Resumo de Beggars In Spain

This novel deals with one of my
favorite topics - sleep. In a novel based on the short story by the
same author, Beggars in Spain deals with a new frontier - genetic
engineering. It takes place in the future where those who can afford
it can have their babies genetically altered to rid them of the need
for sleep. And born is a new breed of human - The Sleepless. These
children, as they grow up, have a huge edge over regular children.
Not only do they have over 30% more time to read, learn, achieve and
flourish, but they are also healthier, smarter and in many ways
superior to their normal peers, the Sleepers. Yet there is one thing
lacking in the Sleepless life, they cannot dream. It becomes
something they long for. The novel opens following the lives
of Leisha Camdon and her twin Alice. Leisha was altered to be one of
the sleepless. However, Alice wasn''t. The differences between them
are enormous. Leisha achieves more and more as she grows, while Alice
seems to stumble along - looking stupid in comparison. But it''s not
just Leisha, there are others. There are more children who were
programmed to never sleep. And they are drawn together as society
comes to be jealous and bitter towards this new generation of
achievers. Instead of embracing them and accepting their "super"
abilities society shuns them and calls them freaks.As time
and human nature follow its course, the sleepless are forced to
retreat to a protected compound for their own safety. But there are a
few, such as Leisha, who chose not to hide. Instead they try to forge
an alliance with the sleepers, to bridge the gap between them and
make peace between the two groups. Leisha becomes a lawyer who is a
strong leader in this group. Unfortunately, the sleepless who attempt
to reach for this peace are shunned by both the sleepless and the
sleepers. Is peace possible? Can both sides accept the differences
and work together to make the world a better place? You just have to
read and find out.When I first started reading this book I
didn''t know what to expect. It was recommended by a good friend. But
I thought it might be too Sci-Fi for me. I''m not a real fan of
science fiction.
But I was caught from the beginning by the concept of not needing
sleep. As I read on, I found that there was very little technical
jargon to confuse and bore me. The author
explains the science behind it in such a way that I didn''t feel like
I needed a science degree to follow it. I never felt lost by the
science end of it.However, what I did find was a lot of
philosophy. In fact, some of it was rather difficult to follow. This
book is not an easy read. Not something you would pick up to waste
some time on the train or a sunny afternoon. This book makes you
think, ponder and work at understanding. But that does not mean it
isn''t an excellent book. When I finished this novel I walked away
from it with a much deeper understanding of human nature, of
different ways to look at the world around me and of my own
beliefs.This book addresses so many facets of society - such
questions as genetic engineering and its implications, aging, class
distinction, euthanasia, community rights, prejudice and other
problems in society. It addresses many of the problems faced in the
world today that seem to have no answer. And while Kress doesn''t
attempt to answer them she does face them honestly and help you to
look at them from many points of view. What would you do if
you had to compete for a job against someone who could learn the job
faster, work more hours, do the job better? Let alone have a simple
conversation with someone who was light years ahead of you in
intelligence. Would you resent them? Would you hate them? But look at
that same situation from the flip side of that coin. How would you
feel if you had to attempt to work with someone who was less capable
than you? What would you talk about with someone who didn''t
understanyou were saying? Would you be willing to
support and care for a large portion of society that just couldn''t
keep up? Would you hate them? Resent them?I found in this
book one of the keys to a great read - I cared. I cared about the
people in it. I could understand them and why they did what they did.
I could believe their emotions and wanted them to succeed. I felt
like I was a part of their lives. I couldn''t put the book down. I had
to see what happened next. And I was never disappointed - this book
delivered. It gave me so much to think about, so much to mentally
chew on, so many questions that even after I put the book down I
wanted to think about it, talk about it and share my ideas on it. I
wanted all of my friends to read it so we could discuss it and throw
around our different ideas. I loved this book. So - go out, read the
book, think about it and then share it.

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