Silverberg, Robert 1935- creator Emshwiller, Ed 1925-1990 text utu 2023 monographic en 1 online resource : multiple file formats "There Was an Old Woman—" by Robert Silverberg is a thought-provoking science fiction novel written in the late 1950s. The book delves into themes of identity, individuality, and the consequences of extreme parental control through a unique narrative centered on a mother and her thirty-one identical sons. It explores how environmental factors influence personal development, challenging the notion of genetic determinism. The story revolves around Donna Mitchell, a biochemist, who conducts a radical experiment to test her theory that environment shapes personality and profession. By creating thirty-one identical sons through advanced reproductive techniques, she meticulously plans their futures, each assigned a different career path. As they approach adulthood, the sons begin to experience disillusionment, discovering that they are not destined for the lives their mother envisioned. The narrative culminates in a shocking resolution, as the brothers confront their dissatisfaction and take drastic measures to escape their predetermined fates, ultimately leading to their mother's demise. Silverberg crafts a gripping tale that raises ethical questions about parental ambition and the essence of individuality. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Release date is 2023-11-09 Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net Originally published: New York, NY: Royal Publications, Inc., 1958 Science fiction Short stories Mothers and sons -- Fiction Human cloning -- Fiction PS New York, NY: Royal Publications, Inc., 1958 https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/72082 https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/72082 UtSlPG 260607 20260610134651.0 72082