Gilead Isn’t Fiction: Discussing The Handmaid’s Tale

In March 2025, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed a lawsuit against the St. Francis Area School District in Minnesota for banning several books, including The Handmaid's Tale, from school libraries. The lawsuit contends that the district's actions violate students' First Amendment rights by removing books based on political and ideological objections.

This incident underscores the ongoing debates about censorship and the control of information, themes central to Atwood's dystopian narrative. The parallels between the fictional suppression in Gilead and contemporary challenges to literary freedom provide a compelling backdrop for our discussion.

The topics in the book can make for a difficult read, so feel free to attend even if you don't read the book. I don't believe we can get wholesale copies in a timely manner, so I can't offer a discount at Abi's.