The Genius Factory: The Curious History of the Noble Prize Sperm Bank.

THE GENIUS FACTORY: THE CURIOUS HISTORY OF THE NOBLE PRIZE SPERM BANK. David Plotz. 2005. Read by Stefan Rudnicki. 9 cds. 10 hrs. Books on Tape. 1-4159-2165-2. $72.00. Vinyl; content notes. SA

Plotz writes a fascinating account of the first American experiment to "improve" the human race through selective breeding. In the early 1980s, an eccentric millionaire, Robert Graham. was worried that the American gene pool was declining. The "right" people were not having enough babies and the "wrong" people too many, in his view. Graham set out to rectify the problem by financing the Repository for Germinal Choice, a sperm bank whose donors were originally supposed to be Nobel Prize winners. Some were, but later the "quality" of the donors declined significantly. Nevertheless, many women flocked to the facility and were impregnated. Journalist Plotz decided to find some of the 200 or so children who resulted and their stories are dramatic and well told. Plotz's own negative views towards all aspects of genetic engineering come through.

A thoroughly engaging examination of the effects of such experimentations on humans both ordinary and extraordinary. Rudniki gives a clear and precise reading. For identity-seeking YAs, this will be an especially interesting production. Nancy Chaplin, Libn., VCCW,, Goochland, VA