This week’s book recommendation was chosen by North-East Branch staff member Debbie Gamm.

She selected The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood for our Banned Book series.

“The Handmaid’s Tale was written over thirty years ago and is still making waves,” Gamm said. “When Ms. Atwood wrote this, she wanted to tell a story about a totalitarian government and its dire consequences. The story is told by Offred, a handmaid of the government, who decides that she must do whatever it takes to survive. In the dystopian future of Gilead, women are not allowed to read, and if they are fertile, they are expected to attend training at centers to learn obedience to prepare them for forced surrogacy to repopulate the futuristic United States. In 2017, a series was created on Hulu, starring Elizabeth Moss as Offred, Atwood’s cautionary tale has been either challenged or banned in the early 1990’s, and many times since then. If anyone is interested in the sequel, The Testaments is also available.”

The Kansas City Public Library has this book available in many forms for those with a library card including in regular and large print, as an audiobook and as an eBook. The library also has the movie adaptation available for viewing, as well as the Hulu series seasons one, two and three.