Beggars in Spain

In a near future profoundly altered by biotechnology, Nancy Kress's "Beggars in Spain" introduces Leisha Camden, one of the genetically engineered "Sleepless" – individuals who require no rest, offering them an unprecedented advantage in an increasingly competitive world. Initially viewed as scientific marvels, the Sleepless soon become targets of fear, resentment, and violent persecution from the "Sleepers," the vast majority of humanity who perceive their genetic enhancements as an existential threat. As society splinters into two distinct, often warring, factions, Leisha finds herself at the epicenter of a profound philosophical and social conflict. The novel meticulously explores themes of genetic discrimination, the ethics of human enhancement, and the inherent prejudices that arise from difference, culminating in a gripping struggle for coexistence amidst a looming conspiracy that threatens to redefine human destiny and the very fabric of civilization.