The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

From Goodreads.com

   Offred is a Handmaid in the Republic of Gilead. She may leave the home of the Commander and his wife once a day to walk to food markets whose signs are now pictures instead of words because women are no longer allowed to read. She must lie on her back once a month and pray that the commander makes her pregnant, because in an age of declining births, Offred and the other Handmaids are valued only if their ovaries are viable. Offred can remember the years before, when she lived and made love with her husband, Luke; when she played with and protected her daughter; when she had a job, money of her own, and access to knowledge. But all of that is gone now.

   The Handmaid's Tale has been on my TBR list for years, it's a banned book you know? (Is it bad that I look at banned books as precautionary tales?) I finally picked it up after getting it for a steal from one of my daily emails. For some reason I thought this was an older book. I was very surprised to find it was first published in 1986. The writing is good, but I must say it was a little odd at first. There were no quotation marks to distinguish dialogue. After a chapter or two it was easier to realize what was part of a conversation.

   I especially liked that Offred remembers what life was like before the new laws were in place. She is in the transition phase of this take-over. Most dystopian books (at least those that I've read) are taking place after a corrupt system has been in place for numerous years. It was interesting to see how she felt about not being allowed to read, knowing that future generations of girls wouldn't even know how. Along with how she felt about many other changes. They took her daughter away, she wasn't allowed to love, and was passed from household to household when they became dissatisfied with her for not becoming pregnant.

   Obviously if you like the dystopian genre this book is a must read. This should also be on any list of someone who likes banned books. If you're not interested in these genres this book probably isn't for you. 

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

From the Paperback:
"Guy Montag was a fireman whose job it was to start fires. And he enjoyed his job. He had been a fireman for ten years, and he had never questioned the pleasure of the midnight runs or the joy of watching pages consumed by flames, never questioned anything, until he met a seventeen-year-old girl who told him of a past when people were not afraid. Then Guy met a professor who told him of a future in which people could think. And Guy Montag suddenly realized what he had to do..."

" 'You weren't there, you didn't see,' he said. 'There must be something in books, things we can't imagine, to make a woman stay in a burning house; there must be something there. You don't stay for nothing.' "

 This was/is required reading in some high schools, not mine though. I've just read it recently and I wonder if I had read it in high school, would it have had the same impact on me as it does now? In this future books have been banned, not just some books, all books. If you're caught with a book your house is burnt by firemen. It starts by banning one book because of offensive content and escalates quickly. Within two generations most people forget they can think for themselves. It's a world of people just going with the flow, Guy can't even remember how he and his wife met.
   I think the implications of Fahrenheit 451 are obvious and something to be cautioned against. While reading this I wondered how anyone could just accept the thoughts they were fed and adopt them as their own. Guy only begins thinking for himself when he meets Clarisse who challenges him with questions and ideas he has never considered before.
   This book should be read by people who cherish the written word. Fans of dystopian novels will also enjoy this book. I imagine I'm a little behind on reading this one, but if you're like me and haven't read it before, now is the time.