New York Times
“By turns personal, confounding, creepy, defiant of expectations and touching . . .The Genius Factory isn’t merely curious, it’s useful.”—San Francisco Chronicle
“Tense, hilarious, and touching . . . wonderfully readable and eye-opening.”—The Wall Street Journal
“Terrific . . . [a] lively account.”—The Washington Post Book World
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ISBN:
9781415953150
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Grouping Information
Grouped Work ID | fc24c40b-575d-3a8d-b6dc-6385df57a550 |
---|---|
Grouping Title | genius factory the curious history of the nobel prize sperm bank |
Grouping Author | david plotz |
Grouping Category | book |
Grouping Language | English (eng) |
Last Grouping Update | 2024-04-27 02:10:59AM |
Last Indexed | 2024-04-27 02:20:33AM |
Solr Fields
accelerated_reader_point_value
0
accelerated_reader_reading_level
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author
Plotz, David
author_display
Plotz, David
display_description
From the former editor of Slate and CEO of Atlas Obscura comes the unbelievable story of “the Nobel Prize sperm bank” and the children it produced—“a superb book about the quest for genius and, ultimately, family” (Malcolm Gladwell, author of The Tipping Point and Talking to Strangers).
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS
It was the most radical human-breeding experiment in American history. The Repository for Germinal Choice—nicknamed “the Nobel Prize sperm bank”—opened to notorious fanfare in 1980, and for two decades women flocked to it from all over the country to choose a sperm donor from its roster of Nobel-laureate scientists, mathematical prodigies, successful businessmen, and star athletes. But the bank quietly closed its doors in 1999—its founder dead, its confidential records sealed, and the fate of its children and donors unknown. Crisscrossing the country and tracking down previously unknown family members, award-winning Slate columnist David Plotz unfolds the full and astonishing story of the Nobel Prize sperm bank and its founder’s radical scheme to change our world.
Praise for The Genius Factory
“[David] Plotz’s wonderful history of the Nobel sperm bank is filled with wit, pathos and insight. . . . [He acts] as narrator, ethnographer, historian, social critic and even go-between, brokering reunions between children and their genitors.”—Chicago Tribune
“Perfectly pitched—blithe, smart, skeptical, yet entranced by its subject.”—The New York Times
“By turns personal, confounding, creepy, defiant of expectations and touching . . .The Genius Factory isn’t merely curious, it’s useful.”—San Francisco Chronicle
“Tense, hilarious, and touching . . . wonderfully readable and eye-opening.”—The Wall Street Journal
“Terrific . . . [a] lively account.”—The Washington Post Book World
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS
It was the most radical human-breeding experiment in American history. The Repository for Germinal Choice—nicknamed “the Nobel Prize sperm bank”—opened to notorious fanfare in 1980, and for two decades women flocked to it from all over the country to choose a sperm donor from its roster of Nobel-laureate scientists, mathematical prodigies, successful businessmen, and star athletes. But the bank quietly closed its doors in 1999—its founder dead, its confidential records sealed, and the fate of its children and donors unknown. Crisscrossing the country and tracking down previously unknown family members, award-winning Slate columnist David Plotz unfolds the full and astonishing story of the Nobel Prize sperm bank and its founder’s radical scheme to change our world.
Praise for The Genius Factory
“[David] Plotz’s wonderful history of the Nobel sperm bank is filled with wit, pathos and insight. . . . [He acts] as narrator, ethnographer, historian, social critic and even go-between, brokering reunions between children and their genitors.”—Chicago Tribune
“Perfectly pitched—blithe, smart, skeptical, yet entranced by its subject.”—The New York Times
“By turns personal, confounding, creepy, defiant of expectations and touching . . .The Genius Factory isn’t merely curious, it’s useful.”—San Francisco Chronicle
“Tense, hilarious, and touching . . . wonderfully readable and eye-opening.”—The Wall Street Journal
“Terrific . . . [a] lively account.”—The Washington Post Book World
format_catalog
eAudiobook
format_category_catalog
Audio Books
eBook
eBook
id
fc24c40b-575d-3a8d-b6dc-6385df57a550
isbn
9781415953150
last_indexed
2024-04-27T09:20:33.155Z
lexile_score
-1
literary_form
Non Fiction
literary_form_full
Non Fiction
primary_isbn
9781415953150
publishDate
2008
publisher
Books on Tape
recordtype
grouped_work
title_display
The Genius Factory The Curious History of the Nobel Prize Sperm Bank
title_full
The Genius Factory The Curious History of the Nobel Prize Sperm Bank
title_short
The Genius Factory
title_sub
The Curious History of the Nobel Prize Sperm Bank
topic_facet
Nonfiction
Science
Sociology
Science
Sociology
Solr Details Tables
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