Are Men Being Pushed Out?

All the Single Ladies is a New York Times bestselling investigation into the lives of unmarried women in America. The book, written by award-winning journalist Rebecca Traister, explores the historical and contemporary landscape of single women, their impact on social change, and the various factors influencing their choices. Traister conducted over 100 interviews with academics, social scientists, and prominent single women to uncover the significance of single women in driving movements such as temperance, abolition, secondary education, and more. The book covers class, race, sexual orientation, and features vivid anecdotes from both contemporary and historical figures, emphasizing the collective power of single women in guiding legal, economic, and social progress.

The novel is set in a near-future New England in the Republic of Gilead, a patriarchal, totalitarian state that has overthrown the United States government. Offred, the narrator, is one of the 'Handmaids', women who are forcibly assigned to produce children for the ruling class, known as 'Commanders'. The story explores themes of powerless women, loss of female agency and individuality, and the suppression of women's reproductive rights. Offred's life is marked by her restrictive routine, her memories of her past life, and her interactions with the Commander, his wife Serena Joy, and other Handmaids, including her friend Ofglen who is part of an underground resistance movement. The novel is a scathing satire, an ominous warning, and a tour de force of narrative suspense.