Down to the Worlds of Men

"Down to the Worlds of Men" by Alexei Panshin is a science fiction story from the early 1960s that follows a group of young people on a survival test on the planet Tintera. The story centers on Mia Havero, a fourteen-year-old girl, as she deals with a wild new world and discovers her place in it. Mia, who grew up in the safety of a spaceship, faces tough challenges that force her to reconsider her beliefs, come to terms with herself, and deal with the social problems among her group. The author explores ideas like growing up, taking responsibility, and figuring out what it means to be human through all the trials that Mia overcomes.