9. The Handmaid's Tale

This week, we discuss Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale.

In this episode, we read and watched:

• Margaret Atwood’s original novel, published in 1985. Buy on Amazon or iBooks.
• The Handmaid’s Tale (1990), directed by Volker Schlöndorff, written by Harold Pinter, starring Natasha Richardson, Robert Duvall, and Faye Dunaway. Watch on Amazon or iTunes.
• The Handmaid’s Tale (2017), the first season of the Hulu original, starring Elizabeth Moss. Watch with a Hulu subscription or buy on Amazon or iTunes.

Some of the stuff we talked about in this episode:

• That one very negative review of the film and the book, written by Owen Gleiberman, published in Entertainment Weekly in 1990.
• The 2012 audiobook, read by Claire Danes. Buy on Amazon or iTunes.
• “Sending a Man to Do a Woman’s Job: How the 1990 Handmaid’s Tale Film Became an Erotic Thriller,” by Natalie Zutter, from Tor.com.
• “One Reason The Handmaid’s Tale Won Emmys Best Drama,” from The Nerdwriter. Here’s a link to his YouTube channel.

8. Fun Home

This week, we discuss Alison Bechdel’s Fun Home!

In this episode we read, listened to, and watched:

• The original comic, Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic, 2006. Buy on Amazon or iBooks.
• Fun Home (A New Broadway Musical), adapted by Lisa Kron and Jeanine Tesori, 2013. Soundtrack available on iTunes or Amazon.

Some of the stuff we talked about in this episode:

• The Bechdel Test.
• Dykes to Watch Out For by Alison Bechdel.
• Are You My Mother? by Alison Bechdel.
• The 2016–2017 Fun Home national touring company.
• Ring of Keys, performed by Sydney Lucas at the 2015 Tony Awards.

7. Little Women

Happy New Year, everybody! In this episode, we discuss Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women, 1868.

Everything we read and watched for this episode:

• The original novel. Download on Amazon or iBooks.
• Little Women, 1933, starring Katharine Hepburn. Buy on Amazon or iTunes.
• Little Women, 1949, starring June Allyson. Buy on iTunes or Amazon.
• Little Women, 1980, produced by Toei Animation. Watch on YouTube.
• Little Women, 1994, starring Winona Ryder. Buy on Amazon or iTunes.

Some of the stuff we talked about in the episode:

• Orchard House, Concord, MA.
• That creepy picture of June Allyson, from Too Young to Kiss, 1951. She’s 34 in this picture.
• We didn’t watch the 1978 miniseries, but just to give you a taste, here’s a little bit of William Shatner’s German accent.