The Genius Factory
Page 28
My agent, Rafe Sagalyn, had the sense to recognize that the Nobel sperm bank was a book, even when I didn’t. Jonathan Karp at Random House has the gift of the true editor: he knows that you have to edit something before it’s written. When I was floundering around with fifteen different ideas for the book, Jon identified the real story and gave me a great big shove in the right direction. His colleagues at Random House, particularly Jonathan Jao and Jillian Quint, were helpful at every stage, and Lynn Anderson and Dennis Ambrose saved me from dreadful mistakes.
Derek Anderson was my sounding board, my private eye, and my pal. Derek, who was researching a documentary about the Repository as I was working on my book, was unbelievably generous with his time and his discoveries. I never would have unraveled the story of Donor Coral without him.
I don’t have the space to thank everyone who sat for interviews or contributed to my research, but I’m particularly grateful to the following people:
Doron and Afton Blake, the Ramm family, Lorraine O’Brien, Edward Burnham, Donor Light Blue, Donor Orange, Donor Blue/Black, Donor Aqua, and many other donors and families gave me great insight into why mothers used the Repository, why donors contributed to it, and how kids felt about it.
Marta Ve Graham supplied me with a useful documentary record of her husband Robert Graham’s life. Robert Graham’s son Robin, brother Tom, nephews Tom and Jeff, and daughter-in-law Diane all shared memories of Robert Graham with me.
Former Repository employees Paul Smith, Julianna McKillop, and Anita Neff spent hours describing the inner workings of the sperm bank. Steve Broder filled me in on the early history of the Repository, and was a trove of information about modern sperm banking. Dr. Cappy Rothman and Marla Eby told me all about California Cryobank, the gold standard of American sperm banks. Joanna Scheib tutored me on the identity release program at the Sperm Bank of California. Wendy Kramer explained how her Donor Sibling Registry works. Lori Andrews and Alexander Capron advised me on the ethics of the fertility industry. Margaret Williams guided me through the marvelous William Shockley archive at Stanford. Edwin Chen of the Los Angeles Times recalled the media circus that followed his 1980 story about the Repository. At the Genetics and Public Policy Center, Susannah Baruch, Gail Javitt, and Kathy Hudson instructed me on the law and science of fertility. Connie Cappel brought the history of Harbor Springs to life. She also put me in touch with Bruce Gathman, who debunked the myth of Ephraim Shay. Shannon Brownlee sent me some great articles on imprinting. Derek Anderson’s colleagues at Cinenova, particularly Ric Bienstock, Kathryn Liptrott, and David Lint, helped by sharing material they had gathered for their documentary. Saturday Night Live historian Patrick Lonergan tracked down the “Dr. Shockley’s House of Sperm” sketch. I consulted lots of books: The three most useful (and fascinating) were Daniel Kevles’s In the Name of Eugenics, Gina Maranto’s Quest for Perfection, and Lillian Hoddeson and Michael Riordan’s Crystal Fire.
Sarah Stillman, Stephen Baxter, and Rebecca Gordon were superb research assistants. I wish I could have paid you more!
All of my friends tolerated my endless sperm bank stories graciously. Some did even more. Marjorie Williams suggested the structure of the book. Frank Foer, Linda Perlstein, Emily Yoffe, and Ben Wittes gave me excellent advice about how to write a book. Arthur Allen and Christine Rosen told me some of their favorite eugenics stories. Michael Raunitzky did some nifty online detective work for me. David Greenberg proposed a subtitle. Ben Sheffner, David and Nancy Sheffner, Tonje Vetleseter, Auran Piatagorski, Michael and Kathryn Koehler, Craig and Anne Turk, Ben Cooley, and Jenny Konner offered warm beds and hot meals during my various California sojourns. Rosemary Quigley counseled me on the ethics of sperm banking, and pointed me at some great legal cases. Rosemary died the week I finished the book: I wish she had lived to argue with me about it.
Clara Jeffery, Margaret Talbot, and David Finkel did the kindest, most masochistic thing you can do for a friend: They read the first draft. Their comments were incredibly helpful in clarifying and shaping the book.
My brother John Plotz offered tons of encouragement, as did my in-laws Miriam and Eli Rosin, Michael Rosin, Dalila Rosin, and Lisa Soltani.
This is a book about what it means to be a parent. Fortunately, I learned about that from the best: My parents, Paul and Judith Plotz, have been all that a son could hope for—loving, attentive, curious, hands-off, hands-on, funny. I never would have known about the Nobel sperm bank if not for my father. I never would have had the wit to write about it if not for my mother.
My daughter, Noa, was born just as I started researching the Nobel sperm bank, and my son, Jacob, was born just as I started writing the book. In The Genius Factory, I have tried to explain what it feels like to be a father: I wouldn’t have understood anything about that without Noa and Jacob.
This book is for my wife, Hanna. She made me write it when I didn’t have the guts to do it. She’s my love.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
DAVID PLOTZ is deputy editor of the online magazine Slate. He lives in Washington, D.C., with his wife and two children. For more information on The Genius Factory, including original documents, please visit www.thegeniusfactory.net.
Copyright © 2005 by David Plotz
All rights reserved.
Published in the United States by Random House, an imprint of The Random House Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.
RANDOM HOUSE and colophon are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.
This book was inspired by a series of articles written by the author for Slate magazine. While some of the same stories are included in this work, they have been greatly expanded from the original articles.
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA
Plotz, David.
The genius factory: the curious history of the Nobel Prize sperm bank / David Plotz.
p. cm.
1. Graham, Robert Klark. 2. Sperm banks—United States. 3. Artificial insemination, human—United States. 4. Nobel Prizes. 5. Intellect—genetic aspects. I. Title.
HQ761.P56 2005 362.17'83—dc22 2004051497
Random House website address: www.atrandom.com
eISBN: 978-1-58836-470-8
v3.0