Beggars in Spain

The year is 2075, and as Susan predicted, the bodies of Sleepless have not aged. Leisha, aged 67, still has not left her self-imposed exile in New Mexico where she lives with Jordan and Stella, who are now married with two Sleepless sons, Eric and Seth. Also there at the compound is Alice, who is recovering from a stroke.

American society is now stratified into three economic tiers. The lowest are the Livers who make up 80% of the population. They survive entirely on government assistance known as the Dole. They do not work, and most of them adhere to a so-called Philosophy of Genuine Living, filling their days and nights with sex, drugs, and television, transmitted via holographs referred to as “newsgrids.” Much of what the reader learns about Livers comes Cavanaugh, an illiterate Liver boy who interviews Leisha at her compound: “Such a polite boy,” Leisha thinks to herself, “so devoid of envy or hatred, so satisfied. So stupid” (222).

Meanwhile, robots complete most of the actual labor, organized and maintained by a middle class known as Donkeys, who also serve as public officials. Donkeys are Sleepers who possess the ambition, work ethic, and education to participate in society beyond the level of Livers.