We’re all Under His Eye once again.
With the reelection of Donald Trump as president this past week, sales of Margaret Atwood’s “The Handmaid’s Tale” have experienced a surge in sales
The novel saw a 6,866% rise in sales based on Amazon figures early Thursday, reports CNN. Before Election Day the books ranked at 209, but shot up to No. 3 after the election. It places 9th on Barnes & Noble’s list of bestsellers. Written in 1985, “The Handmaid’s Tale” presents a totalitarian society known as Gilead in which fertile women are enslaved and sexually assaulted in order to bear children for the ruling class. The book inspired Hulu’s Emmy -winning TV series adaptation of the same name starring Elisabeth Moss.
The themes of the novel and series have resonated as reproductive rights like abortion and other health care concerns have been rolled back. The novel was also popular during Trump’s first term as president.
George Orwell’s “1984,” about a society under authoritarian control and surveillance, and Ray Bradbury’s book-burning novel “Fahrenheit 451” have also seen a parallel rise in sales. “1984” hit No. 13, while “Fahrenheit 451” reached No .18 on Amazon’s list.
In a departure from speculative narratives, Timothy Snyder’s “On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century” made the top 10, reports CBS News.
Meanwhile, Trump-friendly fare like Melania Trump’s memoir “Melania” still holds the top spot, while VP-elect JD Vance’s “Hillbilly Elegy” was among the Top 10.
Before the election, Atwood had tweeted on X an editorial cartoon that referenced “The Handmaid’s Tale” in a hopeful fashion, in which women lined up and dressed in the oppressive handmaid’s cloak and hood would emerge from the voting booth in modern attire. After the election, however, she posted the photo of a weeping Lady Liberty with the caption, “Despair is not an option.”
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