I will say first: it is not The World Inside by Robert Silverberg. I own that book, and love it, but it always makes me wish I could remember this other book's name.

It is the future. Everyone lives in giant buildings. They do not go outside. Things seem perfect. They are not (of course). One of the main characters is a guy. I cannot remember what his issue was. But, there is an issue with newborn infants being deliberately and secretly killed off - maybe to keep population levels in check or maybe if they are not considered up-to-par????? At some point the guy and a lady (who may have realized her baby was not miscarried, but killed) decide to escape to outside. I know they get very sunburnt.

Any of this sounding familiar?

I cannot say the age of the book, but I can safely say it is at least 10 years old but likely older (15-20+).

Terrarium by Scott Russel Sanders?

How about the book of Logan's Run? I only saw the movie; no babies. And they SHOULD have gotten terribly sunburned, but in the movie they didn't. That was the 70's; we didn't believe in sunburn.

Asimov's "Caves of Steel" certainly has the big buildings with people who never ever go outside, but it doesn't fit with the rest of the description.

I don't think this is is but: The Children of Men by P.D. James???

Edit: I realize this doesn't fit but I found one book, finally; it took longer to find because I'd remembered some things wrong and something about what you said reminded me of this story.

The people living in tall buildings part may not be that informative, it was a fairly common "what will the future look like" plot device. I'd guess at least half a dozen Philip K. Dick novels have that in them, for example. The rest of he description is much more interesting, although it doesn't ring any bells with me.

From the description in the author's write up it looks like this has some similarities:

Ben Bova Titan

See write up here (at the bottom of the article):
http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2007/jul/...

Titan is one of Bova's Solar System books -- they're about exploring other planets, etc., in our solar system, not staying on this one in boxes. ;)

Could it be We? That is a dystopian classic in which reproduction (and really all activities) is strictly controlled and there is no nature in the city. Everyone wears uniforms and there is a theme of efficient time management.

Brave New World by Aldus Huxley was orginally published in 1932, but has been published as recently as 1998.

I have to search for some descriptions.

Was there any genetic engineering in the book? Or was pregnancy supposed to be "licensed"?


This Perfect Day by Ira Levin, 1970.

Summary: Chip fights for freedom from a mechanized, chemically controlled world which stifles nature and human individuality.

In Brave New World women wore Malthusian Belts with birth control. If I remember correctly there was no in vivo reproduction, instead babies were hatched in big bunches and raised in creches. There was genetic engineering, though; the sets of babies had their IQs altered for their intended work (eg, if you were going to be a laborer they made you stupid).

Pallas by Neil Smith, 1993.

Summary:
Two groups of colonists face off on a small world terraformed for humans, in a story that blends interplanetary politics and speculative science.

Let me know if any of these are similar, maybe we can narrow down the search a bit.

Wow! So much help - that is great. I will check these today or tomorrow (likely today) and see if any of them sound right. Thanks everyone!

OK- went through them quickly. No dice.

Although, Terrarium is a slight possibility. I put it on my library request list. It is 1996, which would put it over 10 years old, but I am still thinking the book would be more like 15-20.

I think This Is Not The Michael You're Looking For (message 6) that the building theme is likely quite common. The only other things I can contribute to the mystery is I am sure it takes place on Earth and that I think they get outside through a disposal or air chute of some sort.

It could be the World Inside by Robert Silverberg.

The basic premise is in order to continue to survive as our population increases we have constructed gigantic skyscrapers. So large in fact that close to a million people can live in each skyscraper. The people who live in these buildings never leave and the very thought of leaving is considered to be sinful. In order to keep peace when so many people live in close proximity to one another everyone is encouraged to share everything even spouses, as a matter of fact it is a crime for a woman to refuse to have sex with any man that desires her. A very good dystopian novel.

Thanks William, but no. I wrote in the OP that I already own it.

It is a good novel.

Mawgojeta, Which book is it? Is it Terrarium?

Oh- no, I was saying to William that I already own The World Inside, which he suggested. That is not the book I am looking for.

I do not think it is Terrarium, either. I was going to reserve it at the library to read and double check, but my library does not appear to have access to it. I am going to try to reserve on our statewide lending service.

High-Rise by J.G. Ballard comes to mind, though the newborn aspect doesn't fit.

It may not be a YA book but aspects of it remind me of This Time of Darkness by HM Hoover (This Time of Darkness on Goodreads).

In it, a boy and a girl escape from the giant underground building where most of humanity are housed and go outside - and there is also sunburn involved, from memory. The newborns being killed doesn't happen, though, but some of the rest seems similar. I would say it was written in the 70s, 80s at the latest.

wait, is it the wanting seed by anthony burgess?? if not, it should be...

This is a YA book? Was it a biosphere, or were they living inside buildings and not allowed to go outside. And was there a reason they couldn't go out?

Sea of Glass by Barry B. Longyear, 1987, comes up in a search but it's about an "illegal" boy who is taken away from his parents and sent to a labor camp.


There's
Exit to Reality by Edith Forbes, 1997.

Summary: Set in a computer-controlled utopia where every human misery has been dispelled, a futuristic romance traces the love affair between the Greek god Proteus and Euclid, whom he persuades to escape from her virtual reality.


The Other Place by Monic Hughes, 1999.

Summary: In 2154, sixteen-year-old Alison, eight-year-old Gordie, and their dissident parents are arrested and taken to a sterile dome in a hostile environment, but Gordie escapes and Alison follows him to the place he calls Xanadu.

Masque by Paul F. Wilson, 1998.

Summary: High technology, futuristic landscapes, and suspense merge in an adventure featuring an android exploited for corporate espionage who is offered freedom by a mysterious woman

This one looks the closest so far. It was published 21 years ago.

Drowning Towers by George Turner 1988.

Summary: In the year 2041, young Francis Conway learns about an impending water disaster that has been spawned by government corruption and is threatening life on the overcrowded planet, and he desperately seeks a way to escape

karen wrote: "wait, is it the wanting seed by anthony burgess?? if not, it should be..."

Haha- nope. But that was on my list to read. Looks entertaining!

April Ann wrote: "This is a YA book? Was it a biosphere, or were they living inside buildings and not allowed to go outside. And was there a reason they couldn't go out? "

Not YA. Inside buildings, not a biosphere. I do not remember why they could not go out.