The handmaid’s tale is perhaps one of the greatest dystopian works in English Literature, written by Margaret Atwood, an esteemed Canadian author. Atwood has beautifully penned down the terrible struggles oppressed women face every day. The handmaid’s tale book puts a lot of things into one’s perspective is one of the classic books everyone must read at least once in their lives. Who decides where a woman’s “rightful place” is? Who decides when a woman gets to have a child? Well, no one except the woman herself. Thought-provoking books like the handmaid’s tale are a testament to how quickly progress can be rendered and destroyed in today’s world.
The effect of the book has been beautifully captured in several episodes of the handmaid’s tale series. Very few series based on books have been able to achieve this feat, which is what Atwood’s book and its series special.
If you loved reading the handmaid’s tale then, we are sure you will love the following books too.
5. Their Eyes Were Watching God
Author: Zora Neale Hurston
The story is about a young back woman, Janey who always dreamt of marrying the love of her life. However, her dreams are soon shattered when she’s married to an old farmer against her wishes. When Janey finally frees herself from her miserable marriage, she resorts to finding a way for herself. It is not a dystopian novel like the handmaid’s tale, but it does portray the perceived role of women in any society.
4. Kindred
Author: Octavia E. Butler
Octavia’s time-travel story conveys a powerful message to its readers. A black woman is transported back in time, where her mere presence could be the cause of her death. Butler’s eloquent words tell us a story that contains moral and political elements, which incites the readers. Read this book to witness a journey of a woman who uses her intellectual skills to dodge the curveballs life throws her way.
3. Vox
Author: Christina Dalcher
Imagine living in a world where, as a woman, you’re taught to be silent. You’re only allowed to talk 100 words per day. Even a letter more than the limit will result in, 1000 volts of electricity coursing through your body. Frightening and trilling, Vox has been repeatedly called the modernistic approach to the handmaid’s tale. In a generation where, worldwide feminine movements such as #METOO, Vox comfortably finds its relevance. This proactive book will surely make a good weekend read.
2. S
Author: Slavenka Drakulic
When we tell stories of war, surely we focus on the heroic events and the honorable sacrifices made by soldiers. However, what we fail to mention is that loss of life isn’t the only ugly side of the war. Serbian soldiers and authorities had set up “rape camps” during the historic war in the former Yugoslavia. Several Bosnian women were held captive and continually raped by the soldiers. The story is about such a captive woman who becomes pregnant with her rapist’s baby. Drakulic has done a commendable job by successfully incorporating real-life struggles of rape victims in her book. Compulsive, petrifying, and painfully realistic, this book is undoubtedly a must-read. The book will surely have you indulge in some meditation to preserve your mind’s peace.
1. The Testaments
Author: Margaret Atwood
This list wouldn’t be completed without at least one of Atwood’s original works. For years the readers have been anxiously waiting to know the fate of a particular character who jumped into the back of a van. Well, the wait is over. 15 years later the much-deserved sequel of the handmaid’s tale is here. The sequel has all the answers to the questions you have been looking for, ever since reading the handmaid’s tale.
Which one of the above books are you going to read this weekend? Comment the name below!
