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  <id>1090941</id>
  <title><![CDATA[The First Century After Beatrice]]></title>
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  <description><![CDATA[A French entomologist, attending a symposium in Cairo, finds a cruious kind of bean being on a market stall. It is claimed the beans, derived from the scarab beetle, have magic powers; specifically the power to guarantee the brith of a male infant - and when the entomologist does some research in to the matter, discovering the incidence of female birth has become increasingly rare, he is left in no doubt that the world has entered intoa critical phase of its history. As this beloved daughter Beatrice approaches maturity, the entomologist and his partner question the validity of gender bias, and attempt to redress the growing imbalance before it reaches irreversible proportions. But in the poverty and famine of the South, where male children can mean the difference between survival and starvation, the popularity of the scarab beans is already taking devastating effect.]]></description>
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        <name><![CDATA[Amin Maalouf]]></name>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[The First Century After Beatrice]]>
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  <description>
    <![CDATA[A French entomologist, attending a symposium in Cairo, finds a cruious kind of bean being on a market stall. It is claimed the beans, derived from the scarab beetle, have magic powers; specifically the power to guarantee the brith of a male infant - and when the entomologist does some research in to the matter, discovering the incidence of female birth has become increasingly rare, he is left in no doubt that the world has entered intoa critical phase of its history. As this beloved daughter Beatrice approaches maturity, the entomologist and his partner question the validity of gender bias, and attempt to redress the growing imbalance before it reaches irreversible proportions. But in the poverty and famine of the South, where male children can mean the difference between survival and starvation, the popularity of the scarab beans is already taking devastating effect.]]>
  </description>
  <published>1992</published>
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  <recommended_for><![CDATA[everyone]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[Rachel and Alan]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Wed Jun 11 00:00:00 -0700 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Wed May 28 21:49:19 -0700 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Wed Jun 11 13:27:41 -0700 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[This book is very well written and an absolute pleasure to read.  At the same time, it may be one of the most important and disturbing books I've read since Beloved or A Fine Balance. It's set in the future and really it's science fiction, but the gentile style of writing makes it seem like it was w...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/23192788">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/23192788]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/23192788]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>24020445</id>
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    <id>633822</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Gemma]]></name>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[The First Century After Beatrice]]>
  </title>
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  <average_rating>3.54</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>101</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[A French entomologist, attending a symposium in Cairo, finds a cruious kind of bean being on a market stall. It is claimed the beans, derived from the scarab beetle, have magic powers; specifically the power to guarantee the brith of a male infant - and when the entomologist does some research in to the matter, discovering the incidence of female birth has become increasingly rare, he is left in no doubt that the world has entered intoa critical phase of its history. As this beloved daughter Beatrice approaches maturity, the entomologist and his partner question the validity of gender bias, and attempt to redress the growing imbalance before it reaches irreversible proportions. But in the poverty and famine of the South, where male children can mean the difference between survival and starvation, the popularity of the scarab beans is already taking devastating effect.]]>
  </description>
  <published>1992</published>
</book>

    <rating>4</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
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          </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Mon Jun 09 10:17:10 -0700 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Sun Jun 08 18:20:55 -0700 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Mon Jun 09 10:17:10 -0700 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[An elegantly written dystopian piece. The author takes as his starting point the preference for male children in many cultures. Folk remedies for encouraging the birth of a male have always existed, and in this short novel Maloof imagines scientists successfully developing such a substance and distr...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/24020445">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/24020445]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/24020445]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>2562200</id>
    <user>
    <id>145023</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Kay]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Hove, The United Kingdom]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/145023-kay]]></link>
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  <isbn>0349105995</isbn>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[The First Century After Beatrice]]>
  </title>
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  <average_rating>3.54</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>101</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[A French entomologist, attending a symposium in Cairo, finds a cruious kind of bean being on a market stall. It is claimed the beans, derived from the scarab beetle, have magic powers; specifically the power to guarantee the brith of a male infant - and when the entomologist does some research in to the matter, discovering the incidence of female birth has become increasingly rare, he is left in no doubt that the world has entered intoa critical phase of its history. As this beloved daughter Beatrice approaches maturity, the entomologist and his partner question the validity of gender bias, and attempt to redress the growing imbalance before it reaches irreversible proportions. But in the poverty and famine of the South, where male children can mean the difference between survival and starvation, the popularity of the scarab beans is already taking devastating effect.]]>
  </description>
  <published>1992</published>
</book>

