The+Handmaid's+Tale

The Handmaid’s Tale By Margaret Atwood

This is the story of Offred, a woman who is cursed with being one of the only fertile women in a society run by religious extremism. She is bound by law to serve the wealthy, ruling class as a “Handmaiden” and provide children to the almost completely infertile group of women within it. She is forced into uncomfortable and demeaning situations in order to fulfill this duty. The story is of her attempt to break free from this society.

The book is a dystopian fantasy/science fiction story written for ages 16+.

Complaints about the book center on the horrific details of Offred’s imprisonment and the shocking things that the women in the novel do in order to feel some control in their lives. Sexual situations, profanity and violence are among the chief complaints.

The list of times that this book has been censored or banned outright in public school and libraries in the United States, and around the world, is seemingly endless. As recently as 2006, a school made the news by banning the book in Judson, TX. A committee of parents and teachers were able to get the book reinstated to the curriculum (Staff. 2010).

Although the book has been vehemently challenged over the years, many teachers, parents, and other readers see its value of the lessons about extreme religious dictatorships, human rights, and hypocrisy in government (Jadwin, L. 2007).

Jadwin, L. (2007). Margaret Atwood’s the handmaid’s tale (1985): Cultural and historical context. //Salem Press.// Retrieved from [] on June 18th, 2012.

Staff. (2010). Top ten book controversies. //Time.// Retrieved from [|http://entertainment.time.com/2007/10/02/top-10-book-controversies/#the-handmaids-tale-by-margaret-atwood] on June 18th, 2012.