Burning Questions: Essays and Occasional Pieces, 2004 to 2021
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- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Margaret Atwood
- ISBN：038554748X
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Summary
This brilliant selection of essays—funny， erudite， endlessly curious， uncannily prescient—seeks answers to Burning Questions such as:
• Why do people everywhere， in all cultures， tell stories？
• How much of yourself can you give away without evaporating？
• How can we live on our planet？
• Is it true？ And is it fair？
• What do zombies have to do with authoritarianism？
In over fifty pieces Atwood aims her prodigious intellect and impish humor at the world， and reports back to us on what she finds。 The roller-coaster period covered in the collection brought an end to the end of history， a financial crash， the rise of Trump and a pandemic。 From debt to tech， the climate crisis to freedom， from when to dispense advice to the young （answer: only when asked） and how to define granola， we have no better guide than Atwood to the many and varied mysteries of our universe。
• Why do people everywhere， in all cultures， tell stories？
• How much of yourself can you give away without evaporating？
• How can we live on our planet？
• Is it true？ And is it fair？
• What do zombies have to do with authoritarianism？
In over fifty pieces Atwood aims her prodigious intellect and impish humor at the world， and reports back to us on what she finds。 The roller-coaster period covered in the collection brought an end to the end of history， a financial crash， the rise of Trump and a pandemic。 From debt to tech， the climate crisis to freedom， from when to dispense advice to the young （answer: only when asked） and how to define granola， we have no better guide than Atwood to the many and varied mysteries of our universe。
Reviews
Els
，
Leesvoer voor iedereen die Atwood graag leest， omdat het waardevolle aanvullingen zijn op haar romans。
Ruth
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I've read several things by Margaret Atwood， but hadn't realised she had written so prolifically outside of the novels and stories。 This book is a collection of some of that writing - essays and speeches and book introductions and the like。The pieces are arranged chronologically， which is interesting， but I did feel there was some repetition involved， or pieces that were quite similar along the way。 I would have liked the collection to have been tightened up a bit， and perhaps grouped differentl I've read several things by Margaret Atwood， but hadn't realised she had written so prolifically outside of the novels and stories。 This book is a collection of some of that writing - essays and speeches and book introductions and the like。The pieces are arranged chronologically， which is interesting， but I did feel there was some repetition involved， or pieces that were quite similar along the way。 I would have liked the collection to have been tightened up a bit， and perhaps grouped differently， with a brief paragraph by MA to introduce each segment。 I hadn't realised quite how environmentally-minded she is。 I don't think I had remembered her writing as funny either， so that was nice。 Whenever it was a speech， I wished I was listening to her actually say the words。 My favourite was the piece about the poem she wrote for her husband， towards the end of the book。It isn't the sort of book you should just sit & read in one go - much better to dip & dive through。 Some pieces were excellent， and some I was just personally less interested in。 It certainly made me want to look back over the books of hers that I have read， and some of her newer books that haven't yet made it to the top of my 'to read' pile but will now get nudged up higher。 With thanks to Net Galley for my copy。 。。。more
Kimmy
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First， a confession: Burning Questions was the first Margaret Atwood I ever read。 （I’m sorry， I’m working on it。 I know I will love her stuff…it’s exactly up my alley。） Second， the review: I LOVED this book。 Hardcore， all caps， freaking LOVED。 I made over 230 highlights and I will probably never stop thinking about many points Margaret Atwood made。 There is honestly so much packed into this book; from speeches to book intros to author and genre discussions to writing advice。 If you’re already a First， a confession: Burning Questions was the first Margaret Atwood I ever read。 （I’m sorry， I’m working on it。 I know I will love her stuff…it’s exactly up my alley。） Second， the review: I LOVED this book。 Hardcore， all caps， freaking LOVED。 I made over 230 highlights and I will probably never stop thinking about many points Margaret Atwood made。 There is honestly so much packed into this book; from speeches to book intros to author and genre discussions to writing advice。 If you’re already a fan of Atwood’s， you’ll love a lot of the thought and inspiration behind other stories such as Oryx and Crake or The Handmaid’s Tale。 If you’re just a fan of the genre （like me！）， you’ll love the in depth analysis of dystopia， sci fi， speculative fiction， and horror。 There was this whole essay on mostly zombies but monsters in general that was sheer perfection。 Stephen King got a whole essay。 I learned about a whole slew of authors that really pioneered a lot of these genres。 There’s nods to Agatha Christie and Sherlock Holmes and Jules Verne。 There was an argument made for why 1984 is truly at its core， a very hopeful novel…and by now， I’m just standing up and applauding every line。 I do think I’ve gushed enough so I will admit that there were a few essays that I wasn’t into at all， just due to not being familiar at all with the subject。Honestly， if none of this sounds up your alley， that’s cool。 I would still recommend everyone to look up at least her commencement speeches though。 The universal knowledge she shares that is so quick witted and sharp is truly not to be missed。 There is a reason that Margaret Atwood has been so popular for so long。 。。。more
George
