Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog Project Gutenberg 2016-04-04 Public domain in the USA. 116 Smith, Richard Rein 1930 Smith, Richard R. (Richard Rein) Rein Smith, Richard Francis, Dick Francis, Richard D. Pick a Crime Produced from Galaxy Science Fiction May 1958 Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net "Pick a Crime" by Richard R. Smith is a science fiction novel set in a near-future society that has devised an elaborate system to prevent crime. Written during the mid-20th century, the book explores a world where criminal tendencies are monitored and treated through a system called the CPA (Crime Prevention Association), which eliminates the existence of crime, punishes no one, and instead rehabilitates criminals into law-abiding citizens. The narrative centers around an individual named Joe Harper, whose desire to commit a crime ironically leads him to seek social acceptance and a livelihood. In the story, Joe, classified as a Dangerous Criminal Tendencies (DCT), reflects on a society where crime is nearly eradicated, but at the cost of personal freedom and autonomy. Frustrated with his status and unable to secure employment because of his label, he devises a convoluted plan to commit a crime, believing that being caught would grant him a path to rehabilitation and a normal life. After attempting to stage a robbery, Joe is apprehended and undergoes a treatment process that rewires his thoughts and impulses. The conclusion reveals a dark twist: while he becomes a non-criminal, he is left feeling like a shell of his former self, governed by the CPA's enforced morality, indicating the story's themes of freedom, identity, and societal control. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 83.0 (6th grade). Easy to read. en Science fiction Short stories Psychological fiction Crime -- Fiction PS Text Science Fiction Category: Science-Fiction & Fantasy Category: Crime, Thrillers and Mystery Category: Novels Category: American Literature 60850 2025-07-20T14:41:07.672198 text/html 37197 2024-10-23T00:17:24 text/html 186892 2025-07-20T14:41:09.366203 application/epub+zip 185732 2025-07-20T14:41:08.022192 application/epub+zip 83460 2025-07-20T14:41:07.828195 application/epub+zip 224954 2025-07-20T14:41:10.538188 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 217360 2025-07-20T14:41:09.169184 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 115353 2022-09-23T14:10:32.286555 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 53889 2025-07-20T14:41:07.556196 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 34150 2024-10-23T00:17:24 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 18679 2025-07-20T14:41:10.659184 application/rdf+xml 19326 2025-07-20T14:41:07.893195 image/jpeg 3986 2025-07-20T14:41:07.860216 image/jpeg 168821 2025-07-20T14:41:07.683187 application/octet-stream application/zip