HANDMAID'S TALE,

Set in the dystopian Republic of Gilead—a totalitarian society that has supplanted the United States—this powerful novel follows Offred, one of the few remaining fertile women. In Gilead, women are stripped of their rights, forbidden from reading, owning property, or maintaining their own identities. Offred is assigned to a Commander, her sole role being to bear children. As she navigates this oppressive theocracy, she grapples with the loss of her past life and clings to memories of her husband, daughter, and independence. The novel explores themes of bodily autonomy, authoritarianism, survival, and resistance. Despite the suffocating control around her, Offred seeks hope—and perhaps a way to reclaim what was lost.