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419th out of 1,225 books
—
6,459 voters
Generosity: An Enhancement
FROM THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD–WINNING AUTHOR OF THE ECHO MAKER, A PLAYFUL AND PROVOCATIVE NOVEL ABOUT THE DISCOVERY OF THE HAPPINESS GENE
When Chicagoan Russell Stone finds himself teaching a Creative Nonfiction class, he encounters a young Algerian woman with a disturbingly luminous presence. Thassadit Amzwar’s blissful exuberance both entrances and puzzles the melancholic...more
When Chicagoan Russell Stone finds himself teaching a Creative Nonfiction class, he encounters a young Algerian woman with a disturbingly luminous presence. Thassadit Amzwar’s blissful exuberance both entrances and puzzles the melancholic...more
Hardcover, 296 pages
Published
September 29th 2009
by Farrar, Straus and Giroux
(first published 2009)
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Sep 11, 2010
Jessica
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
mad scientists; depressives; genetic predisposers
Picked this up in the airport bookstore, and on the plane recalled that I DO like reading! So yeah, Pregnant Widow? Gate at the Stairs? That newish McEwan? I was beginning to think it was me, but it's not. It's just them, actually. I can still enjoy books. (Whew.)
It would be unconscionably perverse for me to waste any further limited precious moments of my too-short life on Solar, when I could be reading this awesome book instead. Sense of duty to finish, you are neatly dispatched! Thanks, Mr. P...more
It would be unconscionably perverse for me to waste any further limited precious moments of my too-short life on Solar, when I could be reading this awesome book instead. Sense of duty to finish, you are neatly dispatched! Thanks, Mr. P...more
I need to put some serious thought into this review - there's about 100 strands of plot, character and theme that I'd like to touch on. But right now, I can't do that - so suffice it to say, this book is fabulous. Don't be scared of it - even though it takes on some pretty weighty issues - freewill v. biological determinism; positive psychology and social cognition biases; and the absolutely fascinating, speculative fictional premise of what and how people would respond to a person who was genet...more
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This is probably the most accessible of his books that I've read, not overly technical but certainly not patronizing. But for those who appreciate Powers' tendency towards erudite digressions on any imaginable high-brow subject, you may feel that this book is somewhat lacking in that department; it even reads at times like he is making a deliberate effort to rein himself in and to focus on the momentum of the plot. This is interesting because one strand of the plot is a sort of meta-narrative on...more
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One character shimmers with life while the others reflect her glow. Here Powers is reined in and democratic, a touch pop sci, a little middle of the road, but those characteristics work better together, allowing for a realism that is still compassionate, unabashedly involved in the technology of our world and its possible futures far beyond muckraking and allegory. At once reading this gave me a strange contact high, since most of what I read is devoid of sustained portrayals of positive emotion...more
Sep 30, 2009
oriana
marked it as to-read
from the Powells.com book review: The story postulates the existence of a "happiness gene" that would enhance the whole species. Thassa Amzwar, improbably happy despite her suffering, might be the donor who will usher in the "age of molecular control." Yet the novel's affect, first to last, isn't admonitory so much as amazed, a word half-buried in Amzwar's name. Generosity may be jam-packed, but it's genius: It soars, it boggles.
3 likes · like · see review
I was already a Powers fan, when "Generosity" came along just in time for my "Future of Life" philosophy class. It served our purposes well there, and I'm going to try it next semester in Bioethics. And then in Philosophy of Happiness.
Those who like the more cerebral Powers but think this is comparatively conventional or mainstream may be missing levels of complexity that present themselves on second and third reading. My present focus, pedagogically, is on the crucial bioethical choices we'll...more
Those who like the more cerebral Powers but think this is comparatively conventional or mainstream may be missing levels of complexity that present themselves on second and third reading. My present focus, pedagogically, is on the crucial bioethical choices we'll...more
This book took me FOREVER to get through... Not because I didn't like it, but because it was so demanding. The basic premise of the novel is: what if science discovered the gene that predisposes a person toward happiness? And what if it were possible to screen for such a gene -- and possibly even "enhance" a fetus so that they'd be preternaturally happy adults? But, this being Richard Powers, the "writer" of the book periodically inserts his voice, talking about his struggle in writing the chara...more
I give this book four stars partly because it's so thought provoking. When you read it you'll get all caught up in your thoughts about the ethics of genetic enhancement. The scene involving the debate between the Nobel Prize winning author and the "notorious geneticist" really brings this home. I was really pulling for the author, but the geneticist had some good points . . . it's not easy to choose sides.
