There’s a fabulous book series along these lines: quotas and everything.
“A world with no hunger, no disease, no war, no misery. Humanity has conquered all those things, and has even conquered death. Now scythes are the only ones who can end life—and they are commanded to do so, in order to keep the size of the population under control.
Citra and Rowan are chosen to apprentice to a scythe—a role that neither wants. These teens must master the “art” of taking life, knowing that the consequence of failure could mean losing their own."
Google Neal Shusterman’s “Scythe” and its sequels.
Shades of Truman Capote’s “A Christmas Memory,” a great memoir about life as a child at Christmas time—and making fruitcakes!—in precisely that same part of the country where Jimmie lives (and, apparently, where he grew up). The difference: Capote made fruitcakes sound very special, and never acknowledged that fruitcakes are generally not liked. >
Peter O’Toole got an “honorary” Oscar recognizing his life’s work, but not for any particular film. But there are many who won undeserved Oscars out of recognition that they’d been snubbed in previous years for better roles/performances in better movies: Paul Newman (for Color of Money), Judi Dench (for Shakespeare in Love: great movie, but she had only 8 minutes of screen time in it), Liz Taylor (Butterfield 8), Leo DiCaprio (the Revenant), Will Smith (King Richard). Probably a lot more.
There’s a fabulous book series along these lines: quotas and everything.
“A world with no hunger, no disease, no war, no misery. Humanity has conquered all those things, and has even conquered death. Now scythes are the only ones who can end life—and they are commanded to do so, in order to keep the size of the population under control.
Citra and Rowan are chosen to apprentice to a scythe—a role that neither wants. These teens must master the “art” of taking life, knowing that the consequence of failure could mean losing their own."
Google Neal Shusterman’s “Scythe” and its sequels.