Banned Bookweek Launch – The handmaid’s Tale

Margaret Atwood’s the Handmaid’s Tale.

Looking back it occurred to me that my English teacher, Mr. Young, had a chortle or two at the expense of “Banned Books” everywhere. As a matter of fact, I clearly remember my Senior year’s book list. We had to have our parents sign off on the list the summer before and everyone’s parents did so. On this list was The Handmaid’s Tale, Grendel, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, The Canterbury Tales, The Color Purple, and several other novels that had made it to the BBL. Genius man that he was, he had us read the stories and then make comments, discuss, and not once did he mention that the US had gone up in flames over this stuff. Tell a teenager it’s forbidden and they may read it, but it will be laced with guilt or adrenaline and you won’t get the full effect. Have them read it and then discuss it among themselves empowers both the reader AND the book.

So for day 1 of Banned Book Week, I want to discuss The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood.

What was it, I wonder, that got the proverbial panties in a twist? Was it the fact that a man of power, from a fallen USA, could take multiple wives? Or was it the humiliating threesome in which the “new wife” would have to be held down from behind by the “old wife?” Maybe it was the forced slavery of all the women in the US…I’m not sure. While I found that appalling, for the CHARACTER, I remembered it was a work of Fiction. The story left me feeling unsettled. What I do remember is her journey through hell and her rescue from it. I remember being swept away by a fantastic piece of literature. Ban it all you want, America, The Handmaid’s Tale is here to stay. Long live Margaret Atwood.

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