But this plot line is only part of the story. Throughout the novel there are references an...more
But this plot line is only part of the story. Throughout the novel there are references an...more
Russell Stone is a washed-up writer making ends meet by teaching a ‘Journal and Journey’ class to a group of art students at a Chicago college. One member of that group stands out because of her remarkable personality: Thassadit Amzwar is a young woman from Algeria who is apparently happy all the time; nothing seems to bother her, and people are naturally attracted to her sunny disposition. Even after everything she has experienced in her life, Thassa remains in perpetual good humour; Russell sp...more
Actually, Generosity: An Enhancement could probably be more accurately classified as "fiction about science...and fiction." That's Richard Powers' shtick: He has a unique gift for giving readers multiple entry points to his novels; fusing real science with literary themes into tightly constructed novels of ideas.
And Generosity: An Enhancement illustrates that gift nicely. If you're interested in genetics (or genometics, as it's now more accurately called, apparently), then this novel is right in...more
And Generosity: An Enhancement illustrates that gift nicely. If you're interested in genetics (or genometics, as it's now more accurately called, apparently), then this novel is right in...more
Total brain food about creation, whether it be scientific or artistic. Intelligent writing, captivating, worth reading at least a couple more times. The book is a beautifully composed snapshot of today's culture and the fascination and controversy over the use of genetic discoveries. (A high school knowledge of biology is helpful but not required.) As much about the creation of art as it is about human manipulation of creation, the structure alone is worth the read, especially for a would-be aut...more
Richard Powers is one of my favorite writers. Generosity is not my favorite of his books, but I almost feel like I will have to reread it again in a few months in order to review it appropriately.
The book jacket says this book is about the search for a gene that determines happiness and a woman who is the happiest person in the world. And, yes, that's the plot, more or less. I would say the book is about how we live now, about how we measure our purpose and existence. If you're interested in th...more
The book jacket says this book is about the search for a gene that determines happiness and a woman who is the happiest person in the world. And, yes, that's the plot, more or less. I would say the book is about how we live now, about how we measure our purpose and existence. If you're interested in th...more
The creative use of language can either be an enhancement or a distraction to a novel. Some writers try to use language like jazz music—riffing on words, parts of words or vernaculars—which often makes it hard to read and interferes with whatever plot is being set up.
Richard Powers, on the other hand, uses easily understandable words in such playful and imaginative ways, it not only enhances the plot, it makes the reader eagerly anticipate his next simile, metaphor or paradox that serve to emp...more
Richard Powers, on the other hand, uses easily understandable words in such playful and imaginative ways, it not only enhances the plot, it makes the reader eagerly anticipate his next simile, metaphor or paradox that serve to emp...more
I wanted to adore this book so desperately that I read a few sections more than once, waiting for the themes (positive psychology; the human genome a la Craig Venter; an Algerian war refugee: so alluring on their own!) to solidify into one self-reinforcing text. Instead, I found myself increasingly cynical about the existential narrator and plot that solves its own problems. Powers sets up the nature vs. nurture debate only to walk you through the monologue of objections you may have experienced...more
I call myself a big Richard Powers fan. I’ve only read one Powers book, but it was a wham-doozy. I often list it on my favorite all-time reads. It was brilliant, with clever word play and subplots that intertwine and characters who are---very strange---scientists and stories about human genes and computers, none of which I really know much about. It was fun and unexpected and, really, brilliant.
And now I’ve finally completed my second Powers, though, truth be told, it was actually a listen not a...more
And now I’ve finally completed my second Powers, though, truth be told, it was actually a listen not a...more
Powers lets the natural seams show in his science fiction. That makes for some clunky transitions between the straight science and crooked humanities he keeps trying to knit together. Here it's genetics and the exploration of exuberance as a quasi-"medical" condition, the lives of his struggling characters and the nature of writing itself. (It's a post-modern novel; gotta be about that, at least in part.) Generosity lacks the sweep and/or emotional punch of "Gold Bug" or "Time of Our Singing." B...more
The narrator in this book bothered me. He acts like an independent, invisible observer and interjects himself in the story now and then to comment on the story or the characters or the action and assumes that the reader agrees with him. I found that device annoying and distracting, not clever or interesting.
