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

Let's say you are a member of a married couple and you want to conceive a child, but the husband had a vasectomy years and years ago. If given the chance to conceive by artificial insemination, would you accept a sperm from a healthy but otherwise undistinguished anonymous donor, or would you be more eager to accept the sperm from a healthy Nobel Prize winner? It's a simple choice, isn't it? It's a choice that women used to be able to make, and they cannot any more, not because there is no interest in producing genius children, but because what was known as the "Nobel Prize Sperm Bank" once existed and exists no more. The story of the bank, funny, bizarre, and sad, is told in _The Genius Factory: The Curious History of the Nobel Prize Sperm Bank_ (Random House) by David Plotz. The bank folded in 1999, and was, according to Plotz, "the most radical experiment in human genetic engineering in American history." However, no one had followed the results that the bank had produced, so no one knew how the experiment turned out. Plotz determined to do so, breaking through the secrecy and (since he worked for the famous Internet magazine _Slate_) using the Internet's power to make connections and uncover the untold stories. The result is a fascinating story that undercuts our current devotion to the power of the gene. Robert Graham was a multimillionaire who, several decades after eugenics had become an American fad and then faded, had taken up the crusade. His was not the dark eugenics of sterilization, but that of ensuring that outstanding males were able to produce lots and lots of outstanding children. Graham in 1980 encouraged scientists (he had little appreciation for "genius" in other fields) to donate their seed for the good of their race. Most of the Nobelists were not at all interested, thinking the idea silly. One who was interested, and donated, was William Shockley, who had won his Nobel for inventing the transistor, and parlayed the fame it gave him into a bully pulpit for his retrograde racist views. He drove many donors away. There were only three Nobel laureates who participated, and none bore fruit; other donors were accomplished in some other, lesser scientific way. Graham died in 1997, and his brainchild did not long outlive him. There were 215 babies born from its seed, but their stories were unknown until Plotz started his research. He adopted the role of Semen Detective, verifying that children were products of the bank and trying to put the evidence together that would indicate just which donor produced which child. Some donors and children he was able to unite, if both sides wanted it. The donors, twenty years on, were not generally great specimens; one turned out a failed physician who lied about his IQ on his application. Some of the meetings produced jubilant new relationships, and some were disappointments. There is inherent interest in stories of lost children and lost fathers finding each other, and Plo

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and found it difficult to put down. As others have stated, it's the story of a sperm bank (the Repository for Germinal Choice) founded in 1980 with the intention of 'solving the genetic quality' "problem" (depending on your perspective). In spite of the problems with the bank, potency problems due to age and even the relaxing of standards for submission (though they still provided a lot of information to purchasers) - by and large the portion of the 200 or so progeny (admittedly somewhat self-selected) Plotz was able to contact seemed above average. They didn't all have the same levels of achievement (think Alton vs Tom) but even the low end of the bunch showed unusual ability in mathematics, music, etc... Although Plotz tries to toss this up to environment (what sort of mom goes to a "nobel" sperm bank?) I can't help being struck by how important the genes appear. I was especially struck by this because the children almost uniformly didn't get along with their adoptive fathers. It wasn't so much outright hostility as simple lack of connection. A few even indicated that they knew the adoptive fathers weren't their real fathers before their mothers revealed it to them. I wonder how much of this is due to personality differences vs. biochemical compatability (pheromones and the like). All in all it was a wonderful read. It isn't heavy on statistics or a central theme. It's a loosely connected tale of stories each of which is interesting in its own right. IMHO, well done Plotz!

Bravo! David Plotz's book is absolutely a fascinating read. As a mother of Repository children I thought my interest would be obviously skewed to the applicable parts. I was pleasantly surprised by the information detailing the sperm bank's interesting background and Eugenic connection. I was even more pleased with the intimate and most honest details presented through the stories of the people involved. Meticulously written, the background and stories unfold and develop to describe complex and strange tales laced with fear, compassion, humor, and prescribed destiny. This book touches each and every one of us as beings interested in life, conception, and the genetic influence of our forefathers. It brings to light the essence of the age-old Nature vs Nurture controversy and gives hope to the idea that our choices influence us more than genetics ever could.

The Genius Factory is both a gripping mystery, and a compelling social history. Plotz vividly brings to life the fascinating, strange millionaire behind the Nobel Prize sperm bank, and then uncovers the effect he had on the lives of the men who donated their sperm and the supposedly "superior" children they spawned. What a fabulous story! And Plotz tells it movingly and with great wit. A must read.

The Genius Factory manages to be a page-turner that pokes fun at its subject while simultaneously giving it serious treatment. Many books that start out as magazine articles merely feel stretched out when expanded into a book. In the case of the Genius Factory the extra pages, and expanded treatment are well worth it. The book deals with three interesting and important stories, weaving them together in a first person account as the author learns more about his subject. The first story is the history of the eugenics movement and how the quest for more perfect people (often motivated by simplistic racist notions) led to the idea of a sperm bank that would hold the sperm of geniuses (crudely defined as Nobel prize winning scientists). This story is filled with colorful characters such as Robert Graham - the originator of the sperm bank - the inventor of plastic eyeglass lenses, and William Shockley - one of the Nobel Prize winners who contributed sperm - winner of the Nobel Prize for inventing the transistor (he is the father of Silicon Valley and his company was the progenitor of intel). It is also a story of racism, misguided notions of improving mankind, and a philosophy that leads to Nazism. The second story is the story of the families. Plotz tracked down several of the children that resulted from the sperm bank, and he got to know the children and their parents. He also tracked down some of the donors, and their stories are in some cases more complex and interesting than I would have imagined. I don't want to give away too much, so I'll just say that the experience of the families and the impact of the experience is fascinating. The third story is the story of fertility treatments. While this story is not as developed as the other two, as events develop, the history of fertility treatments becomes significant as it intertwines with the story of artificial insemination. I read this book in one sitting, and it was as compelling as any mystery. While it is written in a playful tone, it does takes its subject seriously and observes its characters with compassion. This is far from the most authoritative source you can find on the subjects covered, but it is highly entertaining, informative and thought-provoking.