Reddit reviews The Handmaid's Tale

We found 22 Reddit comments about The Handmaid's Tale. Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.

Anchor Books

22 Reddit comments about The Handmaid's Tale:

u/EverlyBrothers · 8 pointsr/IAmA

I am cutting and pasting from a HelloGiggles interview i did because this is not a short list:

EG: I love Gail Collins. She’s a New York Times journalist. She wrote a book called America’s Women: 400 Years of Dolls, Drudges, Helpmates, and Heroines. It’s the feminist history book you never had. It’s a book you cannot put down. It’s so jam packed with information, and you just can’t believe you don’t know this stuff. She has a whole thing about how pioneer women basically built San Francisco. Because when the gold rush happened, there was no one to cook for the men. So women would come out, set up shop, and make tons of money. They were business owners and had autonomy and control of their finances for the first time. Stuff like that. I mean, Bear Grylls would look like Tom Brokaw compared to these pioneer women. That’s not even a good analogy. But these women would like, crawl up mountains while giving birth. Their skirts would catch on fire all the time. The shit that they went through was insane. So you’re reading this, and [Collins is] just giving you all of it. It’s the most fascinating book I’ve ever read.

Of course, all of Roxane Gay’s books. She’s necessary reading. I just read In Her Words, the Eleanor Roosevelt book. That was uplifting, and also so sad to see this woman with this knowledge and access to power whom, if she had been given the chance…god, the things she could have done. You should read Susan Faludi’s Backlash. That’s super necessary feminist reading. I also like this book called White Trash. It’s about America’s history of poverty and how it explains a lot of what’s happening today. But because it’s written by a woman — it’s written by Nancy Isenberg — it has a feminist slant to it. It’s fantastic.

Oh, and Brazen: Rebel Ladies Who Rocked the World by Penelope Bagieu. It’s a graphic novel of incredible women. It’s gorgeous and informative and great. And it’s a great book for a teen, or an adult who likes graphic novels like me. Also Bitch Planet. It’s a graphic novel that’s The Handmaid’s Tale of space. That’s great. And of course, The Handmaid’s Tale. Read Margaret Atwood. And not just The Handmaid’s Tale. She’s written tons of other books that are thematically similar and just as depressing.

Also, Samantha Irby. Her books…I don’t know what to say about her books. I have a really loud laugh, and when something tickles me and gets me really hard, I laugh really loudly. And I do it like, every other page with her.

u/Morrigane · 6 pointsr/booksuggestions

It Can't Happen Here by Sinclair Lewis

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

u/serrabellum · 6 pointsr/TwoXChromosomes

The more new laws get shoved up my uterus, the more I am positive that we are moving towards the misogynistic dystopian society Margaret Atwood wrote of in The Handmaid's Tale.

u/cardboardguru13 · 6 pointsr/SandersForPresident

Yeah, the pedophilia thing is the most disturbing. It makes The The Handmaid's Tale and Future Home of the Living God seem plausible.

u/KariQuiteContrary · 4 pointsr/TwoXChromosomes

I know some of these have already been mentioned, so just consider this a second vote for those titles. Also, my list skews heavily towards sci-fi/fantasy, because that is what I tend to read the most of.

By women, featuring female protagonists:

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

Kindred by Octavia E. Butler

The Female Man by Joanna Russ

Kushiel's Dart by Jacqueline Carey

Lavinia by Ursula K. Le Guin

The Circus in Winter by Cathy Day (It's not entirely fair to characterize this as a book about women; it's really a set of interconnected stories featuring both male and female characters. On the other hand, many of the most memorable characters, IMO, are women, so I'm filing it in this category anyway. So there!)

The Protector of the Small Quartet by Tamora Pierce, beginning with First Test (Really, anything by Tamora Pierce would fit the bill here. They're young adult novels, so they're quick reads, but they're enjoyable and have wonderful, strong, realistic female protagonists.)

These Old Shades by Georgette Heyer (Heyer wrote really fun, enjoyable romances, typically set in the Regency period, though These Old Shades is actually Georgian. This one is probably my favorite, but they're really all quite wonderful. Not super heavy stuff, but don't write her off just because of the subject matter. She was a talented, witty writer, and her female protagonists are almost never the wilting "damsel in distress" type - they're great characters who, while still holding true to their own time and place, are bright and likeable and hold their own against the men in their lives.)

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle (Another young adult book. And, again, I think it's worth noting that L'Engle's books almost always feature strong and interesting female characters. This one is probably her most famous, and begins a series featuring members of the same family, so it's a good jumping off point.)

Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi

By men, featuring female protagonists:

The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle (This is another one that is perhaps not a perfect fit for this category; the titular unicorn is female, but the book is as much about Schmendrick the magician as it is about her. However, there's also Molly Grue, so on the strength of those two women, I'm classifying this book as having female protagonists.)

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Coraline by Neil Gaiman (It's a children's book, but there's plenty to enjoy about it as an adult, too.)

By women, featuring male protagonists

Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke

The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin

u/ozymandius5 · 4 pointsr/tipofmytongue

The Handmaid's Tale

u/mx_hazelnut · 3 pointsr/books

Can you ask her what she likes about the Hunger Games series? Is it the dystopian element, the strong female protagonist, the focus on action?

No matter what, I'd recommend The Handmaid's Tale to her. It's a favorite of mine, and it has a lot in common with the Hunger Games books, but she might not like it if she wants a lot of action. The main character isn't the fighter, for the most part.

u/verymuchtall · 3 pointsr/AskReddit

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut

These are all books I read and thoroughly enjoyed in my late teens/early 20s.

u/myfriendm · 2 pointsr/TheHandmaidsTale

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/038549081X/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

u/umbrellaplease · 2 pointsr/AskWomen

This is off the top of my head and are just my opinion,but some books from a woman's pov that have really stuck with by are:

For little girls the Flavia de Luce mystery series is really cute and a fun read. Set in the years following WWII, a 12 year old girl solves mysteries in her small English village.

As a teenager I loved the book Witch Child where a girl who is just beginning to realize she is a witch is forced to cross to colonial America with a group of Puritans and must hide what she is. I still love this book but it has more of a teenage heroine: Daphne Du Maurier's Rebecca is about a young insecure woman who becomes the second wife of a rich aristocrat, but as she tries to settle into her new life the memory of the first wife haunts her (shocking twist at the end).

Two creepy social commentary pieces that I love are: The Handmaid's Tale where a women struggles with her role in a dystopian religious extremist society. And The Yellow Wallpaper is an amazing short story told from the pov of a woman (I think in the early to mid 20th century) who is taking a 'rest cure' after having a baby. It will give you chills!

There are probably more but those are just the ones I remember at the moment.

u/Kishara · 2 pointsr/atheism

It is in your best interest and mine that we continue to support the establishment clause in the constitution and the generations of case law that supports separation of church and state.

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

This means that although you have the right to unimpeded religious worship, our government remains neutral and separate.

The best argument I generally present to theists is to ask them to think really hard about the consequences if this provision were not in place. Suppose we allowed the government to establish religion. We would pay for a state church with our taxes. We would allow politicians to interpret religion for us and pass laws accordingly.

It would be an utter disaster. Take Rick Santorum as an example. He is advocating a theocracy in the US. It is utterly illegal under the constitution. You cannot impose your religious beliefs on someone else. If you legislate religious belief, you are violating the Establishment clause of the constitution.

This is a huge and real concern in todays politics. Many states are not only walking the line, they are jumping over it with both feet. Declaring the year of the bible, repealing womens rights, and denying homosexuals their civil rights, are all examples of religion overcoming a secular nation.

If allowed to stand, these intrusions into church and state are a dangerous precedent. Say some time in the future forced prayer in schools is allowed. Imagine how you would feel if your children's teacher was a Wiccan or a Muslim? Would it then be ok to allow preaching in schools?

Would it be a great idea to break the wall of church and state if the government was allowed to decide which churches have the right to exist and which ones are heretical ? Suppose the age old war between catholics and protestants was allowed to infiltrate our government. It would be a massive civil war if one group decided to get rid of the other group. Without the separation of church and state the one group could even use the military and police to rid themselves of the other group.

Read The Handmaids Tale. Atwood paints a great example of what a theocracy would look like.

u/royalbravery · 1 pointr/Random_Acts_Of_Amazon

Reading rainbow

The Handmaid's Tale

I've been wanting this book for awhile :) I don't mind used!

u/_TheImpossibleGirl · 1 pointr/Random_Acts_Of_Amazon

u/rarelyserious · 1 pointr/Random_Acts_Of_Amazon

I'm going to be honest, that's a bit outside my wheelhouse. I did a bit of research though, the timing of this comment tells you how much, and I found this site.

