A Handmaid’s Tale
Welcome back, book lovers! This week’s episode features A Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, a dystopian future where women are second class citizens. The conversation is a little longer and darker than average as we take turns atop the feminist soapbox. We also attempt to offend the whole world by discussing religion and motherhood. Our high standards of broadcast quality are maintained as a landscaper starts his leafblower and leaves it sitting outside the window. Prepare to be slightly depressed and more than slightly outraged as we explore yet another dystopian future.
The music this week is Rockapella’s arrangement of “Amazing Grace,” because: 1) Rockapella is awesome, 2) Amazing Grace appears in the book, and 3) we find it difficult to take even twenty seconds of Elvis Presley’s “Heartbreak Hotel.”
A quick administrative note: If you are reading along at home, there is now a schedule link at the top of the page so you can follow us more easily.
07 – A Handmaid’s Tale – Feminism Gets Boned
This entry was posted in Episodes and tagged A Handmaid's Tale, christianity, dystopia, feminism, feminism again, gender politics, horrible room of boredom, landscaping hour, Margaret Atwood, more feminism, religion, social commentary.
Novel Ideas 
May 1, 2012 at 1:13 pm
Was it the Westboro Baptist Church that took over the country? I sense a strong possibility… they would totally persecute other baptists….anyone with the web domain godhatesfags.com kinda worries me.
Also, your picture this week freaks me out because those look like painful lip peircings.
And I like that you are publishing your reading schedule. Good move 🙂
May 1, 2012 at 1:39 pm
Enjoyed this weeks podcast, I have to admit after reading your description I was a little nervous as I haven’t actually read this weeks book, probably won’t because I’ve misplaced my Guy Faux mask, and it might be a requirement (as I read all books about totalitarian dystopias with my Guy Faux mask). Also this book sounds like it has a similar ending to George Orwell 1984, and that book made me throw it across the room in frustration because 2+2 does not equal 5…
Also Ben’s comment made me laugh when he talked about wanting to see a “twist” where the underdog is actually crushed under the wheels of society and then when it does happen, we all complain that we actually don’t like the new ending at all. Huh, it’s like these time proven methods of story telling actually to have some footing to stand on…
May 22, 2012 at 8:44 am
So I read this book after listening to the podcast. Super depressing. I liked that the character of the wife in the book (serena joy) was being forced to live by the laws that were created based off of ideas she had preached about in the former society…and she hated it. Also, the whole handmaid as a vessel that is part of the wife thing, during sex and during birth, was almost comical. I liked the description of them rubbing to old ladys not pregnant belly and acting like she was exhausted after ‘giving birth’. Also, the wife being mad about the handmaid going to Jezabels.. serously? Like she had a choice! Be mad at your husband! The historical notes section was definately very interesting… it’s kinda satisfying to know that the guy who she served was executed for being hypocritical. His own extreme creation found him to not be extreme enough and turned on him.