March Book Discussion

Please double-check the date. It has changed since the original post.

It was decided last month that we would take turns choosing the book for our monthly discussions. For our March selection, Anissa has picked The Handmaid's Tale, by Margaret Atwood. The discussion for this book will be on Saturday, March 14, at 9:00 a.m. EST. If you would like to join us, please let Anissa, Cross, Donna, Faith, Janet or Marla know so you can receive a copy of the discussion questions via email prior to the meeting.

Here is a synopsis of the book from the Random House/Anchor site:

Offred is a Handmaid in the Republic of Gilead. She may leave the home of the Commander and his wife once a day to walk to food markets whose signs are now pictures instead of words because women are no longer allowed to read. She must lie on her back once a month and pray that the Commander makes her pregnant, because in an age of declining births, Offred and the other Handmaids are only valued if their ovaries are viable.

Offred can remember the days before, when she lived and made love with her husband Luke; when she played with and protected her daughter; when she had a job, money of her own, and access to knowledge. But all of that is gone now....

Funny, unexpected, horrifying, and altogether convincing, The Handmaid's Tale is at once scathing satire, dire warning, and tour de force.

Author: Margaret Atwood; Publisher: Anchor, March 1998; 325 pages