Beaker’s Dozen (1998)
By Nancy Kress
Cloning; Genetic engineering; Science fiction; Short story collection
These thirteen short stories question the effects of genetic engineering, and whether technology should be used simply because it is available.
The thirteen short stories in this collection address the impact of technological innovations – such as genetic engineering or cloning – on both individuals and wider social structures. Each story ultimately questions whether or not technological developments in fields like genetics should be applied simply because they exist.
The following stories are discussed elsewhere on this web site:
• “Beggars in Spain” – This Hugo Award-winning novella became the opening section of Kress’s novel by that name. The compact presentation of the ethical issues surrounding prenatal genetic modification of children makes this story even more powerful than the novel version.
• “Margin of Error” – A successful geneticist approaches her sister for help when her preprogrammed genetic modifications begin to fail; her sister’s reluctance to return to her earlier scientific career seems influenced by both her disapproval of modifications and her own complicated family history.
• “Evolution” – Kress envisions a future in which antibiotic-resistant bacteria threaten social and political stability worldwide, and examines the lengths some will travel to protect the few avenues of survival still available.
• “Sex Education” – A young girl struggles with the news that she has been cloned once she learns about a lawsuit arising from a damaged clone.
• “Dancing On Air” -- A journalist whose daughter desperately wants to be a ballet dancer begins to research the increasing – and often fatal – influence of genetic modification on the world of ballet.
Evaluation: Kress’s short stories present genetics in an accessible and humanizing way, forcing her readers to address their personal stakes in advances in technological advancements and applications. Because her characters and settings seem real, the potential futures Kress posits seem all too plausible.
– Natalie Champ