Project Gutenberg 2023-11-04 Public domain in the USA. 80 Purdom, Tom 1936 Purdom, Thomas Edward Purdom, Thomas E. The man who wouldn't sign up $aNew York, NY :$bRoyal Publications, Inc., $c1958. Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net "The Man Who Wouldn't Sign Up" by Thomas E. Purdom is a speculative fiction story written in the late 1950s. The narrative follows the life of Henry Westing, a man determined to live independently without conforming to societal pressures or the need to belong to any organization. The story explores themes of individuality versus community, the meaning of belonging, and personal freedom in the face of external expectations. In the book, Henry Westing repeatedly faces pressure from others to join various groups, whether it be in college, the workplace, or social circles. Despite these pressures, he chooses to remain solo, enjoying his life independently, filled with music, friends, and arts. His solitude attracts the attention of "The Organization," a group aimed at uniting those who feel disconnected. Westing’s encounters with various recruiters, including a psychologist from the Organization, force him to confront the societal expectation that belonging to a group is essential for fulfillment. As he grapples with this notion, he resists temptation but also realizes the value of connection when he reaches out to another potential recruit. The book illustrates Westing's struggle against the tides of conformity, ultimately advocating for the importance of individual choice amidst societal coercion. (This is an automatically generated summary.) 20230916125731purdom 1958 US Reading ease score: 88.6 (6th grade). Easy to read. en Science fiction Short stories Belonging (Social psychology) -- Fiction PS Text Category: Science-Fiction & Fantasy Category: Novels 46888 2025-07-28T12:34:48.975065 text/html 22472 2023-11-04T16:53:09 text/html 177186 2025-07-28T12:34:52.660053 application/epub+zip 175971 2025-07-28T12:34:50.528013 application/epub+zip 175971 2025-07-28T12:34:49.594104 application/epub+zip 761831 2025-07-28T12:34:54.004990 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 754686 2025-07-28T12:34:52.022039 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 38671 2025-07-28T12:34:48.803011 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 18885 2023-11-04T16:53:09 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 16119 2025-07-28T12:34:54.151996 application/rdf+xml 26834 2025-07-28T12:34:50.018054 image/jpeg 4648 2025-07-28T12:34:49.801060 image/jpeg 1949435 2025-07-28T12:34:49.000084 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 en.wikipedia