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3。5 stars。 An interesting chronological collection of over fifty essays， speeches and articles over the period 2004 to 2021。 Margaret Atwood writes about writing， literature， dystopian fiction， feminism， the environment and human rights。 There are a number of book reviews and articles of a number of the author’s novels， including ‘The Handmaids Tale’， ‘Oryx and Crake’， and ‘Hagseed’。I particularly liked her comments on writing and literature。 Of interest to me were the articles on the authors ea 3。5 stars。 An interesting chronological collection of over fifty essays， speeches and articles over the period 2004 to 2021。 Margaret Atwood writes about writing， literature， dystopian fiction， feminism， the environment and human rights。 There are a number of book reviews and articles of a number of the author’s novels， including ‘The Handmaids Tale’， ‘Oryx and Crake’， and ‘Hagseed’。I particularly liked her comments on writing and literature。 Of interest to me were the articles on the authors early writing experiences， her novels， the difficulties of translating from English to another language and the Ray Bradbury book review。This book was first published in 2022。 。。。more
Judy
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The author's way with words and phrases are unmatched。 Enjoy all of this author's writings。 The author's way with words and phrases are unmatched。 Enjoy all of this author's writings。 。。。more
Steph Pomfrett
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This is one of those books I'll dip in and out of， so decided to not keep it as a permanently being read book。 That being said， it has sent me down a load of interesting rabbit holes， including looking at mummified bodies， so it's a fascinating collection！ This is one of those books I'll dip in and out of， so decided to not keep it as a permanently being read book。 That being said， it has sent me down a load of interesting rabbit holes， including looking at mummified bodies， so it's a fascinating collection！ 。。。more
Sam
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I did the audiobook version but it was read by many different people so it was really hit or miss。 I should have just read it。
Robyn Martin
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B Audible
Steve
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Lots of intriguing insights by one of the most important sages of our time。
Luke Spooner
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Mixed bag， but I found most of the essays really thought provoking。
DD Burlin
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I love Margaret Atwood。 Love her insights。 Love her humor。 Love her manner of expressing herself。 All that said， I found this book of essays somewhat repetitive。 It also included a bit of coy vanity fashioned into self-deprecating humor （I think this is called "Humble-bragging" these days）。 I love Margaret Atwood。 Love her insights。 Love her humor。 Love her manner of expressing herself。 All that said， I found this book of essays somewhat repetitive。 It also included a bit of coy vanity fashioned into self-deprecating humor （I think this is called "Humble-bragging" these days）。 。。。more
Heidi
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“Nobody likes abortion， even when safe and legal。 It’s not what any woman would choose for a happy time on Saturday night。 But nobody likes women bleeding to death on the bathroom floor from illegal abortions either。 What to do？ Perhaps a different way of approaching the question would be to ask: What kind of country do you want to live in？ One in which every individual is free to make decisions concerning his or her health and body， or one in which half the population is free and the other half “Nobody likes abortion， even when safe and legal。 It’s not what any woman would choose for a happy time on Saturday night。 But nobody likes women bleeding to death on the bathroom floor from illegal abortions either。 What to do？ Perhaps a different way of approaching the question would be to ask: What kind of country do you want to live in？ One in which every individual is free to make decisions concerning his or her health and body， or one in which half the population is free and the other half is enslaved？ Women who cannot make their own decisions about whether or not to have babies are enslaved because the state claims ownership of their bodies and the right to dictate the use to which their bodies must be put。 The only similar circumstance for men is conscription into an army。 In both cases there is risk to the individual’s life， but an army conscript is at least provided with food， clothing， and lodging。 Even criminals in prisons have a right to those things。 If the state is mandating enforced childbirth， why should it not pay for prenatal care， for the birth itself， for postnatal care， and—for babies who are not sold off to richer families—for the cost of bringing up the child？ And if the state is very fond of babies， why not honour the women who have the most babies by respecting them and lifting them out of poverty？ If women are providing a needed service to the state—albeit against their wills—surely they should be paid for their labour。 If the goal is more babies， I am sure many women would oblige if properly recompensed。 Otherwise， they are inclined to follow the natural law: placental mammals will abort in the face of resource scarcity。 But I doubt that the state is willing to go so far as to provide the needed resources。 Instead， it just wants to reinforce the usual cheap trick: force women to have babies， and then make them pay。 And pay。 And pay。 As I said， slavery。” 。。。more
Brenna
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Margaret Atwood is a prophet， and one of my all-time favorite authors。 I’m well aquatinted with her fiction but hadn’t explored her essays until now。 They’re well worth the time and I admire her even more after reading them。
Il confine dei libri
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Per leggere la recensione in blog cliccare qui:https://ilconfinedeilibri。blogspot。co。。。 Per leggere la recensione in blog cliccare qui:https://ilconfinedeilibri。blogspot。co。。。 。。。more
Nina Todorova
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I just love her mind。 Deep thinker without being pretentious。。
Ariel O'Suilleabhain
