Books Page

I don't read books anymore because I am stupid. However, I have read plenty of books in the past, and I have opinions on them. Here are the books I have read and reviewed.

The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood

Another book I read in High School. If you are noticing a pattern here; no you don’t. Anyway, I read this book in a week and I very much enjoyed it. There is a lot Margaret Atwood is saying here about religion and women’s rights in America and especially in right wing politics. The Handmaid’s Tale takes place in the United States after a far right Christian violent take over. The country is ruled by a hyper patriarchal government where the main character is forced to be a “handmaiden”; a breeding slave for a high ranking government official. This book touches on a lot of different topics, especially misogyny, but also topics like genocide and nuclear war. I could notice the clear real world inspirations like the obvious American Puritan religious history, but also things like Nazi secret police, and the rise of conservative religious revival in the 1980’s due to Ronald Reagan (curse be upon his name). The society depicted is extremely dystopian and the life of the main character, Offred, lives her life under complete surveillance and control. There is a lot to take away from this book about issues that are significant to today’s world, and to the US in our time of increasing fascism.

Catch 22 - Joseph Heller

I read this book a long time ago in highschool so I quite don't remember the entire plot. That being said, Catch-22 is a great book that portrays the absurdity of war. It also introduced me to the concept of a catch 22, the paradoxical situation coined by the author. This book is a satirical dark comedy about pilots in ww2. My favorite part is the introduction of the catch-22, where one pilot requested mental evaluation for insanity to not fly, but the doctor claimed if he was afraid to fly it meant that he was sane, and if was actually insane, he also had to fly because you have to be insane to fly into war. However, Catch-22 doesn't shy away from portraying the horrors of war aswell. Characters die, commit attrocities, and become traumatized. The combination of the humor and satire with the brutal moments expertly portays the cruelty and absurdity of war. I much enjoyed this book and was glad I picked this at random for my class asignment so long ago.