The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

“But who can remember pain, once it’s over? All that remains of it is a shadow, not in the mind even, in the flesh. Pain marks you, but too deep to see. Out of sight, out of mind.”

                                                                                                 ― Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid's Tale

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Synopsis

Offred is a Handmaid in the Republic of Gilead. She may leave the home of the Commander and his wife once a day to walk to food markets whose signs are now pictures instead of words because women are no longer allowed to read. She must lie on her back once a moth and pray that the Commander makes her pregnant, because in an age of declining births, Offred and the other Handmaids are only valued if their ovaries are viable. Offred can remember the years before, when she lived and made love with her husband, Luke; when she played with and protected her daughter; when she had a job, money of her own, and access to knowledge. But all of that is gone now...

Review

Rating: ★★★★★

The book absolutely blew my mind. The dystopian world the author created was just so terrifying, since it's based in the reality we are living in. The Handmaid's Tale is just an exaggerated version of our reality.  We live in a world where the patriarchy wants to control us, use us and abuse us as women. The double standards and inequalities are everywhere you look, and many people don't even realize it and even encourage it. 

This book is a reflection about the lack of human rights women have, and it's even a warning for future generations. How the Gilead can become a reality if we continue being controlled by men.

The Handmaids Tale is a feminist literature classic, which is definitely a must-read for every woman and girl in the world.