Summary from Goodreads: The Handmaid’s Tale is a novel of such power that the reader will be unable to forget its images and its forecast. Set in the near future, it describes life in what was once the United States and is now called the Republic of Gilead, a monotheocracy that has reacted to social unrest and a sharply declining birthrate by reverting to, and going beyond, the repressive intolerance of the original Puritans. The regime takes the Book of Genesis absolutely at its word, with bizarre consequences for the women and men in its population.
I read this book a few months ago because it was a free read on my tablet. I know that many have enjoyed this book. How important it is to them. I am not going to comment on how important or great this book is for others.
I only want to share how unnecessary it was for me to read. Not because of the way in which women are treated in some dystopian future that is relatable to today. I am well aware of all of this. I have seen the way women are treated in other countries and in this country.
I didn’t need to be reminded of this in such a graphic and upsetting way. If I were naïve, I would appreciate it more.
It reminds me of when I was stationed in Saudia Arabia and was shown the block where punishment is done by cutting off hands. To this day it haunts me. I don’t need to be haunted by the fiction I read.
This is why I have no desire to follow up with “Testaments” or watch any of the Netflix series.