Project Gutenberg 2019-10-20 Public domain in the USA. 170 Shockley, Virgil F. The Downhill Side of Thirty Produced from Worlds of If Science Fiction, August 1958 Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net "The Downhill Side of Thirty" by Virgil F. Shockley is a science fiction novella published in the late 1950s. Set in a futuristic society where strict regulations govern health and behavior for those over thirty-five, the narrative explores themes of personal freedom and societal control. The story unfolds against a backdrop of a world that severely restricts sexual relations and tobacco use to mitigate health risks associated with aging, reflecting societal fears and obsessions regarding health and morality. The protagonist, Chuck Dane, grapples with the oppressive rules of his society, feeling the tension between personal desires and societal expectations. As he faces the challenges of his age and the pervasive propaganda discouraging adult enjoyment, Chuck finds himself yearning for the simple pleasures of life, particularly the comfort of smoking and intimate relationships. The novella dives into Chuck's internal conflict, as he clandestinely engages in prohibited acts while resisting the government’s grasp on his autonomy. Ultimately, the story serves as a cautionary tale about the consequences of overreaching control in the name of health and safety, emphasizing the importance of individual choice and the human spirit's resilience against societal repression. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 85.9 (6th grade). Easy to read. en Science fiction Short stories United States -- Fiction Social control -- Fiction PS Text Category: Science-Fiction & Fantasy Category: Novels 39334 2025-09-24T06:36:16.701539 text/html 15383 2024-10-17T14:16:35 text/html 84940 2025-09-24T06:36:18.360545 application/epub+zip 83763 2025-09-24T06:36:17.047495 application/epub+zip 70537 2025-09-24T06:36:16.850531 application/epub+zip 117716 2025-09-24T06:36:19.445518 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 110778 2025-09-24T06:36:18.055508 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 97695 2022-09-27T10:43:01.013795 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 32905 2025-09-24T06:36:16.619523 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 13055 2024-10-17T14:16:35 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 16535 2025-09-24T06:36:19.565499 application/rdf+xml 26587 2025-09-24T06:36:16.924533 image/jpeg 4767 2025-09-24T06:36:16.887519 image/jpeg 282120 2025-09-24T06:36:16.710617 application/octet-stream application/zip 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