The Handmaid's Tale is a bleak novel by Margaret Atwood, published in 1985. It is set in the Republic of Gilead, a authoritarian society where women lost all their rights. In this society, women are divided into castes based on their reproductive capabilities, with Handmaids being forced into reproductive servitude. The novel centers on Offred, a Handmaid assigned to a Commander and his wife, Serena Joy, an activist-turned-architect of the regime. The Handmaid's Tale was adapted into a successful TV series in 2017, winning several awards, including Emmys and Golden Globes.