It's kind of scary to read this in 2010 (the book was written in 1985) and draw parallels to our own society. I wanted to be in on the history right away, but had to wait to find out how the new society came about. Her history, as well as the turnabout of the 'normal' US to The Republic of Gilead, is given to us in bits and pieces, as Offred recollects past events. We don't learn the back story of Offred's previous life until about halfway through the book.

The reader is introduced to Offred in her life at the commander's house. She remembers vividly her days as an independent woman. Offred is one of the first generation of handmaids. Being sent to the colonies is a death sentence and is used as a motivating factor for women in the book. The handmaids have three chances (a chance being living with a family and sleeping with the husband on specified days for an unspecified length of time before moving on to the next family) to get pregnant before they are sent off to 'the colonies.' The colonies are described as dangerous places where women who are not useful in the new society are forced to clean up toxic waste sites with no protection.

In this world, infertility and birth defects are rampant, and high-ranking men qualify for handmaids in order to bear them children. Remember the story of Abraham and Sarah? Remember how God promised Sarah a child but she didn't believe she could conceive in her old age and sent her maid in her place to conceive a child with Abraham? That is where the handmaids in Atwood's world come in. The premise of handmaids is based on Old Testament practices of a husband sleeping with his wife's maid to have children when the wife is infertile. And by everything, I mean I started appreciating driving, going to work, putting on makeup, taking a shower, having my own money, making my own choices, picking out my own clothes, my cat, everything about my life. It is a book that makes you think, and makes you appreciate everything that you have. The Handmaid's Tale is not an easy read and it is not escapist fiction, like I usually read. I saw that it was dystopia and thought, why not? Now I'm really glad I read it because this is not a book to miss out on. I bought it on a whim for my Nook because the e-book was on sale at Barnes and Noble. Much like Orwell's 1984, the only other classic dystopian literature I've read, I know I'll be thinking about The Handmaid's Tale for a long time.

The hand maids tale book