These carefully curated stories are from “After Dinner Conversation” magazine to create a themed short story book about the philosophy and ethics of government law and regulation. Perfect for classrooms and book clubs, each story is 1,500-7,000 words and comes with five suggested discussion questions.
Story Summary List
“The Book of Approved Words”: A government approved "author" is tempted to show the world the words they are missing.
“The Draft”: Society forces all babies to born but creates a lottery system requiring all men to care for the offspring.
“For Your Safety”: Zoe is visited by the government for having sexual relations without first filing an "Intimate Partnership Agreement."
“Understanding Ice Cream”: Professor Gault meets a mysterious stranger that causes him to question the underlying causes of political polarization.
“Prohibition”: A wealthy addict heads to a seedy part of town for his fix and gets more than he bargained for.
“The Decay”: Benjamin's pharmacy suggests he considers enrolling in a government program to end his life.
“The Kill Registry”: In a world where everyone in society gets "one free kill," the narrator finds out his attractive coworker got a promotion.
“The Crate”: Two women escape from a country that forces equal treatment to one that encourages differences, and find both have their issues.
“Form Seven Alpha”: A city resident is caught breaking the law and is given the choice between one of five punishment options.
“Euthanasia”: In a dystopian future, Hank works on a farm for the euthanizing of sick, unwanted, or abandoned animals.
