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When She Woke
By: Hillary Jordan
About Hillary Jordan
Hillary Jordan is from Dallas, Texas. She received her BA in English and political science at Wellesley College. She also has a MFA in creative writing from Columbia University and she spent 15 years working as an advertising copywriter before starting to write fiction. She has written 2 novels "Mudbound" and "When She Woke" and also a digital short story called "Aftermirth".
Summary
"When She Woke" is set in a dystopian, America of the near future in which all but the most violent criminals are punished by being "chromed" meaning having their skin colored to match their crime, like murdering someone will get you turned red. This book is focused on a young Texan woman named Hannah Payne who was made a Red after having an abortion, which is illegal in the future of Texas and most other states .She's convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to spend 16 years as a Red. The pregnancy happened because of a love affair with Aidan Dale, the married pastor of the mega-church Hannah belongs to. She wakes after being injected with the virus that turns her skin red to find herself in a mirrored cell where she is being filmed and broadcast to the public in a form of reality TV. Aware that she is being observed. That her family and her lover could be watching her at any moment she tries to remain calm, but the confinement, solitude and self-reflection, was slowly starting to drive her crazy. Hannah's love for Aidan, she was ashamed of being with a married man, and that she's deeply religious and he's a man of God. Hannah's longing for God's love and mercy, which she feels she has lost, on the day she leaves the Chrome Ward and is taken by her father to the Straight Path Center, a house for women Chromes run by a Christian fundamentalists. The Straight Path Center proves to be a twisted and cruel place, and Hannah's hopes begin to go away. Her one consolation is Kayla, a fellow Red who befriends Hannah her first day at the center and encourage her during her moments of sadness and despair. Hannah, having been rescued by a group calling themselves the Novembrists from vigilantes led by her brother-in-law, has a discouraged Christmas in a "safe house" with Kayla and their rescuers. Almost everything Hannah loves had been taken away from her so for the first time she gets drunk. Hannah is still in the safe house and is devastated when she sees Aidan on television looking radiantly happy despite the fact that she's a Chrome and no longer in his life. After that she felt betrayed like she didn't mean anything to him when she was in love with him. When they reunited she told Aidan that they couldn't be together anymore and she walked away from him which was hard since he was her first love. Now she is headed north to Canada to be free after what has happened to her.
Hannah
the dystopian protagonist that realizes what wrong with the government and society.
Rvd. Aidan Dale
He is a married Pastor that had a love affair with Hannah and got Hannah Pregnant which she later aborts the child.
Kalya
Kayla helped Hannah when she was down and they escaped with the vigilantes together with others. Kayla was also red like Hannah for murdering her step father because he was molesting her her sister.
The dsytopian Characteristic
Propaganda is used to control the citizens of society. The christian religion is worshiped by the citizens of society and is affecting the government choices. By arresting people and charging them for murder just for abortion.
Dystopian controls
Religious control: Society is controlled by religious ideology enforced through the government. The way the government is controlled by the christian religion.
My Review
I would recommend this book because it was really good on showing what could happen if religion gets in control over the government and what happens if women stop fighting for equal rights. the only bad ting is that its kind of long so i kind of had to rush through it, but out of 10 stars i would give it a 8 1/2 stars.