The Handmaid's Tale

Hello my dear readers…amidst the craziness that is my life, I have managed to cross another book off my long list: The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood. Let me tell you, this was one of the best books I have ever read. As much as I adore reading, I do not often find a book that I literally cannot put down, but this one stopped me in my tracks. 

Obviously, I knew about this book for awhile; my sister read it in high school and it had been sitting on my shelf for awhile. But sadly, I probably would have never thought to read it for awhile if it weren’t for my book club voting on it as our next book. My sister did not have great things to say about it and it just did not seem like a very exciting story to me. However, once I started it, I could not put it down and I was not entirely upset that my book club didn’t work out because I could finally sit and read as much of the book as I wanted without fear of spoiling it for others. 

The book is a dystopian fiction novel based loosely on the Biblical story of Jacob and his handmaids. Margaret Atwood tells the story of a young handmaid, working in the house of a Commander. The sole purpose of handmaids in this futuristic society is making babies. They have no rights and no power. In fact, women in general have no rights and even men are kept in tight societal roles. Supposedly, this rigid society is meant to protect its members but it is never explained how this keeps them safe. And since it is a transitional phase for society, the older members are able to remember their lives before, as the main character, Offred, discusses quite often. However, despite the harsh rules, many people find ways around them, lying to each other and doing under-handed things, not truly sure who they can trust. Offred shares with the reader her various relationships and her day-to-day life as a handmaid. This amazing book has many twists that you will never see coming (and I definitely do not want to deprive you of the joy of reading them for yourself).

On top of this book being an absolutely incredible story, the book addresses many themes. One of the biggest themes is power and who truly holds the power in a society like this. Although the rules are designed to put the men in power, Atwood demonstrates how the women also have power with their bodies and the fact that men are not allowed to touch them. The book also talks about the theme of deception and who could people really trust in a society like this. The depth this book has is incredible and it talks about many deep topics.

Honestly, I could go on and on about this book. Margaret Atwood is an absolutely incredible writer who puts depth into an amazing story. Even if you don’t enjoy dystopian fiction, I highly recommend reading this book. It is so unlike anything I have read before and you will not be able to put it down. Until next time, enjoy your literary travels. So long!

Contact

My dear fellow literary wanderers…I know I owe you all an apology for taking so long to write another entry. It’s not that I haven’t been reading but rather life got in the way once again. But things might start to settle down soon…after I settle into my new job that is. I have a steady job now, I am in the process of truly becoming a full time writer, and things are finally starting to fall into place. Hopefully this means I will have far more time for reading.

Anyway, this entry will be about Contact by Carl Sagan. Now, this would not have been my usual first book of choice. It probably would have been one that I left until the end and dreaded reading it. It’s not that I don’t enjoy science fiction but it is not usually my first choice for reading material either. However, I recently started a book club and that is the book that everyone voted on. So, I sucked it up and read it. And I will admit, I was pleasantly surprised. 

So, I am not a science person, for the most part, and this book is filled with facts and theories about physics and astronomy, something I have no experience with. But Sagan did a wonderful job of explaining everything in the book so that everyone could understand it. I never really felt lost at any point which was a good thing because I probably would have ended up hating the book if that was the case. And, I admit, it is one of those books that does not start out very exciting. But while the book does take awhile to get into, once you are hooked, you will not be able to put it down. 

Contact tells the story of a young scientist who receives a message from outer space telling people to build this Machine. And she learns this message is being received around the world. The book follows what happens as the nations build the Machine and what happens once it is built. But the book is less about the plot and more about the theories and ideas the book deals with. Sagan addresses not only new theories of science and extra terrestrials but touches on the connections between religion and science. I admit that parts of it were quite difficult for me to read, as a Christian, but I always appreciate reading about other points of view so I can better understand where people are coming from.

Overall, this book was great and definitely far from what I expected. The book itself is filled with scientific language and theories but, like I said, Sagan does a great job of explaining them to the people that have no physics or astronomy background, like me. I admit, the book is rather long but well worth the read. I highly recommend it to anyone, but especially those who are into science fiction.

Until next time...happy reading!