Topline
Donald Trump’s reelection has appeared to boost memoirs from Melania Trump and Vice Presidential pick J.D. Vance on bestseller lists, while also lifting sales of dystopian classics like Margaret Atwood’s “The Handmaid’s Tale” and George Orwell’s “1984,” continuing a trend observed during Trump’s first presidency.
Key Facts
Melania Trump’s memoir, which was released Oct. 8 and provided intimate details into the Trump family, has remained popular; it is the #1 best-selling book on Amazon days after the election, also holding the #1 spot for categories on the New York Times bestseller list (combined formats of print and e-book non-fiction; hardcover non-fiction) and jumping into the #1 spot on Barnes and Noble’s bestselling books list.
Atwood’s “The Handmaid’s Tale,” a 1985 fiction book about a brutally totalitarian government that enslaves women, shot to the second spot on Amazon’s best-sellers list (from its place in the 200s as sales rose more than 6,000% following Tuesday’s election, according to CNN)—the book became a political symbol during the first Trump presidency.
Other books depicting totalitarian governments ruled by misinformation and violent, dystopian societies, like science fiction author Ray Bradbury’s “Fahrenheit 451” and Orwell’s “1984,” rank in the top 20 best-selling books on Amazon, with sales growing more than 200% post-election, according to CNN.
“On Tyranny,” a 2017 book by historian Timothy Snyder about Nazism, fascism and totalitarianism in the 20th century, is also a top-seller this week on Amazon, the New York Times best-sellers list, and Barnes and Noble’s best-selling list.
“War,” by prominent journalist Bob Woodward, released Oct. 15, remains a best-selling book this week after first making news by shedding light on Trump’s relationship with Putin, depicting phone calls and the sharing of Covid vaccines.
Vance’s memoir, “Hillbilly Elegy,” published in 2018, first saw sales explode more than 13,000% after he became the vice presidential pick and has held a spot on the New York Times bestselling list for paperback nonfiction for weeks; his book held the #6 spot on Amazon’s best-selling list Friday.
Key Background
Trump was re-elected Tuesday following a closely-watched race against Vice President Kamala Harris. Trump cleanly won Electoral College votes through swing states North Carolina, Georgia, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania. Results in two states, Nevada and Arizona, have not yet been called.
How Does Atwood’s “handmaid’s Tale” Relate To Trump?
When Trump won office in 2016, beating out Hillary Clinton in an unexpected victory, cultural parallels were drawn between the book’s oppressive themes and the Trump presidency. Activists started to reference the book and wear the stylistic red and white clothing women were forced to wear in the book to protest the administration and its stance on women’s rights. As Supreme Court justices appointed by Trump helped to overturn Roe v. Wade, which provided a constitutionally protected right to abortion, people also dressed in the outfits during marches to protest the ruling.
Crucial Quote
“Fiction and non-fiction books that feature fascism, feminism, dystopian worlds and both right-and-left leaning politics rocketed up our sales charts with the election results,” Shannon DeVito, the senior director of books at Barnes and Noble, told Forbes over email.
Further Reading
This post was originally published on here
