This is a relatively thick (+200 pages long) novel which appeared at least in paperback form in the 1960s, available in public schools. It includes such familiar tropes as future society, space travel, etc. - but I can distinctly remember only two significant tropes: 1. There are private (household) facilities in most upper-class homes where a person can immerse himself for 15 minutes in a sort of amniotic fluid, while a machine takes over his life processes (respiration, blood circulation) that is supposed to be very relaxing and pleasant. At the conclusion of the period, a computer voice "awakens" the subject person. There are also public versions of the same, where the immersion lasts 30 minutes (thus heightening the danger of psychological addiction). 2. Women can voluntarily undergo (expensive) cosmetic surgery in which prosthetic body parts (e.g., colorful plastic shells for ears) are implanted. One such high-class woman gets thrashed by a thug, and her prosthetics (not designed to take such physical abuse) are damaged. What was the title / who was the author of this 1960s sci-fi novel available in public schools in the 1960s?
There are private (household) facilities in most upper-class homes where a person can immerse himself for 15 minutes in a sort of amniotic fluid, while a machine takes over his life processes (respiration, blood circulation) that is supposed to be very relaxing and pleasant. At the conclusion of the period, a computer voice "awakens" the subject person. There are also public versions of the same, where the immersion lasts 30 minutes (thus heightening the danger of psychological addiction).
Women can voluntarily undergo (expensive) cosmetic surgery in which prosthetic body parts (e.g., colorful plastic shells for ears) are implanted. One such high-class woman gets thrashed by a thug, and her prosthetics (not designed to take such physical abuse) are damaged.
