by Margaret Atwood
So a couple weeks ago we finished The Handmaid's Tale (we're so bad at updating the blog...). This book was such a great read. It was tough to read in some places - mostly because the things Atwood wrote about are much too close to our current reality. It's amazing to think she wrote this book in 1985.
The Handmaid's Tale is written about a dystopian future, in which, through humanity's own folly, fewer and fewer children are being born. An extremist Christian community took over the United States, and created "Gilead", a city run by the Commanders, and revolving around women's roles. Their roles are based around women in stories in the bible (Martha, Jezebel, Bilhah & Rachel), and there are many other Biblical allusions (the Rachel and Leah center, the Angels), which actually make the story an incredibly creepy read, particularly in the current climate.
In all, though, this book was incredibly thought provoking and it was an amazing story. My cousin & aunt told me that there's a new show based on the novel - I'm definitely going to be looking into that!
-Cat
I love dystopian lit. While I definitely need to read more of it, Atwood's book is easily one of my favorite dystopian stories. The world that Atwood crafted is really interesting and just a little bit frightening, in that it's plausible. Gilead is an extreme nation based heavily on the Bible, and I know there are many people in the States today who would welcome such a regime. The way Atwood slowly reveals more and more of the truth, and the ending itself, are masterful.
The TV show is, as far as I understand it, exclusive to Hulu. I might have to subscribe to Hulu once I'm settled in the States just to watch it, because I would love to see some of the things in this book brought to life on the small screen. Until then, y'all should read this.
--Mikie
