In a startling departure from her previous novels ( Lady Oracle ,
Surfacing ), respected Canadian poet and novelist Atwood presents
here a fable of the near future. In the Republic of Gilead, formerly
the United States, far-right Schlafly/Falwell-type ideals have been
carried to extremes in the monotheocratic government. The resulting
society is a feminist's nightmare: women are strictly controlled,
unable to have jobs or money and assigned to various classes:
the chaste, childless Wives; the housekeeping Marthas; and
the reproductive Handmaids, who turn their offspring over to
the "morally fit" Wives. The tale is told by Offred (read: "of Fred"),
a Handmaid who recalls the past and tells how the chilling society
came to be. This powerful, memorable novel is highly recommended for
most libraries.

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