Margaret Atwood Is Terrifying Us With These Handmaid’s Tale Warnings

Think The Handmaid's Tale is a work of pure fiction? Think again. The book's author, Margaret Atwood, says that she based the events of that novel on things that actually happened — and she adds that history can often repeat itself. Atwood shared those grim words at an international book fair in Cuba, where she also spoke on the book's themes and why she thinks Trump's presidency has boosted sales of the 1985 work. Atwood told The Guardian that during the research process for the book, she looked at puritan values and 17th century America. If you don't remember that part of history class, just know that it wasn't exactly the women's lib movement. That would explain why women have such a low place in the society depicted in the novel. Atwood adds that the current restriction of abortion rights echo the Handmaid's Tale as well as the values upheld in early America. That's not all. In the book, the narrator escapes to Canada, a place considered safer than the Republic of Gilead, a stand-in for America. Sound familiar? If you think the fictional tale of a dictator that controls women so that they can only serve as slaves, wives, and servants seems far-fetched, Atwood has another warning. "We think as progress being a straight line forever upwards," Atwood told The Guardian. "But it never has been so, you can think you are being a liberal democracy but then — bang — you’re Hitler’s Germany. That can happen very suddenly." We can't credit the book's resurgence on President Trump alone, however. Thanks to a Super Bowl ad promoting Hulu's adaptation and the many teaser trailers promoting it, there has been a renewed interest on all fronts. Oh, one more thing. Keep an eye out when you're watching the series, because Atwood noted that she'll be making a cameo.