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From Library Journal

Starred review from March 1, 2025

Atwood's bestselling novel offers a searing first-person account of a near-future United States where women's rights and identities have been suppressed out of existence. The story is Offred's, a woman whose name and personage have been utterly subsumed under the man who owns her and her fertility in a time where fertility is sharply declining. Readers experience her memories of "the before"--the 1970s--as Offred lives her life in the now, tasting tiny moments of rebellion in a world that controls her and erases her at every turn. The 40 years since publication have only made this searing work even more frightening in its portrayal of how easy it was to erase an entire class of people and how fast it became the new normal. VERDICT This is even more chilling but just as highly recommended in 2025 as it was in 1985, as historical events have made its grim science-fiction seem all too plausible. Readers who love seeing just how bad things can get and are searching for books with similar, terrifying themes will also want to read C.J. Carey's Widowland, Sherri S. Tepper's classic The Gate to Women's Country, and Emily Tesh's award-winning novel Some Desperate Glory.--Marlene Harris

Copyright 2025 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

From School Library Journal

September 13, 2024

Gr 10 Up-This award-winning novel is an account of Offred's life in an oppressive society. It is set in the futuristic world of Gilead, where fertile women are a scarce resource due to infertility caused by past issues, such as pollution. The Commanders, high-ranking, wealthy public officials, have designed the Republic of Gilead to ensure they have access to fertile women, whom they have given the title of Handmaids. Offred is assigned to one of these Commanders and must grapple with memories of her past life and family and figure out how to survive in the new world. Through seeing an extreme example of what happens when everyone goes along with those in power, this book can help readers understand the importance of following what they believe is right. Atwood writes about quintessential themes of gender, religion, society, identity, and so much more that are ripe for discussion. The topics referenced are deep and would benefit from proper scaffolding. VERDICT A cautionary dystopian tale published almost 40 years ago that still resonates with readers.-Kristyn Dorfman & NCTE Database

Copyright 2024 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

From Publisher's Weekly

September 9, 2024
In this uneven collection, contributors examine patriarchal restrictions through the lens of Margaret Atwood's dystopian novel. Digging into the key systems that uphold Gilead, the Christian patriarchal society of The Handmaid's Tale, Andrea Frantz and Wind Goodfriend's "A Cacophony of Silence" interrogates how a repressive "culture of silence" polices free expression and perpetuates oppression, violence, and dehumanization. Elsewhere, Amber L. Garcia addresses the sexism in Gilead, where women are punished for rejecting feminine norms and rewarded for adhering to them, incentivizing them to buy into patriarchal structures for personal gain. And in "Your Dystopian Cosplay Is Our Reality," Apryl A. Alexander critiques Atwood's novel and the TV adaptation for interrogating issues of reproductive justice without acknowledging how they disproportionately affect Black women, reflecting a white feminism that tends to fight for racial justice mostly when it aligns with its own interests. Unfortunately, in many of the essays, provocative psychological concepts lead to rote takeaways or wind up obscured by awkward, jargon-heavy writing, while some of the contributors' extrapolations can feel forced or reductive. for example, Asher I. Johnson's "Heroes and Villains" spends several pages contemplating whether characters might be diagnosed as psychopaths. Despite a promising premise, this falls short.

From Kirkus

Margaret Atwood's THE HANDMAID'S TALE is a chilling novel set in a dystopia of the not-so-distant future. British actress Joanna David's reading is unwavering but perhaps too chilly even for this story. Her choice not to give unique voices to the characters is appropriate, especially since the narrative is set in a dehumanized world where individual expression is not tolerated. She does deliver many of the dramatic scenes effectively. But there are too many occasions where she seems to miss Atwood's irony and other textual cues, and the listener is sometimes shortchanged by her misinterpretation. D.B.