Beggars in Spain was a digestible and light read. I enjoyed its simplicity. Kress uses genetic engineering and modification to explore what it truly means to be human and how this fictional society engages in prejudice and labels of "superior" and "inferior." As much of speculative fiction does— this novel hits a nerve with its truth. Our society unleashes prejudice on marginalized communities, and may condemn excessive and extreme wealth, religious backgrounds, and identity. All is prescient in this novel, and it’s quite eerie. But it does raise the question: "what else could we possibly be hateful toward?" Genetic modification will be the next step, and I'm sure just like every other "issue" we often exclaim hatred for, having advancements for the wealthy to produce children that eradicate equity will thrust society into a space we've yet to see. Nancy documents this with poise.

Genetic engineering is one of the central themes here, and gene mod was a great way for Kress to acknowledge the future depictions of prejudice. She builds the story from the beginning, when genetic modification is new, fresh, and publicly unavailable— and only available to elite and upper middle-class families. These elitists have the ability to have their children become Sleepless, a child who needs no rest and has a plethora of physical and mental advantages. Imagine such a small group of individuals that have the financial power to shift an entire country. This particularly new group is less than 1% of the population, yet they can turn everything on its ass. Sounds eerily familiar, huh?

There are plenty of philosophical questions that raise themselves throughout the book. There are characters you will love, and others you will hate. You will find some who are incredibly passionate about being ‘normal,’ and others who wish to be nothing less than Sleepless. Jealousy, envy, demise, realization, greed— there is a piece of humanity on every page.

An incredible character who's actually seen as the antagonist is Calvin Hawke. I find him to be fascinating and dedicated. I think his portrayal is reminiscent of many people today, though nobody wants to admit to being a Calvin Hawke. But read into his character a bit deeper when you explore this novel— he has a fantastic role.

I had never been exposed to Kress’ writings, and I’m so glad that my professor assigned this reading. Not only did I have to read deeper than at the level of enjoyment and simple pondering, I really had to dig to understand the many layers of this fictional world. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel.