From an afternoon spent in the bookstore and what an excellent adventure it was! One afternoon last week I took some used books to a local book store; setting my books on the counter, I wandered off while the book lady perused my items. I forgot to pick up a basket and instead carried a stack with me, hence the sore arms. They elected to buy some books and pass on others and, in the end, I earned myself a sweet $28 store credit (sellers get 20% of the book’s value in cash or 30% in a store credit).
Well.
You know what comes next, right?
More books for me! All totaled, I think I was in the store for 2 hours, but I really don’t know because I lost track of time. Bookstores do that to me, but I digress.
I wandered. I read. I perused. I laughed and I relaxed. But … the very best part was finding one older book that I’ve always wanted to read. I’d seen the movie years ago and it has disturbed and intrigued me ever since.
What is it? “The Handmaid’s Tale” by Margaret Atwood.
In the world of the near future, who will control women’s bodies?
In the Republic of Gilead, formerly the United States, far-right ideals have been carried to extremes in the mono-theocratic government. The resulting society is a feminist’s nightmare: women are strictly controlled, unable to have jobs or money (or read) and are assigned to various classes: the chaste, childless Wives; the housekeeping Marthas; and the reproductive Handmaids, who turn their offspring over to the “morally fit” Wives. The tale is told by Offred (read: “of Fred”), a Handmaid who recalls the past and tells how the chilling society came to be. This powerful, memorable novel is highly recommended for most libraries. Source: Library Journal.
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So, today, I can choose to watch the news and listen to politicians rant about contraceptive coverage, health insurance mandates, religious freedom, economic liberty, social issues and birth control. Or I can pick up this book and read all about it.
One’s fiction, the other isn’t. Which one’s scarier?
Now that I think about it, my head hurts, too.
