Skip to content »

Front Street Teens

Author Crush on Margaret Atwood

My author crush for this month is Canadian author Margaret Atwood.   I was thinking about her recently because I saw one of her books, The Handmaid’s Tale is on one of the high school reading lists.   And while I don’t love every book she’s ever written, I have read a few of her books again and again.  The Handmaid’s Tale is one of those books that I can read more than once, and continue to enjoy it.  And, be creeped out by it.  It’s a dystopian book, set in a future where women’s rights have been removed, and their only value in their society is if they’re able to have children.  It’s a thought-provoking story, and I can see why it’s one of the high school lists this year, because it’s the kind of book that makes you think, and stays in your mind a long time after you’ve finished it.   At least, that’s my opinion.

I also really liked her recently trilogy, Oryx and Crake, The Year of the Flood, and MaddAddam.    But, I re-read The Robber Bride and Cat’s Eye every year.    Her characters tend to feel very real to me, and I find it’s easy to become immersed in the worlds she creates in her books.   Not all of her books are dystopias; The Robber Bride is contemporary fiction, focusing on four women in Canada.   One of the things I like, though, which seems to be consistent with a lot of her books, is that you can’t always be sure about a character, and who they really are.   In many stories, you might start out thinking you know what a character’s going to do, and then they completely surprise you and do something else. 

You’ll find her books in our Library in the Fiction section.     As I mentioned, The Handmaid’s Tale is on a high school reading list this year, so if you’re a younger reader, these might not be your kind of books.   But, keep them in mind for a future read, sometime along the way in your reading adventures.

Add new comment

Plain text

  • No HTML tags allowed.
  • Web page addresses and e-mail addresses turn into links automatically.
  • Lines and paragraphs break automatically.
CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.

777 Front Street Lisle, IL 60532 | Phone: 630-971-1675 | Fax: 630-971-1701 | Hours: M-F 9:30am-9:00pm, SAT 9:30am-5:00pm, SUN 1:00pm-5:00pm