    <rating>5</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
        <shelf name="read" />
          </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[those who worry about the future]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Wed Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 1997</read_at>
  <date_added>Sat Jun 30 08:57:43 -0700 2007</date_added>
  <date_updated>Wed Dec 16 23:12:21 -0800 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I remember reading this book for the first time when I was researching global warming and seeing the power of fiction to make real the underlying threats to humanity.  Maalouf does what no amount of scaremongering can, he shows the human price of ignoring the effects of our behaviour on our planet, ...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2562200">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2562200]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2562200]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>1987883</id>
    <user>
    <id>132624</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Hank Horse]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Somerville, MA]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/132624-hank-horse]]></link>
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  <text_reviews_count type="integer">11</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[The First Century After Beatrice]]>
  </title>
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  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1090941.The_First_Century_After_Beatrice</link>
  <average_rating>3.54</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>101</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[A French entomologist, attending a symposium in Cairo, finds a cruious kind of bean being on a market stall. It is claimed the beans, derived from the scarab beetle, have magic powers; specifically the power to guarantee the brith of a male infant - and when the entomologist does some research in to the matter, discovering the incidence of female birth has become increasingly rare, he is left in no doubt that the world has entered intoa critical phase of its history. As this beloved daughter Beatrice approaches maturity, the entomologist and his partner question the validity of gender bias, and attempt to redress the growing imbalance before it reaches irreversible proportions. But in the poverty and famine of the South, where male children can mean the difference between survival and starvation, the popularity of the scarab beans is already taking devastating effect.]]>
  </description>
  <published>1992</published>
</book>

    <rating>5</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
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        <shelf name="read" />
            <shelf name="scifi-speculative" />
      </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at></read_at>
  <date_added>Thu Jun 14 20:56:14 -0700 2007</date_added>
  <date_updated>Thu Jun 14 21:04:21 -0700 2007</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[This is an excellent speculative novel of a future where human reproduction is fundamentally altered, far superior in conception (no pun intended) than the film 'Children of Men'.<br/>Seriously, if you thought that film was at all interesting beyond its self-pitying liberal politics and Clive Owen'...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1987883">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1987883]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1987883]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>23930462</id>
    <user>
    <id>79412</id>
    <name><![CDATA[arafat]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Cambridge, MA]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/79412-arafat]]></link>
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  <isbn>0349105995</isbn>
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  <text_reviews_count type="integer">11</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[The First Century After Beatrice]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1180909593m/1090941.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1180909593s/1090941.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1090941.The_First_Century_After_Beatrice</link>
  <average_rating>3.54</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>101</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[A French entomologist, attending a symposium in Cairo, finds a cruious kind of bean being on a market stall. It is claimed the beans, derived from the scarab beetle, have magic powers; specifically the power to guarantee the brith of a male infant - and when the entomologist does some research in to the matter, discovering the incidence of female birth has become increasingly rare, he is left in no doubt that the world has entered intoa critical phase of its history. As this beloved daughter Beatrice approaches maturity, the entomologist and his partner question the validity of gender bias, and attempt to redress the growing imbalance before it reaches irreversible proportions. But in the poverty and famine of the South, where male children can mean the difference between survival and starvation, the popularity of the scarab beans is already taking devastating effect.]]>
  </description>
  <published>1992</published>
</book>

    <rating>2</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
        <shelf name="read" />
          </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Mon Jun 09 00:00:00 -0700 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Sat Jun 07 10:11:57 -0700 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Wed Jun 18 09:01:30 -0700 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Mediocre. Maalouf toys with a somewhat interesting idea that would read as apocalyptic science fiction, were it not written in a realistic mode (and dealing with real issues, like gender discrimination and disparities between the global North and South). There's quite a bit of informative material h...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/23930462">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/23930462]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/23930462]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>74445860</id>
    <user>
    <id>2397753</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Christopher]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Seattle, WA]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/2397753-christopher-mcquain]]></link>
    <image_url><![CDATA[http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1249451302p3/2397753.jpg]]></image_url>
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    <book>
  <id type="integer">1090943</id>
  <isbn>2253097829</isbn>
  <isbn13>9782253097822</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">1</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[Le Premier Siecle Apres Beatrice]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1180909594m/1090943.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1180909594s/1090943.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1090943.Le_Premier_Siecle_Apres_Beatrice</link>
  <average_rating>3.48</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>21</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[A French entomologist, attending a symposium in Cairo, finds a cruious kind of bean being on a market stall. It is claimed the beans, derived from the scarab beetle, have magic powers; specifically the power to guarantee the brith of a male infant - and when the entomologist does some research in to the matter, discovering the incidence of female birth has become increasingly rare, he is left in no doubt that the world has entered intoa critical phase of its history. As this beloved daughter Beatrice approaches maturity, the entomologist and his partner question the validity of gender bias, and attempt to redress the growing imbalance before it reaches irreversible proportions. But in the poverty and famine of the South, where male children can mean the difference between survival and starvation, the popularity of the scarab beans is already taking devastating effect.]]>
  </description>
  <published>1992</published>
</book>

