The Genius Factory: The Curious History of the Nobel Prize Sperm Bank Audiobook

" I got bogged down during some parts but thought the parts about the children searching for their donor fathers interesting. "

" I listened to the unabridged CD version. Enjoyed how the narrative moved back and forth between the notion that nature drives us and the notion that nurture drives us. "

" An really interesting, quick read. Not worth buying but a good read nonetheless. "

" This was recommended to me by a college classmate who himself was a gifted child. With that in mind, I read this book with personal interest. First impression: I did not care much for the author's writing style in the first half of the book, which consisted greatly of very short, choppy sentences. The second half was more fluid and natural, probably not coincidental to the fact that the author's investigation began to involve his personal, er, participation. As for the content, my classmate wasn't wrong when he opined how sad it all was, for the Nobel Prize Sperm Bank kids, especially. In the context of societal distrust and displeasure for any whiff of pushiness in parents, it must have been difficult for those kids who "did not live to their genetic potential." My take after reading this book: my line would have been bred out of existence if these eugenicists had their way. I would have been too short, too physically unfit, too brown. And I do agree with the author's main thesis: it's more nurture than nature anyway. "

" I listened to this on tape (MP3) while on vacation. It was great vacation listening because it was interesting and informative without being too information dense. The book started as a series of articles in Slate, which shows in the breezy, first-person style. "

" It was kind of cool to learn about the origins of sperm banks, and this particular sperm bank was weird, and therefore interesting. Unfortunately, this was one of those books that was really interesting for a while, but ended with several chapters of me thinking "OK, I get it already." "

" the recipe for genius is elitism. very intriguing reporting on a little-known sperm bank for (supposed) nobel prize winners and the visionary (but paranoid) guy who started it. a good mix of history, personal story telling, and medical procedures (though not too much of the latter). "

" This book is a goldmine for weird anecdotes. For instance: before Al Gore took on global warming and invented the internet, he was responsible for regulating the sperm bank industry. Fine work as always Al. "

" This is an excellent example of how I will try reading almost anything if the writing is sufficiently engaging. The book itself is only a moderately interesting look at eugenics and parenting, but I did finish it (skimming some bits) with an interest in trying more of Plotz's writing. "

" interesting take on nurture v nature, as well as a compelling take on a subject you likely know little about and didn't realize was so interesting. "

" Faqscinating history of what may have been one of the biggest scams in history! I would suggest anyone that reads it will like it. "

" Good nonfiction book about the sunnier side of ethnic cleansing and genetic prejudice. "

" Interesting - about the Nobel Prize sperm bank, and the donors, recipients, and kids involved with it. "

" While I was interested in the premise, I didn't find this a very enjoyable book to read. Slow pacing, and the stories of some of the donors and offspring were not written in a very interesting way. I struggled to care enough to finish it. "

" This was a thought-provoking book about the business and ethics of fertility, but I wished it had included foot or end notes for further investigation. "

" I can't believe that such a place ever existed. Very interesting to follow up on what happened to some of the children born of this bizarre experiment. (Hint: not a genius among them.) "

" poorly written, interesting story/history. Content of book is slightly suggestive. "

" Has it all - psychology, science, emotion. But I think it would've been better as a long article. "

" It's a fun, interesting read. It's a journalist writing it so I'm sure it's sensationalized a bit more, but most "based on a true story" books are. "

" Interesting book, I started off fascinated by this idea and bemused by reality of the situation. Toward the end, it did seem to drag a bit and I found myself saying "okay, okay, I got it already." Not a bad book by any means, but also not a tremendous number of surprises after the first half. "

" Fascinating and surprisingly emotional. Well worth reading (or listening to, as I did). "

" fascinating. great audio book. abridged, but in this case i think that's okay. incredible these eugenicists.... "

" Very interesting read from the standpoint of all sorts of academic disciplines, but very hard to get through at times. "

" A good summary of a weird social experiment. Not as interesting as I was hoping., but still fairly interesting. Gets repetive towards the end. "

" Read for book group. The first 2 chapters were really dry. After that, it got more interesting. It wasn't what I thought it was going to be, but it also gave me a lot to think about. "

" The author does a good job of not only describing this venture but also of raising issues of morality and ethics related to it. "

" While it might offend some as it takes a very non-secular view of the bible, I found it hilarious! "

" Mostly funny, occasionally insightful. Recommended for nonbelievers (or those undecided) who want to know more about the Bible without having to read it. "

" Tried to read this and just couldnt get into it. "

" I didn't actually read all of it, finding it more of a reference book than anything. But it is a creative idea, and the parts I read were humorous. "

" Think of it as an annotated Old Testament by someone who had previously never paid much attention to the Bible. It had its moments, but it was otherwise somewhat lacking. "

" good fresh perspective on the Hebrew bible - I don't always agree with it - but awesome read! "