\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The Handmaid\u2019s Tale<\/i><\/b> is a dystopian classic. American government and way of life have been taken over by extreme Christian fundamentalism due to a scarcely mentioned nuclear war (this book was written in the 50s under the Reagan administration, so the connections are there). Society is focused on the household with traditional gender roles between men and women. A hierarchy has been put into place, most notably for women to help combat infertility caused by radiation. At the highest level are the Wives (high class wives), then the Marthas (maids), Econowives (working class wives), and the Handmaids (whose job is to have bed with the husbands in order to have babies). The head of the household <\/span>\u2013 <\/span>whose first name the handmaid takes, adding the word ”of” to show possession, such as<\/span> ‘\u201dOffred,\u201d and ‘\u201dOfwarren\u201d <\/span>\u2013 <\/span>is known as the Commander.<\/span> Find this book in our catalog: The Handmaid’s Tale<\/a><\/p>\n Catalog Number: FIC ATWOOD,M<\/p>\n 311 pages<\/p>\n More Recommendations<\/strong><\/p>\n review by\u00a0Kristina Yin, age 17 The Handmaid’s Tale\u00a0by\u00a0Margaret Atwood \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The Handmaid\u2019s Tale is a dystopian classic. American government and way of life have been taken over by extreme Christian fundamentalism due to a scarcely mentioned nuclear war (this book was written in the 50s under the Reagan administration, so the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":34,"featured_media":4195,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[120,54],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4194","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-book-reviews","category-teen-reviews"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/18\/files\/sites\/18\/2017\/11\/The-Handmaids-Tale.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p5ZwbD-15E","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":4534,"url":"https:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/2018\/black-swan-green-teen-review\/","url_meta":{"origin":4194,"position":0},"title":"Black Swan Green –Teen Review","author":"Teen Blogger","date":"January 20, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"review by\u00a0Kristina Yin, age 17 Black Swan Green\u00a0by\u00a0David Mitchell \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Black Swan Green is the spiritual descendant of coming-of-age books like Catcher in the Rye and Great Expectations, but because of its modernity and realism, it is far more interesting and relatable than its ancestors. 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\n<\/span> \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Offred is one such Handmaid. In the novel, we learn about her current oppressive life and glimpses of the life she had before America became the terrifying Republic of Gilead. The novel\u2019s most lacking point is the bland narrator. <\/span>
\n<\/span> \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0To avoid spoilers, I won\u2019t go into details, but let it be warned that if you do not like open-ended epilogues, do not read this book. This book will frustrate you with some questions you will never find answers to. Furthermore if you expect Offred to epically escape and tear down the regime, you will be sorely disappointed. This is not a typical dystopian text. Instead this book reads more like a case study, a cautionary study how easily American values can be twisted and trampled into extremism. <\/span>
\n<\/span> \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0To be honest, unless you are super interested in learning more about the setting, I would not recommend anyone my age to read this book. The pacing is too slow for a typical teenage reader. However, if you disliked or outgrew the YA take on dystopia, as in <\/span>The Hunger Games<\/span><\/i> or <\/span>Divergent<\/span><\/i>, this novel features a refreshingly different, female take on the classical dystopian genre.<\/span>
\n<\/span> \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0I\u2019ve heard many people compare <\/span>The Handmaid\u2019s Tale<\/i><\/b> to George Orwell\u2019s <\/span>1984<\/span><\/i>, and I for the most part agree, except for one important feature: while <\/span>1984<\/span><\/i> maintains a constant level of intensity, <\/span>The Handmaid\u2019s Tale<\/i><\/b> is more of a slow suffocation <\/span>\u2013<\/span> despite how scary the setting is, there is not a sense of doom. For some this can be a bit of a turn-off, since <\/span>The Handmaid\u2019s Tale<\/i><\/b> is not exactly a page-turner, but its slowness seems somewhat intentional <\/span>\u2013<\/span> a reflection of the dullness of Offred\u2019s own confined life. Anyhow, <\/span>The Handmaid\u2019s Tale<\/i><\/b>\u2019s TV series adaption on Hulu is coming out soon, so if you\u2019re interested, you might want to pick up the book before then! 3.5\/5 stars. <\/span><\/p>\n
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