    <rating>4</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
        <shelf name="read" />
          </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Sat Nov 21 00:00:00 -0800 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Tue Oct 13 17:58:36 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sat Nov 21 10:42:33 -0800 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Je le recommanderais à n'importe qui, mais en particulier à ceux qui ont aimé &quot;The Blind Assassin&quot; de Margaret Atwood parce que c'est un roman, comme celui de Mme Atwood, qui appartient en partie à &quot;La Science-fiction&quot; en même temps qu'il a plusieurs dimensions très humanis...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/74445860">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/74445860]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/74445860]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>7424342</id>
    <user>
    <id>476304</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Charnello]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Washington, DC]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/476304-charnello]]></link>
    <image_url><![CDATA[http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1191870455p3/476304.jpg]]></image_url>
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  <isbn>0349105995</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780349105994</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">11</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[The First Century After Beatrice]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1180909593m/1090941.jpg</image_url>
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  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1090941.The_First_Century_After_Beatrice</link>
  <average_rating>3.54</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>101</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[A French entomologist, attending a symposium in Cairo, finds a cruious kind of bean being on a market stall. It is claimed the beans, derived from the scarab beetle, have magic powers; specifically the power to guarantee the brith of a male infant - and when the entomologist does some research in to the matter, discovering the incidence of female birth has become increasingly rare, he is left in no doubt that the world has entered intoa critical phase of its history. As this beloved daughter Beatrice approaches maturity, the entomologist and his partner question the validity of gender bias, and attempt to redress the growing imbalance before it reaches irreversible proportions. But in the poverty and famine of the South, where male children can mean the difference between survival and starvation, the popularity of the scarab beans is already taking devastating effect.]]>
  </description>
  <published>1992</published>
</book>

    <rating>5</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
        <shelf name="read" />
          </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Thu May 01 00:00:00 -0700 2003</read_at>
  <date_added>Mon Oct 08 09:57:54 -0700 2007</date_added>
  <date_updated>Tue Oct 16 13:42:03 -0700 2007</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Imagine a world whereby only male children are born to women that voluntarily take a little pill.  Now imagine an overwhelming majority of women worldwide take the pill for whatever reason and then find out that the effects are essentially permanent.  Maalouf writes from the perspective of the fathe...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7424342">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7424342]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7424342]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>53482300</id>
    <user>
    <id>1336454</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Marcia]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[San Francisco, CA]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1336454-marcia]]></link>
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  <id type="integer">1090941</id>
  <isbn>0349105995</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780349105994</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">11</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[The First Century After Beatrice]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1180909593m/1090941.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1180909593s/1090941.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1090941.The_First_Century_After_Beatrice</link>
  <average_rating>3.54</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>101</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[A French entomologist, attending a symposium in Cairo, finds a cruious kind of bean being on a market stall. It is claimed the beans, derived from the scarab beetle, have magic powers; specifically the power to guarantee the brith of a male infant - and when the entomologist does some research in to the matter, discovering the incidence of female birth has become increasingly rare, he is left in no doubt that the world has entered intoa critical phase of its history. As this beloved daughter Beatrice approaches maturity, the entomologist and his partner question the validity of gender bias, and attempt to redress the growing imbalance before it reaches irreversible proportions. But in the poverty and famine of the South, where male children can mean the difference between survival and starvation, the popularity of the scarab beans is already taking devastating effect.]]>
  </description>
  <published>1992</published>
</book>

