false 38825043 432332 38447 0385490818 9780385490818 3685 http://www.goodreads.com/images/books/38/447/38447-m-1255648830.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/images/books/38/447/38447-s-1255648830.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38447.The_Handmaid_s_Tale 3.97 53726
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.]]> 3472 3.86 131173 11350 1985 0 0 false Fri Nov 28 14:56:50 -0800 2008 Fri Nov 28 14:56:50 -0800 2008