The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This dystopian story tells is exceedingly odd – which Atwood turns into a strength of the book. In it, the entire legislative and executive branch is killed in a mass execution on Presidents’ Day. The Constitution is suspended, and the country is transformed into a country called “Gilead.” Pollution reigns, and women are oppressed into being valued only for their sexual organs. Sexual pleasure is frowned upon, and some women are made into “handmaids” (with the name based off of Rachel and Leah’s handmaids in the book of Genesis). These women are allowed to bear children through sexual intercourse in place of the man’s wife, who is barren.
I won’t spoil the plot, but it has plenty of twists and turns. I found myself eager to move to the next page and to read the denouement when the time came. Like most in the genre of dystopia, this book contains a vivid account of human nature – how we can grind against each other so as to produce harmful effects. It provides a reminder that a healthy and growing society requires not only leadership (which was taken away in this tale) but also every part doing its part with freedom. Atwood’s story causes me to reflect on the nature and benefits of human freedom as well as its limits.