As for the story itself, the idea of a happiness gene and what we do with it is a good topic for discussion. There's also the theme of what should be public versus private what with social n...more
As for the story itself, the idea of a happiness gene and what we do with it is a good topic for discussion. There's also the theme of what should be public versus private what with social n...more
Imagine that a rare individual suddenly appears on the scene -- a person who, despite having experienced horrific events while growing up in war-torn Algeria, nevertheless projects a constant and contagious glow that seems utterly unshakable by anything that the world currently has on offer. What could be the source of her remarkable buoyancy? Might she be harboring some kind of "happiness gene"? And if a genomic research company were to pin it down, would the company then own the rights to her...more
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The secret of happiness is to be born happy (i.e. right genes). With genetic engineering this can be made to order. This gives a new dimension to our God given right of the "pursuit of happiness." This novel is structured to examine this prospective future from multiple perspectives.
This novel explores what and how people would respond to a person who was genetically predisposed to having an off-the-charts level of extreme well-being. The book examines the pursuit of happiness using genetic engi...more
This novel explores what and how people would respond to a person who was genetically predisposed to having an off-the-charts level of extreme well-being. The book examines the pursuit of happiness using genetic engi...more
There is easily a thousand things I could say about Generosity. Powers is a brilliant writer and thinker.
Here's the bigger picture:
In Generosity, I like what it says about the function and "fate" of the novel in a scientific world that is always pursuing progress in the fields related to bio-genetics. This novel is interested in what happens when medical science discovers the gene for happiness. Traditionally, people in the humanities have always been critical of the determinism found in the sc...more
Here's the bigger picture:
In Generosity, I like what it says about the function and "fate" of the novel in a scientific world that is always pursuing progress in the fields related to bio-genetics. This novel is interested in what happens when medical science discovers the gene for happiness. Traditionally, people in the humanities have always been critical of the determinism found in the sc...more
What an interesting book. I've avoided reading Richard Powers. He's just so smart and his books are so ambitious and wide ranging that I am often intimidated rather than engrossed. I've been depriving myself of some great books, I think. Aside from this I have only read Three Farmers on the way to a Dance. This one caught my attention because it is about happiness, about genetics, about the search for happiness and the possibility of manipulating genes to maximize happiness. For example, if we c...more
Three things:
1. I'm hard pressed to think of anyone who is using language more playfully and imaginatively than Richard Powers.
2. Powers continues to amaze me with his ability to use contemporary science, which is so arcane, as a vehicle to probe the oddities of our modern society. And yet, despite the esoteric nature of his writing and his delving into science, he is obsessed with those old human verities--love, death, joy, etc. This tale about happiness in our world revolves around three main...more
1. I'm hard pressed to think of anyone who is using language more playfully and imaginatively than Richard Powers.
2. Powers continues to amaze me with his ability to use contemporary science, which is so arcane, as a vehicle to probe the oddities of our modern society. And yet, despite the esoteric nature of his writing and his delving into science, he is obsessed with those old human verities--love, death, joy, etc. This tale about happiness in our world revolves around three main...more
8 likes · like · see review
I so wanted this to be a four or five star book (not that anyone really cares, but it does in my own private universe). The problem was that while the science part was so believable to this relatively ignoramus in biogenetics, there were too many "huh?"s in the plot/narrative for my liking.
