Surrogacy & Handmaid’s Tale

I read Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood in high school. At the time, I don’t remember it affecting me too much. I remembered the Latin phrase “don’t let the bastards grind you down” more than I remembered the full plot line likely due to being in Latin class at the time.

Watching the book play out on Hulu has been strange – it’s affecting me more than I thought it would. Most folks probably expect this to be due to the election, the critique on gender equality, the LGBTQ issues, the violence, etc. but it actually has to do with the way surrogacy is portrayed in the series. I am a “product” of surrogacy (more here and here). My high school self wasn’t quite ready to tackle that area of my identity so it’s not surprising I don’t remember much about the book or any proceeding discussion around it…