The Velvet Glove

"The Velvet Glove" by Harry Harrison is a science fiction story that looks at a future world where robots are trying to find their place. The book tells the tale of Jon Venex, a robot struggling to make a living because robots deal with prejudice and laws that hold them back, even though there's a law meant to help them. After a knee injury makes things even harder, Jon's job hunt sends him on a tough journey with a false accusation and a dangerous situation with bombs and the police. As Jon goes through all this, he's forced to think about who he is as a robot with freedom in a society that mostly sees him as a tool. What happens to Jon highlights the issues between robots and humans and their hard fight for respect and independence.