I really dug the "what is happiness" theme that permeates the book. Nature/nurture, experience/innocence, culture/individuality are just some of the juxtapositions that Powers posits as contributing to happine...more
I really dug the "what is happiness" theme that permeates the book. Nature/nurture, experience/innocence, culture/individuality are just some of the juxtapositions that Powers posits as contributing to happine...more
Although he is one of my all time favorite authors, this story was not among the ones I enjoyed the most. For those not familiar with him, Richard Powers is one of the best writers who can incorporate scientific concepts into brilliantly elaborate and readable stories. I was never in the front row during my forced years of high school science. Yet, he makes it accessible. He is one of the writers who entertains you and makes you better informed in the process. Generosity achieves this as well wi...more
Hailed as Powers's most accessible work to date by the Denver Post and, conversely, as his most demanding novel thus far by the Washington Post, Generosity created a stir among critics. While Newsday protested the throng of subjects vying for readers' attention, others praised the complexity of Powers's novel of ideas. Critics also diverged over Powers's characters—"flesh-and-blood" (Denver Post) or "two-dimensional" (Los Angeles Times)—and his unnamed, postmodern narrator, who periodically inte...more
I originally choose this book due to the word “Generosity”, at first I thought that I was going to teach me about being generous, according to the title. But as I kept on reading, it was completely different. The book was a complete science fiction, but a very legit, can actually happen science fiction, that I can’t argue with the facts Powers used. His details, vocabulary, and facts were actually correct, which I must say not a lot of books I read contains. So I love the science and psychology...more
It's been a long time since a novel made me cry. This is the most amazing experience of reading literary fiction I've had in a very long time.
It deals with almost everything I care about: the Two Cultures, the commercialization of science, unfettered American capitalism, the nature of happiness, psychopharmacology, the problem of science communication, how to be human in a problematic world, the nature of trust, the problem of scientific reduction, the crisis facing psychiatry, the need for good...more
It deals with almost everything I care about: the Two Cultures, the commercialization of science, unfettered American capitalism, the nature of happiness, psychopharmacology, the problem of science communication, how to be human in a problematic world, the nature of trust, the problem of scientific reduction, the crisis facing psychiatry, the need for good...more
I recently read an an interesting comparison between two dominant strands of how we approach reading a book, particularly for reviewing -- the journalistic approach and the literary criticism approach. While I don't necessarily agree with all the observations, it does fairly define those approaches and, as this review demonstrates, I find myself largely in the journalistic view.
Why is that? Because the journalistic approach is based on the individual reader's response to a book. And that directl...more
Why is that? Because the journalistic approach is based on the individual reader's response to a book. And that directl...more
Please don't let the fact that this book took me a while to finish as a reflection of how good it is. I am certain that if I didn't have work to do, a show to rehearse for, and video games to distract me that I could have cranked through this novel in one day. It goes that quickly. It is, in fact, possibly the most accessible of Powers' novels. One can almost imagine him having a conversation with his publishers in which they remind him that he just won a National Book Award: "Better tone it dow...more
I really thought I would like this book -- and it's obviously very popular right now.
Really, I just didn't like the plot arch of the whole book. I don't want to make any spoilers, so I'll just say that it wasn't just the ending, it was the way the whole book unfolded. I also felt like the 2nd plot line could've been integrated in a better way. It started maybe 50 pages in and I just had no idea who or why these people were involved. And I do like having a couple of story lines to follow, even i...more
Really, I just didn't like the plot arch of the whole book. I don't want to make any spoilers, so I'll just say that it wasn't just the ending, it was the way the whole book unfolded. I also felt like the 2nd plot line could've been integrated in a better way. It started maybe 50 pages in and I just had no idea who or why these people were involved. And I do like having a couple of story lines to follow, even i...more
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Richard Powers is an American novelist whose works explore the effects of modern science and technology.
Powers was born in Evanston, Illinois, and his family later moved a few miles south to Lincolnwood, where his father was the principal at a local school. When Powers was 11, his family moved again, this time to Bangkok, Thailand, where his father had accepted a position at International School B...more
More about Richard Powers...
Powers was born in Evanston, Illinois, and his family later moved a few miles south to Lincolnwood, where his father was the principal at a local school. When Powers was 11, his family moved again, this time to Bangkok, Thailand, where his father had accepted a position at International School B...more
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“Maybe happiness is like a virus. Maybe it's one of those bugs that sits for a long time, so we don't even know that we are infected.”
—
8 people liked it
“Time passes, as the novelist says. The single most useful trick of fiction for our repair and refreshment: the defeat of time. A century of family saga and a ride up an escalator can take the same number of pages. Fiction sets any conversion rate, then changes it in a syllable. The narrator’s mother carries her child up the stairs and the reader follows, for days. But World War I passes in a paragraph. I needed 125 pages to get from Labor Day to Christmas vacation. In six more words, here’s spring.”
—
7 people liked it
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Sep 14, 2010 05:33am
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