In the world of the near future, who will control women's bodies?<br><br>Offred is a Handmaid in the Republic of Gilead. She may leave the home of the Commander and his wife once a day to walk to food markets whose signs are now pictures instead of words because women are no longer allowed to read. She must lie on her back once a month and pray that the Commander makes her pregnant, because in an age of declining births, Offred and the other Handmaids are only valued if their ovaries are viable.<br><br>Offred can remember the days before, when she lived and made love with her husband Luke; when she played with and protected her daughter; when she had a job, money of her own, and access to knowledge. But all of that is gone now....<br><br>Funny, unexpected, horrifying, and altogether convincing, <i>The Handmaid's Tale</i> is at once scathing satire, dire warning, and tour de force.