Picked was written for anybody who has ever been asked to apologize for the things or the people they love.

From a young age, we are shaped into behaving only as our communities deem permissible. This expectation of assimilation follows us into adulthood, where we make larger and more impactful choices. When our main character is asked to pick a pumpkin on a school field trip, she is met with confusion and reprimand from her peers and teacher--under the guise that this admonishment is in her best interest. Her process and eventual selection is a great indication of how she will make more important decisions later in her life, for the rest of her life.