This book was intense. It was also one of few adult fiction books I’ve read by choice. I typically stick to Middle Grade and Young Adult reads—I enjoy their content much more—but The Handmaid’s Tale was an entirely different realm for me. I did write a 15 page paper on it, too, so I have a bit to say!
I think this book is very important for every person to read at least once in their life. It shows how good ideas and commitments can be warped and shifted and used for evil with minimal effort. It shows how things we take for granted—a non-oppressive government, basic human rights, the ability to go where we want when we want (within reason) and say what we’d like—can vanish in the blink of an eye. This book isn’t perfect, but it’s important and thought provoking. I didn’t devour it. I cracked open the pages when I felt ready and had a few minutes, and I read every single word thoroughly and thoughtfully, which is how this book ought to be read: with an open mind, and a wary soul, because this has happened before and it can happen again. As Atwood says in her intro, “/It can’t happen here/ could not be depended upon: anything could happen anywhere, given the circumstances.”