Canadian author Margaret Atwood has created a satirical short story aimed at teenagers. This comes in response to a decision by the Edmonton Public School Board to remove over 200 books from its libraries, including Atwood's own classic, The Handmaid's Tale. The move follows a government directive aimed at limiting sexually explicit material in schools.

Atwood, known for her influential works such as Alias Grace and The Blind Assassin, shared her new story on social media. In her post, she stated, "Here’s a piece of literature by me, suitable for seventeen-year-olds in Alberta schools, unlike — we are told — The Handmaid’s Tale." The story features two characters, John and Mary, who are depicted as overly virtuous children. They marry and have children without ever engaging in sexual relations, while claiming to be devout but practicing selfish capitalism inspired by Ayn Rand.

The Edmonton Public School Board's list of books to be removed includes notable titles such as Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World, Maya Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, and Alice Walker’s The Color Purple. The list also features works by authors like Alice Munro, Colleen Hoover, and George R. R. Martin. The types of materials affected range from manga and graphic novels to short stories and novels.

In response to the situation, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith criticized the school board's actions as "vicious compliance," suggesting that the board was overstepping the intent of the provincial legislation. The new standards for school libraries, introduced over the summer, aim to ensure that materials are age-appropriate and limit sexual content.

On August 29, Smith emphasized the directive's goal of removing graphic content from elementary schools, stating, "We are trying to take sexually explicit content out of elementary schools that is inappropriate for me to show on the television news at night, and so it is inappropriate for seven-year-olds to see." She also mentioned that while some books may not be suitable for younger students, they could be appropriate for high schoolers.

Following the backlash, Alberta's education minister, Demetrios Nicolaides, instructed school boards to pause the removal of books until further notice. He requested clarification from the Edmonton Public School Board regarding the selection of books for removal. Nicolaides reiterated that the intent of the order was to protect young children from sexually explicit content.

Bridget Stirling, a former trustee of the Edmonton Public School Board, expressed concern over the list, noting that it included many award-winning books. She argued that decisions about book availability should be made by experts in library development, not based on personal opinions. Stirling pointed out that the list contained more works by women authors and included diverse perspectives.

Atwood has continued to voice her concerns about the government's actions. In a recent post, she highlighted a fall book list from a Canadian store, remarking that not all of the titles had been banned by the Alberta government yet.