    <rating>4</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
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            <shelf name="science-fiction" />
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  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at></read_at>
  <date_added>Tue Apr 21 11:29:32 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Tue Apr 21 11:30:29 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Interesting concept, I wish there was more on the details of what happended outside his life.]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/53482300]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/53482300]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>32158509</id>
    <user>
    <id>864921</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Mark]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[The United States]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/864921-mark]]></link>
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  <isbn>0349105995</isbn>
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  <text_reviews_count type="integer">11</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[The First Century After Beatrice]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1180909593m/1090941.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1180909593s/1090941.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1090941.The_First_Century_After_Beatrice</link>
  <average_rating>3.54</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>101</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[A French entomologist, attending a symposium in Cairo, finds a cruious kind of bean being on a market stall. It is claimed the beans, derived from the scarab beetle, have magic powers; specifically the power to guarantee the brith of a male infant - and when the entomologist does some research in to the matter, discovering the incidence of female birth has become increasingly rare, he is left in no doubt that the world has entered intoa critical phase of its history. As this beloved daughter Beatrice approaches maturity, the entomologist and his partner question the validity of gender bias, and attempt to redress the growing imbalance before it reaches irreversible proportions. But in the poverty and famine of the South, where male children can mean the difference between survival and starvation, the popularity of the scarab beans is already taking devastating effect.]]>
  </description>
  <published>1992</published>
</book>

    <rating>5</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
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        <shelf name="read" />
          </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at></read_at>
  <date_added>Sat Sep 06 03:07:56 -0700 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sat Sep 06 03:08:59 -0700 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Superb book that describes the causes and aftermath of the collapse of civilization across the world.  It's fiction but not too far from a reality that could come to pass.  Definitely worth reading!]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/32158509]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/32158509]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>10264119</id>
    <user>
    <id>669266</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Kelly]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Turkey]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/669266-kelly]]></link>
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  <isbn>0349105995</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780349105994</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">11</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[The First Century After Beatrice]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1180909593m/1090941.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1180909593s/1090941.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1090941.The_First_Century_After_Beatrice</link>
  <average_rating>3.54</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>101</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[A French entomologist, attending a symposium in Cairo, finds a cruious kind of bean being on a market stall. It is claimed the beans, derived from the scarab beetle, have magic powers; specifically the power to guarantee the brith of a male infant - and when the entomologist does some research in to the matter, discovering the incidence of female birth has become increasingly rare, he is left in no doubt that the world has entered intoa critical phase of its history. As this beloved daughter Beatrice approaches maturity, the entomologist and his partner question the validity of gender bias, and attempt to redress the growing imbalance before it reaches irreversible proportions. But in the poverty and famine of the South, where male children can mean the difference between survival and starvation, the popularity of the scarab beans is already taking devastating effect.]]>
  </description>
  <published>1992</published>
</book>

    <rating>4</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
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          </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Thu Nov 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007</read_at>
  <date_added>Tue Dec 11 08:14:55 -0800 2007</date_added>
  <date_updated>Tue Dec 11 08:21:16 -0800 2007</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Set in the not-so-distant future this book feels a bit old-fashioned in tone nonetheless.  Another good and involving story from Maalouf.]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/10264119]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/10264119]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>11981226</id>
    <user>
    <id>757878</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Nora]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Milwaukee, WI]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/757878-nora]]></link>
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  <isbn>0349105995</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780349105994</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">11</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[The First Century After Beatrice]]>
  </title>
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  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1180909593s/1090941.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1090941.The_First_Century_After_Beatrice</link>
  <average_rating>3.54</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>101</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[A French entomologist, attending a symposium in Cairo, finds a cruious kind of bean being on a market stall. It is claimed the beans, derived from the scarab beetle, have magic powers; specifically the power to guarantee the brith of a male infant - and when the entomologist does some research in to the matter, discovering the incidence of female birth has become increasingly rare, he is left in no doubt that the world has entered intoa critical phase of its history. As this beloved daughter Beatrice approaches maturity, the entomologist and his partner question the validity of gender bias, and attempt to redress the growing imbalance before it reaches irreversible proportions. But in the poverty and famine of the South, where male children can mean the difference between survival and starvation, the popularity of the scarab beans is already taking devastating effect.]]>
  </description>
  <published>1992</published>
</book>

    <rating>4</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
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          </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007</read_at>
  <date_added>Tue Jan 08 11:19:40 -0800 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Tue Jan 08 11:20:22 -0800 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[An enjoyable read that gets you thinking.  Great for a book club.]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/11981226]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/11981226]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>7924678</id>
    <user>
    <id>559806</id>
    <name><![CDATA[fatimah]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[riyadh, Saudi Arabia]]></location>
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  <isbn>0349105995</isbn>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[The First Century After Beatrice]]>
  </title>
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  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1180909593s/1090941.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1090941.The_First_Century_After_Beatrice</link>
  <average_rating>3.54</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>101</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[A French entomologist, attending a symposium in Cairo, finds a cruious kind of bean being on a market stall. It is claimed the beans, derived from the scarab beetle, have magic powers; specifically the power to guarantee the brith of a male infant - and when the entomologist does some research in to the matter, discovering the incidence of female birth has become increasingly rare, he is left in no doubt that the world has entered intoa critical phase of its history. As this beloved daughter Beatrice approaches maturity, the entomologist and his partner question the validity of gender bias, and attempt to redress the growing imbalance before it reaches irreversible proportions. But in the poverty and famine of the South, where male children can mean the difference between survival and starvation, the popularity of the scarab beans is already taking devastating effect.]]>
  </description>
  <published>1992</published>
</book>

