The Handmaid's Tale

Recently I read The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. If you haven't read this, go pick it up from your library right now. It was written in 1986 but felt like it could take place today; which is very scary. The U.S. government has been overthrown by the Sons of Jacob which is a society run by males where women are severely oppressed and they create the Republic of Gilead. After the war many people are not able to reproduce because of the atomic bombs and other toxins that were used to win the war. Because of this, any young, fertile woman is turned into a housemaid, placed into a married commander's home where she serves as a type of concubine in a very strange and strict ritual to try and further the human race. 

This is the story of Offred (not her real name, but is derived from the name of her commander, of Fred) who is a handmaid and it tells the story of her previous life as a wife and mother, and then of the attempts of the Sons of Jacob to brainwash the young women, and of her commander's dissatisfaction with his marriage and of his breaking the rules by engaging in intellectual pursuits with Offred. It's a very interesting novel and slightly scary because I can almost envision this craziness happening. 

This was such a good book I would highly recommend reading it.