The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

The Handmaid's Tale was written by Margaret Atwood in 1985, and at least a couple of the descriptions in this novel about ideals taken to extremes are now chillingly part of everyday life in the USA. The story is an interesting look at how people survive (or not) under totalitarianism. The society the author has constructed compels you and draws you in, albeit reluctantly. To me, a society like this seems more probable now than I would have thought it to be had I read the book back in 1985.