The Ostracized High Achievers in Beggars in Spain (1993)

Genetically enhanced to have high intellects and to not need sleep, Beggars in Spain's "sleepless" children and young adults spark a backlash as they rise to predominance in their fields. Unlike other books about super intellects, Nancy Kress's sleepless are more like conventional high achievers: Leisha, the protagonist, makes the Harvard Law Review. Kevin, another sleepless, becomes a wealthy software mogul. The book is a meditation on what achievers owe to "beggars in Spain"--people who have nothing obvious to offer society.