The Testaments

 The Testaments by Margaret Atwood
2019
Weight: 1.7 lbs
Method of Disposal: Donating

It would be a real challenge to write a book that would always be held up next to The Handmaid's Tale, an unexpected sequel to a book that was so powerful on its on.  So, I understand those that are disappointed or expected something else, but I also understand those that loved it.  I thought it stood well on its own, which was a relief after having read the book several times but many years ago and having recently watched the tv series.  I was afraid I would be utterly confused if I did not re-read the first book, but I was fine.  

It was interesting to switch perspectives.  It is not that I did not miss Offred.  I really did.  It was still a unique experience to be in the mind of an Aunt, amongst others.  The only thing I was not keen on was the ending, but I cannot really talk about that here, can I?

Divergent

Divergent by Veronica Roth
2011
Weight: 7.2 oz
Method of Disposal: Donating

I went to see the second Hunger Games movie, and there was a trailer for Divergent.  I have not worked in a bookstore in so long, and I have been avoiding going into any while I try to read and get rid of all the ones I have.  I am, officially, out of the loop.  In the first few seconds I actually got excited because I thought it was The Giver--not that I am sure a movie made in 2014 could give that book justice.  This excitement was quickly followed by agitation that there was another book like it out there.

Days later I realized how silly that emotional roller coaster was.  It did not seem all that similar.  It was dystopian, and there are a lot of similarities in all dystopian books because they mirror us.  Our hopes and our fears.  We are drawn to them.  I picked it up in a grocery store.  I felt compelled and could not stop myself, despite this project.  I never have time for anything but work anymore and the idea of a fast-paced young adult read was irresistible.

I am so glad I did.  It did, indeed, read fast, and I really enjoyed it.  I am very excited to see the second one and, yeah, I am sure I will eventually see the movie.  Sometimes you need to just let yourself go...
 

Brave New World

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
1998
Weight: 8.5 oz
Method of Disposal: Donating

Love this book.  It was one of my favorites in high school, but I still have love for the dystopian societies.  Mass produced people placed into various caste systems at birth.  Some people still do not fit in.  And there is your story...

And a place where even sex is taken away because reproduction has been streamlined...

My. Personal. Hell.

1984

1984: 60th Anniversary Edition
1983
Weight: 9.6 oz
Method of Disposal: Gave to my friend, Tracy

I can no longer imagine living in this world without having read 1984. Its language has become community language. Its themes are embedded in a collective memory. We always hear talk of “Big Brother.” In other books, movies, conversations, interviews, everywhere. It is hard to block it out of your mind when you walk into a store with an automated voice that greets you by saying, “You are on camera. Do not steal anything.” Upon looking up, you see several monitors with your image from various angles. The word “Orwellian” occur to you? It has survived for decades and has been passed down and down. It warned/scared people then, and it still does now. The constant war, the censorship, the surveillance, the national identity, the propaganda always seems eerily familiar.

If you have not read this book yet, you should. You will hear it referred to throughout your life no matter what, but if you read it you will understand why.
"Your worst enemy, he reflected, was your nervous system. At any moment the tension inside you was liable to translate itself into some visible symptom."