“The Genius Factory,” the first book by David A. Plotz ’92, is probably the best lay-audience book about sperm ever written. It’s hardly a generic discussion of the male gamete, though, because—well, not all sperm make the cut.

The volume centers instead on the Society for Germinal Choice, nicknamed the Nobel Prize Sperm Bank by reporters, which eccentric millionaire Robert Graham founded in 1980 and bankrolled thanks to his patent on shatterproof eyeglasses.

He considered it his way of fighting against the degradation of American society: he would collect the sperm of Nobel Prize winners, America’s best and brightest, and match them with intelligent women who need sperm. But the Nobel sperm was few and far between, forcing Graham to become less and less choosy about his donors and to give his clients choice in sperm.

Plotz, who is also a Crimson editor, was reminded of this kooky experiment soon after its founder’s death led to its closing. He remembered that the original articles had interested him as a child. He began to investigate the institution in a series of articles for the online magazine Slate, where he is deputy editor.

Almost as soon as he began, people began contacting him about their experiences; Plotz became a part of their search for families. Finally, a benevolent sperm donor, code-named Donor White by the Sperm Bank, contacted Plotz about an article he had written. With Plotz’s help, White, assisted by a birthmother whom Plotz nicknamed Beth, began a grandfatherly relationship with one of the children born from his sperm.

Plotz dug in deeper and found more families, eventually talking to 30 of the 215 kids born with sperm from the Sperm Bank. His narrative blends the stories of these children with the history of the bank itself, eugenics, and sperm banking in general, as well as an analysis of all the people involved.

The Crimson talked to Plotz about whether any of these kids were geniuses and why; whether or not Harvard students should donate sperm; his conclusions about Graham, the Nobel Prize Sperm Bank founder; and whether his subjects liked his book.

THC: How would you characterize a good sperm donor?

DAP: Tall and willing, clean health history, free of genetic disease, nice as possible, smart as possible, as good looking as possible and a high sperm count.

THC: What is the attraction of donating sperm?

DAP: There are four main attractions, which are all related, but the power of each depends on who you are and what state of life you are at.

The key attraction for people of [college age] is making money for something you do anyway—and there doesn’t seem to be any consequences. As the slogan says, “Why not get paid for it?”

The second attraction is altruistic. After having children and starting their own families, or not being able to have children with their wives, donors understand the importance of having children and want to pass that gift on to others.

The third attraction is egomania, even though many in this group say they are doing it for altruistic reasons.

The fourth attraction, which is certainly related to the others, is that you are seduced into this. You’re wanted and you get the perception that you’re special. Particularly in the case of the Nobel Prize Sperm Bank, but the same is true at any sperm bank. You’re healthy enough, you’re smart enough, you have a high sperm count. Part of the lesson I got from—when I was able to qualify and was actually considering it, even though I had completely dismissed it before the examination—is that there is a strong element of raw male ego within the process.