Books like ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ and ‘1984’ are flying off the shelves after the presidential election
(CNN), Margaret Atwood's "The Handmaid's Tale," a novel set in a totalitarian society, has shot to the top of Amazon's bestselling books list following Donald Trump's reelection.
It saw a whopping 6,866% surge in sales, according to Amazon figures early Thursday, skyrocketing in just one day to third place from its previous ranking at 209. It currently occupies the top spot in Amazon's literary fiction and political fiction categories and placed ninth in Barnes & Noble's list of bestselling books.
Former president Trump clinched a victory against Vice President Kamala Harris in Tuesday's election, securing a second term, non-consecutive after he lost in 2020.
One of the key issues of this election was reproductive rights, which posed a concern for Trump as polls showed voters strongly favored Harris on the issue. While Trump said he would veto a federal abortion ban, he has sought credit for installing three conservative justices that tipped the balance of the US Supreme Court and overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022.
"The Handmaid's Tale" takes place in a theocratic, male-dominated future America where the US Constitution is suspended, media is censored and women (the titular "handmaids") are forced to bear children for the ruling class.
Many have harnessed comparisons to Atwood's classic in the lead-up to the election, particularly around the topic of reproductive rights. When speaking on the strong turnout of women voters in early voting data, former Barack Obama senior adviser Valerie Jarrett told MSNBC that "women don't want to be in ‘The Handmaid's Tale," despite exit polls showing Harris' edge among women did not exceed President Joe Biden's in 2020 or that of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in 2016.
Alexandre Meneghini/Reuters
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Atwood, a vocal supporter of abortion rights, took to X herself to post a political cartoon before the election that showed women dressed as handmaids lining up to vote and exchanging their uniforms for normal clothes as they exited the voting booth. After the election, she posted: "Despair is not an option."
It's not the first time her book has entered the political conversation. Women donned in the handmaids' iconic white bonnet and red robe have become staples at protests, from Brett Kavanaugh's Supreme Court appointment to the aftermath of the dissolution of Roe v. Wade.
Other works of dystopian fiction have also dominated the bestseller list. Novels dealing with similar themes of oppression, such as George Orwell's "1984" about pervasive surveillance and rigid governmental control and Ray Bradbury's "Fahrenheit 451," about a society in which books are banned entirely, have seen a 250% and 333% rise in Amazon sales, respectively.
The election has also boosted downloads of certain apps like Calm, a meditation app, which jumped 100 spots on the Apple App Store on election night, according to a Calm spokesperson.
Calm drew attention on social media after airing ads that gave viewers "30 seconds of silence" amid continuous election coverage.
The current number one bestselling book on both Amazon and Barnes & Noble's lists is former first lady Melania Trump's memoir, titled "Melania."
