World in a Bottle

"World in a Bottle" by Allen Kim Lang is a science fiction story set in the early 1960s where isolation and the desire for human connection take center stage. Focusing on John Bogardus, who is a "Lapin," the book follows a group of people raised in a bacteria-free world as they wrestle with what it means to live without germs and the bittersweet experience of unreturned love when John falls for someone from the outside world. The plot thickens with the story of Mary, another member of the group, who marries a man with germs, leading to serious consequences and making the characters consider a future beyond their sterile lives. Deciding they want freedom and real relationships, John and his friends come up with a plan to travel into space on the "Orion Zeta." The story mixes science with feelings, exploring the longing for love, independence, and discovery in a world where people are cut off from everything.