Ursula Le Guin’s “Nine Lives” - clones, identity, and what it means to be "You"

## 👥🧬 Ursula Le Guin’s “Nine Lives” - clones, identity, and loneliness

Short summary
After The Left Hand of Darkness, I wanted a follow-up that’s shorter but still hits hard - and Nine Lives absolutely does.
It starts with a wild premise: a ten-person clone “set” is sent to do dangerous work far from home… and then something happens that forces one of them to face the unthinkable.
This story isn’t “about clones” in a sci‑fi trivia way. It’s about identity, dependence, loneliness, and what a “self” even is when you were never built to be alone.

And yes, fun fact: it was originally published in Playboy (1969), which feels like a weird little time capsule by itself.

Come even if you’re rusty - I’ll bring context and make sure the room stays welcoming and sharp.

What we’ll explore :

• What counts as a “self” when you were designed to be part of a group mind
• Loneliness vs individuality - are they the same thing in this story?
• The ethics under the sci-fi: making humans (or near-humans) for work
• What Le Guin is saying about connection when “normal” social life doesn’t apply
• Why this story still feels modern in an era of identity, branding, and algorithmic sameness
• How it echoes Left Hand of Darkness (otherness, misreading, trust, and what it costs to truly see someone)
• If you were built as a “we”… what happens when you’re forced to become “I”? Is individuality freedom here… or is it a kind of injury?
• Loneliness vs identity: are they basically the same thing here? Like… does becoming an individual automatically mean becoming isolated?
• Le Guin’s repeating obsession: after Left Hand of Darkness, do you feel her circling the same core question - how badly humans misread each other, and what it costs to truly see someone?

Reading

• Nine Lives is included in Le Guin’s collection The Wind’s Twelve Quarters.
• It’s also available as a standalone edition from HarperCollins.
  (Bring any version - print, ebook, library copy. Whatever works.)

When & where
🗓️ Sunday, February 08, 2026: 12:30PM - 2:30PM
📍 Central Library - Meeting Rooms - L6 North (690) Meeting Room
🎟️ Cap 12–15 + waitlist • Friendly, curious crowd.