“Almost Awesome” by Benedict Wells

“Almost awesome” is a linguistically pleasant youth-to-read, varied roadmovie in book form by three protagonists who are full of individual dreams. We beat us by them from Claymont to New York through the Midwest to Las Vegas, San Francisco, Los Angeles and eventually to the Mexican Tijuana; . After the father was found, their paths separate.

Francis Dean is a test-tube baby. He learns to his surprise, from the farewell letter to his mother Katherine after her suicide attempt in psychiatry. For seventeen years he had believed that he was then still his fun-loving mother.

His childhood an “accident” from one of the many changing love relationships he spent in orderly conditions. Katherine married to be a good father to Attorney Ryan Wilco, who therefore attempted Francis. However, with the birth of the younger half-brother Nicky, many things changed in the small family, and when Francis was thirteen, Katherine and Ryan divorced. Ryan and Nicky went out of the beautiful shared house in Jersey City to Newark, Katherine and Francis to Claymont.

There lived in her neighborhood Francis’ classmate and best friend Grover, a real nerd , uncertain, with lame voice and flashy clothes. Francis, a competition-proven wrestlers often introduced him to protect him from bullies classmates.

After her divorce expires Katherine more and more into depression. she can her job as a secretary does not hold, and no money is involved socially backward. You must Claymont leave and moved with Francis in the Pine Tree Trailer Park on the outskirts – in an underdog milieu with broken families, troubled children with debilem facial expression, losers, crazy, drug addicts, alcoholics … knocking off from here all want, but never to make it feel, connects them.

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Now dwell Francis and Mom for more than two years in their filthy caravan. When Mom her third nervous breakdown suffered must Francis already familiar against her will into her, but bring hated psychiatry. to fend Now on his own, to Francis recalls the days with stepfather Ryan and homely, loving life in Grover’s family, and after reading the suicide note he felt strange in itself, aggression, even against his his unknown father, which he concedes course that he may know nothing of the existence of his son.

Moms letter Francis opens his eyes. She had not herumgehurt. Rather, she had applied for a newspaper ad out to participate in an experiment, and their actual motivation was probably open the associated grant. The two scientists Warren P. Monroe and the Austrian eugenicists Dr. Friedrich von Waldenfels (the reputation clings to have been already involved in National Socialism on human experiments) wanted to set up a sperm bank for geniuses.

Only Nobel laureates and eminent scientists donated their semen frozen in Monroe’s private clinics and selected women was implemented. Monroe and forest rock were convinced that they are doing a pioneering step into the future and could breed geniuses rows. However, the results were disappointing: All children – except for the brilliant Alistair Haley – proved only endowed than average. The clinics were closed. Monroe is now dead, accordingly forest rock.

All participants in the great experiment were sworn to secrecy. the donors were conducted under code names. Nevertheless, Francis can make a preliminary, because Katherine had in the Monroe Clinic an affair with an assistant who zuspielte her secretly her file: Francis’ father carries the donor code name James, is a Harvard graduate, plays the cello and has an IQ of 170 . so initially Francis proud of this true father is, so this recognition shaken but his self-image: Why does he have to ask now, is he given its premium Gene such a loser. As a child he has the school aptitude test still existed as Best – he must therefore only make more of themselves.

First of all, but wants Francis find his real father. By his stepfather Ryan he begged money Grover he persuaded to chauffeur him in his Chevy, and a third member Anne-May will participate in the search operation across America – which has met Francis as a suicidal patient in psychiatry and in itself it in love. Benedict Wells novel “Almost awesome” is based on an actual scientific test series from the years 1980 to 1999.

The “repository for Germinal Choice” was written by Robert Clark Graham to the same concept and with the same objectives as the Monroe clinic founded – and she could from over 200 test-tube babies grow no revolutionary intelligent humanity. Finally, the project was ideological, but also terminated for other reasons – for example, it is questionable whether in fact all sperm donors actually outstanding personalities; vouched’s just the physics Nobel Prize winner William Shockley.

The question of how we become what we are, remains unresolved even after centuries ultimately. tilt according to the research facility, and dominant ideologies and interested researchers to believe that the individual is predetermined by its genes; others are convinced however, that the individual is shaped by the conditions and influences its environment: Nature or Nurture ? Both are plausible detected positions with far-reaching, highly specific practical consequences in many fields of social life: education, education policy, law enforcement, media, genetics, philosophy … Since DNA is now decrypted receives the desire to tinker the ideal man, new Drive. However, for the issues involved, we find even more difficult answers: What’s actually an ideal man? Where are the limits of what science can what man can permit?

Refers to these exciting questions Benedict Wells in his novel no perceptible position. He entertains us well in the light, but will not deal with the Pros, Cons and infinite nuances, already equal to not propagate their own opinions. His protagonist is struggling with self-doubt and ups and downs between hope and disappointment, but in the end he puts his long saved money in the casinos of Las Vegas to the happiness of chance – his future plan fully into their own hands to take it is still not in the situation. The ball rolls/

PS: Benedict Well born in Munich in 1984, was awarded the Bavarian Art Prize 2009 – for his novel “last Becks summer” which published by Diogenes 2008 was.