TY - BOOK AU - Janifer,Laurence M. TI - Hex T2 - Produced from Astounding Science Fiction May 1959 AV - PS PY - 2008/// CY - Salt Lake City, UT PB - Project Gutenberg KW - Science fiction KW - Social workers -- Fiction KW - Psychic ability -- Fiction N1 - Release date is 2008-01-22; Produced by Greg Weeks, Bruce Albrecht, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net; Original publication data not identified N2 - "Hex" by Laurence M. Janifer is a science fiction novella written in the late 1950s. The story revolves around the intersection of social work and mind manipulation, as the protagonist employs her unconventional abilities to help her clients. It delves into themes of control, societal expectations, and the ethics of intervention in people's lives. The narrative follows Gloria, a young and enthusiastic social worker who possesses a unique talent for influencing the thoughts and behaviors of her clients through her psychic abilities. She becomes invested in the cases of the struggling Mrs. Wladek and her son Rudi, to whom she unintentionally imposes her will, pushing them toward employment and societal integration. However, her well-meaning actions lead to unintended consequences, provoking suspicion and conflict with Mrs. Wladek, who believes Gloria has placed a hex on her. As the story unfolds, it explores the moral complexity of Gloria's interventions, ultimately raising questions about the implications of using power to "help" others and the nature of autonomy and consent. (This is an automatically generated summary.) UR - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/24397 ER -