Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale is a story of intense social structures, corrupted government and the oppression of women. It has frequently appeared on banned book lists for its “vulgarity and sexual overtones.” Whether you’re a fan of the book or an avid watcher of Hulu’s adaptation, these are the books you should read if you loved The Handmaid’s Tale and want more dystopian type narratives.
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
Everything changed in one night for humanity when Arthur Leander died of a heart attack onstage during a performance of King Lear, the same night that a pandemic wiped out civilization. Now, twenty years after the incident, Kirsten Raymonde travels along the wastelands with a troupe of musicians and actors known as the Traveling Symphony, with the sole goal of keeping art and humanity alive. But a hostile prophet threatens the fabric of their group upon arrival in St. Deborah by the Water. Station Eleven moves between the time frames, before and after the major pandemic that changed the course of their lives forever.
Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler
Taking place in the early 2020’s in California, society is spiraling into chaos in a world stricken by climate change and economic crisis. Fifteen-year-old Lauren Olamina is safe inside her gated community from the riots and crime that flood the streets outside. Simultaneously, Lauren has a heightened sensitivity to the emotions of others, known as hyperempathy. Lauren knows her voice is the only way her community will care about what’s going on beyond the gates and is determined to be heard, but what starts as a way to combat the crisis becomes a gateway into a new awakening of faith.
The Mother Code by Carole Stivers
After a deadly chemical agent intended for biowarfare is released, scientists must ensure the survival of humankind. Their solution is to place genetically engineered children into robotic cocoons programmed with an intelligence known as “the Mother Code” that allows them to raise the children in the same way a natural mother would. Kai learned the ways of survival from his Mother, Rho-Z, but as the children come into age, their Mothers also transform as well, and pose as a threat that must be destroyed. Kai must make a choice: protect his only parental figure or fight against it for the sake of humanity.
Afterland by Lauren Beukes
Miles is one of the last remaining boys on the planet, and his mother, Cole, is determined to keep him safe from the ruthless world that sees him as nothing more than a means of sexual reproduction. In order to do so, Cole disguises Miles as her daughter and the two trek across a dystopian America, running from Miles’ sister who is out for his blood. Afterland is written in feminist style that combines suspense and science fiction in this thrilling story where men seldom survive.
The End We Start From by Megan Hunter
In this debut indie hit from Megan Hunter, a woman gives birth to a child named Z, and despite all the odds, the baby survives and thrives. London is now submerged under floodwaters and the new mother is determined to find refuge somewhere safe. Taking on all the dangers ahead of them in foreign lands, mother and son will face challenges like never before.
Once You Go In: A Memoir of Radical Faith by Carly Gelsinger
Barely a teenager, Carly Gelsinger joined a radical cult and quickly became involved in their terrifying practices and way of life. But as she grew up, she realized that the only thing the cult was doing was ruining her life. In Once You Go In, Gelsinger recounts her journey and the way she escaped the people she had once thought of as family.
The Bees by Laline Paull
Laline Paull will change the way you look at the world around you in The Bees. In her orchard hive, Flora 717 is a curious sanitation worker bee, brave enough to challenge the queen’s rules of infertility after finding out her secrets. Before she knows it, her maternal needs and her inability to control them could put her in fatal danger.
The Power by Naomi Alderman
If Margaret Atwood herself blurbs a book, you know it’s a book like The Handmaid’s Tale to add to your list. Teenage girls suddenly have a strong power pulsing through them and are on a mission to change the ways of the world. Overpowering all of the men with their harmful and fatal force, this new phenomenon will reset the planet as they know it and put women back in charge.
VOX by Christina Dalcher
When the American government decides to silence women by preventing them from holding jobs, no longer teaching girls to read and write and limiting women to speaking only 100 words per day – Dr. Jean McClellan must reclaim her voice to stand up for women across the country.
Only Ever Yours by Louise O’Neill
Beauty is the first priority of every woman in a world where their purpose in life is to please men. Desperately wanting to be picked by a powerful man, Frieda and Isabel will do whatever it takes to stay in the Top 10 Beautiful Girls in their grade but unforeseen events will leave Isabel losing her grip on reality and jeopardize the bright future she dreams of.
This Is How It Begins by Joan Dempsey
When a political rift begins rising between a school and their staff, professor Ludka Zeilonka and her past involving World War II will be thrown into the middle of it. When a stranger from her history comes back with threats of exposing her, the future of Ludka’s family will hang in the balance and threaten the life she has created for herself.
1984 by George Orwell
George Orwell’s classic brings readers into a world where your every move is being watched and no one’s thoughts are safe. Winston Smith didn’t anticipate falling into forbidden love with Julia but before he knows it, he is joining a revolutionary party and going up against everything he has ever known. With dangerous consequences, 1984 paints the scene of a future dystopia.
If you loved 1984, here are a few more books like 1984 we think you’ll like.
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