Not of Woman Born

Not of Woman Born, Constance Ash (ed.), ROC Books, 1999

This group of science fiction stories gives various, and unique, answers to the question Where Did I Come From?

One story is about a woman wrestling with the decision whether or not to have a child, grown in an artificial womb, go through a genetic process that will give him or her virtual immortality. Because of restrictive immigration laws, a young Mexican woman, studying in the US, is forced, on her 21st birthday, to choose Mexican or American citizenship. If she chooses Mexican citizenship, travel north over the border is then forbidden. An obsolete religious sect turns to cloning to create new members.

Pre-programmed copies of the same person are clerks at a shopping mall, until one of them decides to break the mold. An Alaskan sled dog racer still uses "real" dogs, when everyone else goes with cloned canines. A woman scientist sends 31 identical clones into the world with predetermined destinies. What happens if all of them rebel against that predetermination and against the woman who created them?

These stories are excellent. In a time when Where Did I Come From? is a multiple choice question, this is a good place to get a glimpse at the answers.