The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood

This is a science fiction book set in the near future, in the Republic of Gilead. Gilead is in the area once known as the US. It is a highly chauvinist society where women are oppressed, and all freedom is prohibited. The main character is Offred, a "handmaid" in the service of the Commander. If you read the book, you'll find out what handmaids' roles are. There was something about the feel of this book that I really liked, just the font and the way it felt in my hand. The story was also fairly good, though it was slightly confusing. There also flash backs, in which Offred remembers her past, when she had freedom, and a husband, and a child. The new society is supposed to be "better" for women, but it's run by hypocrites. Some high-class women are allowed to read, and though "sin" is supposedly abolished, the Commanders still go to brothels. It made me really angry, and this was a very sad book. I still liked reading it, however. 295 pages, 4.5 stars.