Saturday Reading Group

The Saturday Reading Group on February 9th will be a joint discussion of The Handmaid’s Tale & Fahrenheit 451 to make up for the January cancellation.

“The Handmaid’s Tale” by Margaret Atwood is a dystopian novel that satirizes the strain of evangelical puritanism in American culture and the objectification of women. It is more broadly a contemporary myth of despotic power and how such power deforms those who are subjected to it. “One of Atwood’s finest pieces of work.” The TV series adaptation, starring Elisabeth Moss, is equally haunting, vivid and endlessly engrossing.

“Fahrenheit 451” by Ray Bradbury is a hauntingly prophetic, classic novel set in a not-too-distant future where books are burned by a special task force of firemen. Guy Montag is a fireman. His job is to burn books, which are forbidden, being the source of all discord and unhappiness. The classic novel reflects a post-literate future in a prophetic account of Western civilization’s enslavement by the media, drugs and conformity. The 1966 film adaptation stars Julie Christie, Oskar Werner, and Cyril Cusack. “With a serious and even terrifying theme, this excursion into science fiction has been thoughtfully directed by Francois Truffaut and there is adequate evidence of light touches to bring welcome and needed relief to a sombre and scarifying subject.”

When and where: Meetings will be held at the library once a month on Saturday afternoons starting at 3 pm. Cost: FREE to all members of the library. To join: Please contact Anne Kaar at bookgroup@ellia.org