‘Get your copy before public book burnings’: Margaret Atwood on Alberta schools pulling ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’

Removals include The Handmaid’s Tale and 1984, as Alberta’s new rules on school libraries draw criticism from authors and civil liberties advocates

By: Express Web Desk

Updated: August 31, 2025 08:54 AM IST

2 min read

A copy of Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, one of several classics removed from Edmonton public school libraries under Alberta’s new book ban rules. (Source: AP Photo/File)

Margaret Atwood has spoken out after her novel The Handmaid’s Tale was included on a list of more than 200 books removed from Edmonton public school libraries under Alberta’s new restrictions on sexual content in schools. “Get your copy before they have public book burnings,” Atwood wrote Friday on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.

The Edmonton Public School Board had withdrawn titles including Atwood’s novel, Maya Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four, Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World and F Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. The board said it was following rules announced last month by Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides banning books with sexually explicit material.

Premier Danielle Smith said the division had gone too far. She has described the move as “vicious compliance.” Nicolaides said his office is reviewing the list. Critics warned the policy is already leading to widespread censorship.

The new ministerial order requires all schools to remove sexually explicit material by the end of September. Schools must also adopt policies by January to maintain compliance.The Edmonton board said its list is not exhaustive and more titles could be removed in the coming weeks.

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