My personal recommendation for you is The Handmaid's Tale, by Margaret Atwood.

u/satansballs · 1 pointr/books

Obligatory wiki links: Dystopian Literature. Although, some of the titles listed don't seem to fit (The Dispossessed?). Nuclear holocaust fiction, and your general apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction.

Some of the better/more popular ones:

Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang Kate Wilhelm.
Eternity Road Jack McDevitt. Well written, but not very insightful.
The Postman David Brin.
Mockingbird Walter Tevis. Great read. Think Idiocracy, with a serious take. Humanity's totally run by robots, everyone's forgotten how to read and think for themselves, and the world population's dropped to almost nothing.
We Yevgeny Zamyatin. The inspiration for George Orwell's 1984. Not the best read IMO, but some people claim it's better than 1984. It's possible I read a poor translation.
Island Aldous Huxley. It's a utopian island surrounded by a dystopian world. Might not fit in this list, but it's a good read if you like Huxley. I think it was his last novel.
1984 George Orwell. One of my favorite novels. I have a bumper sticker with the quote "War is Peace, Ignorance is Strength, Freedom is Slavery", which is a slogan from the book. (Also, a sticker on my mirror with "Under the spreading chestnut tree, I sold you and you sold me"). The link points to Animal Farm and 1984.
Fahrenheit 451 Ray Bradbury. Another must read. Very well written, thought-provoking novel. Is it still required reading in schools?
Earth Abides George Stewart.
Alas, Babylon Pat Frank. Lucifer's Hammer Larry Niven/Jerry Pournelle. I'm grouping these two together because they're very similar, both in setting and politics. I didn't really enjoy either. The politics were not at all subtle, and the characters fit too neatly into stereotypes, and too obviously the writer's hero fantasy. Still, they're pretty popular, so try them out and feel free to disagree with me.
Brave New World Aldous Huxley. Really just a utopia that's rough around the edges, if I'm remembering it correctly (also called an anti-utopia, thank you wikipedia). Another must read.
A Canticle for Leibowitz Walter Miller.
Memoirs Found in a Bathtub Stanislaw Lem. Another favorite. I once created a text adventure based on this book. It was about as frustrating as that Hitchhiker's Guide game.
The Road Cormac McCarthy.
Philip K. Dick It's hard to keep track of PKD's novels, but some of them are dystopian, all of them worth reading. Favorites: Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep (also known as/inspired Blade Runner), Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said, The Man in the High Castle.
The Handmaid's Tale and Oryx and Crake Margaret Atwood.
Y: The Last Man A graphical novel/comic collection. Decent art, great story.

Zombies: World War Z, Raise the Dead, Marvel Zombies, Zombie Survival Guide, Day By Day Armageddon, I Am Legend.

Also, just for kicks, some of my favorite dystopian movies:
Brazil, Soylent Green, 12 Monkeys, Blade Runner, Akira, Children of Men, Dark City, A Boy and His Dog, Logan's Run, Idiocracy, Equillibrium.

u/itsalrightt · 1 pointr/Wishlist

The Handmaid's Tale. I'm reading this right now, and it's really, really freaky. It feels like it could possible happen right now with everything going on.

u/milkawhat · 1 pointr/AskReddit

Margaret Atwood has two companion books, both of a dystopian nature. I prefer Oryx and Crake, but The Year of the Flood is a nice afterword. The Handmaid's Tale is her most popular work. She calls it speculative fiction instead of science fiction.

She's one of my favorites, obviously.

u/fictivetoast · 1 pointr/AskReddit

Secession by a fundamental christian or conservative group of states would make the most sense, and it's a terrifying thought. Anyone ever read The Handmaid's Tale?

u/TrixieSweetwood · 1 pointr/suggestmeabook

My husband teaches high school English, and one of his favorite books to share with his class is The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. It's a very cool story about a future society where women are only important in society because they can have babies.

u/AmberxAltF4 · 1 pointr/Random_Acts_Of_Amazon

OH MY GOODNESS they are so cute!!! :3 I have a little chihuahua/rat terrior mix named Pookie :)

Young Adult is great! I really enjoy dystopias as well! If you're interested in trekking down that path, a few good Young Adult/Dystopias are The Hunger Games, Divergent, and The Giver. I also highly recommend Ready Player One and The Handmaids Tale :D

u/mintamour · 1 pointr/Random_Acts_Of_Amazon

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood is a crucial piece of literature. There are many layers that add to the pragmatism, an intricate dystopian piece of what has been hailed as speculative fiction, mostly for it's semblance to reality. The glimpses the narrator has before she was a enslaved to bear children mirrors our own.