    <rating>5</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
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        <shelf name="read" />
          </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Wed Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2003</read_at>
  <date_added>Fri Oct 19 01:45:20 -0700 2007</date_added>
  <date_updated>Fri Oct 19 01:45:43 -0700 2007</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[i loved this book]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7924678]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7924678]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>81146339</id>
    <user>
    <id>382065</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Christin]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Milwaukee, WI]]></location>
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    <![CDATA[The First Century After Beatrice]]>
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  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1180909593s/1090941.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1090941.The_First_Century_After_Beatrice</link>
  <average_rating>3.54</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>101</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[A French entomologist, attending a symposium in Cairo, finds a cruious kind of bean being on a market stall. It is claimed the beans, derived from the scarab beetle, have magic powers; specifically the power to guarantee the brith of a male infant - and when the entomologist does some research in to the matter, discovering the incidence of female birth has become increasingly rare, he is left in no doubt that the world has entered intoa critical phase of its history. As this beloved daughter Beatrice approaches maturity, the entomologist and his partner question the validity of gender bias, and attempt to redress the growing imbalance before it reaches irreversible proportions. But in the poverty and famine of the South, where male children can mean the difference between survival and starvation, the popularity of the scarab beans is already taking devastating effect.]]>
  </description>
  <published>1992</published>
</book>

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  <date_added>Tue Dec 15 19:11:54 -0800 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Tue Dec 15 19:11:54 -0800 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/81146339]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/81146339]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>81138227</id>
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    <name><![CDATA[Linda]]></name>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[The First Century After Beatrice]]>
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  <average_rating>3.54</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>101</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[A French entomologist, attending a symposium in Cairo, finds a cruious kind of bean being on a market stall. It is claimed the beans, derived from the scarab beetle, have magic powers; specifically the power to guarantee the brith of a male infant - and when the entomologist does some research in to the matter, discovering the incidence of female birth has become increasingly rare, he is left in no doubt that the world has entered intoa critical phase of its history. As this beloved daughter Beatrice approaches maturity, the entomologist and his partner question the validity of gender bias, and attempt to redress the growing imbalance before it reaches irreversible proportions. But in the poverty and famine of the South, where male children can mean the difference between survival and starvation, the popularity of the scarab beans is already taking devastating effect.]]>
  </description>
  <published>1992</published>
</book>

    <rating>3</rating>
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  <date_added>Tue Dec 15 17:36:55 -0800 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Tue Dec 15 17:36:55 -0800 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/81138227]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/81138227]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>80973496</id>
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    <id>281409</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Laura]]></name>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[The First Century After Beatrice]]>
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  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1180909593s/1090941.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1090941.The_First_Century_After_Beatrice</link>
  <average_rating>3.54</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>101</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[A French entomologist, attending a symposium in Cairo, finds a cruious kind of bean being on a market stall. It is claimed the beans, derived from the scarab beetle, have magic powers; specifically the power to guarantee the brith of a male infant - and when the entomologist does some research in to the matter, discovering the incidence of female birth has become increasingly rare, he is left in no doubt that the world has entered intoa critical phase of its history. As this beloved daughter Beatrice approaches maturity, the entomologist and his partner question the validity of gender bias, and attempt to redress the growing imbalance before it reaches irreversible proportions. But in the poverty and famine of the South, where male children can mean the difference between survival and starvation, the popularity of the scarab beans is already taking devastating effect.]]>
  </description>
  <published>1992</published>
</book>

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  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
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  <read_at></read_at>
  <date_added>Mon Dec 14 10:09:37 -0800 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Mon Dec 14 10:09:37 -0800 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
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  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/80973496]]></url>
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      <review>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[The First Century After Beatrice]]>
  </title>
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  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1180909593s/1090941.jpg</small_image_url>
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  <average_rating>3.54</average_rating>
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