Are you reading this for the first time, or as a re-read?

[Jenni]

This is my third read through. I had to read it for my college English class. I read it through once before class started and once while writing the assignments. I feel like reading it again, I pick up on more details and see how things foreshadow other things. It is a surprisingly good book- I first thought it was going to be boring. I think it's one of my favorite dystopian books to read.

[Laura]

I re-read it for the second time, and I felt like this time round it was definitely more disturbing. But I also think that was partly the change in the political climate - even though things were bad when I read it the first time around, the world we live in has changed so much that the idea of Gilead feels a lot closer than it did. I also felt that the message that the more 'permissive' society was not necessarily a good thing came through much more strongly on a second reading.

[Becky]

This is the first time I read the book - for some reason, it wasn't on anybody's syllabus in HS or college to read, and I didn't know much about it. Should have picked it up years ago.