Dystopian Books to Get Lost in Right Now

“Suzanne Collins has never been subtle with her commentary on propaganda and censorship. Her latest book, Sunrise on the Reaping, is no exception,” declared NPR. Set during the 50th Games, this searing prequel follows Haymitch into a doubled-up arena—and a rigged system built to break him.

Finalist for the 2024 National Book Award for Translated Literature, this Arabic-to-English debut follows a weary censor who spends his days redacting queerness, memory, and dissent from state-approved texts. But at night, stolen novels haunt his dreams—and soon, he’s drawn into a secret network of rogue readers risking everything to preserve the past. “An urgent, sweeping call to arms for the protection of books and book lovers everywhere,” wrote Kirkus.

First published in 1985, the book remains as relevant and conversation-sparking as ever. Set in the theocratic state of Gilead, it explores the violent stripping away of women’s rights and the slow-burning resistance that follows. This chilling dystopia feels disturbingly timeless. The acclaimed TV adaptation starring Elisabeth Moss has brought the story to a whole new generation and is airing its final season this spring.

In this Tertulia staff pick and Read with Jenna book club selection, a woman lands at LAX, where agents detain her based on a chilling prediction: their dream-surveillance algorithm shows she will harm her husband. Confined to a retention center for "observation," she joins other women also held captive by their own dreams. It’s a deeply human story about privacy, freedom, and resistance in an age of digital surveillance.