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A true flame。 While reading Margaret Atwood always pure pleasure for me， her essays of Burning Questions brought one alive again。 From contemplation on the possible feminism of Anne of Green Gables to the investigative reporting which bespoke of the life realities of First Nation People among just a few of her mini dissertations here， the book presented a sure melody of consistent motion。 Both interesting and good writing where you learn something precious while only planning to enjoy the moment A true flame。 While reading Margaret Atwood always pure pleasure for me， her essays of Burning Questions brought one alive again。 From contemplation on the possible feminism of Anne of Green Gables to the investigative reporting which bespoke of the life realities of First Nation People among just a few of her mini dissertations here， the book presented a sure melody of consistent motion。 Both interesting and good writing where you learn something precious while only planning to enjoy the moment is worth that designer pound of gold and beyond。 My suggestion is that you start at the middle of the book and read the essay on early 1900's Canadian born author Gabrielle Roy first and then start from the beginning and read the rest of the book afterwards。 Her studies as a prior schoolteacher （Gabrielle Roy） and journalist of especially poverty-stricken working people led to some rather heart-touching novels later such as Bonheur d’occasion （1945; The Tin Flute） and Alexandre Chenevert， Cassier （1954; The Cashier）。 Some of her novels， such as La Petite Poule d’eau （1950; Where Nests the Waterhen） and Rue Deschambault （1955; Street of Riches）。 Of course， my favorite Atwood novel， 'The Handmaid's Tale，' became a 2017 T。V。 series which starred Elisabeth Moss， Yvonne Strahovski， and Joseph Fiennes。 Labeled as dystopian （Meaning: "Relating to or denoting an imagined state or society where there is great suffering or injustice"）， the fiction storytelling of the book describes a future society where human rights come under a rather， "fundamentalist theocratic dictatorship。" Burning Questions covers some of this as well。 And by the way， Burning Questions while not all serious essay prose only actually has a lot of satisfying and humor done apropos literary answers as Margaret Atwell does own a very healthy sense of humor。 But the main reason I gave the book five stars is because I wanted to keep reading the book nonstop。 If I had something else to do and had to put the book down， I would keep thinking about when I would be able to pick up the book and read more of her delicious writing。 Author Ariel O'Suilleabhain。 。。。more
Elbrackeen Brackeen
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Can not recommend this collection enough！
Helen Precious
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As you would expect from Margaret Atwood， this collection of essays covers a wide variety of topics covering decades of key note speeches， personal essays and published work。 This is not a book to read in one sitting but rather one to dip in to at random so that you can savour the ideas presented and the critiques given。 Pieces focus on the current predicament that the globe finds itself in with climate change， waste， over consumption etc。; the art of writing and the imbalance between the gender As you would expect from Margaret Atwood， this collection of essays covers a wide variety of topics covering decades of key note speeches， personal essays and published work。 This is not a book to read in one sitting but rather one to dip in to at random so that you can savour the ideas presented and the critiques given。 Pieces focus on the current predicament that the globe finds itself in with climate change， waste， over consumption etc。; the art of writing and the imbalance between the genders in terms of equality。 All are conveyed with Atwood's erudite style and cutting commentary， weaving together multiple disciplines to produce thought provoking and haunting articles。 。。。more
Karen Fisher
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Only read 1st chapter
Hpnyknits
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I haven’t read the essays in chronological order， but by topics。 Some of her projections are chilling to the bone。
Yvonne
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What an amazing person！ Atwood’s work of fifty or more pieces of writing demonstrate the brilliance of her mind and the sense of humor she has。 Each essay was a glimpse of another author， or another author’s work， or a topic of history， or a current event explained from Atwood’s view point。 The work was educational， as well as thought provoking。
Joan Alice
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Enjoyed the poem 'Dearly'。 Enjoyed the poem 'Dearly'。 。。。more
Pip Tlaskal
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An incredible collection- so wonderful to wander in Atwood's mind as she revisits favourite subjects and to follow the resonances and expansion of her ideas on climate， L。M。Montgomery， her husband's writing， why she is a bad feminist， her father's bug hunting and why we still need Rachel Carson。 An incredible collection- so wonderful to wander in Atwood's mind as she revisits favourite subjects and to follow the resonances and expansion of her ideas on climate， L。M。Montgomery， her husband's writing， why she is a bad feminist， her father's bug hunting and why we still need Rachel Carson。 。。。more
Judy G
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She is so relevant nowThis is a compilation of her various prestation talks thruout this centuryShe is wise kind cautious in balance and a breat writerRead thisJudy g
Natalie
，
Despite being obviously incredibly intelligent and insightful， Atwood’s collection of essays is somehow remarkably unpretentious and fun to read！！！Learned a lot about a lot， including literature， feminist authors， colonialism， culture， artists， climate change， and just some of Margaret Atwood’s thoughts and opinions on life and relationships。 There were multiple essays about dystopian literature including on her own Oryx and Crake and The Handmaids Tale， which， as she recognizes， become relevant Despite being obviously incredibly intelligent and insightful， Atwood’s collection of essays is somehow remarkably unpretentious and fun to read！！！Learned a lot about a lot， including literature， feminist authors， colonialism， culture， artists， climate change， and just some of Margaret Atwood’s thoughts and opinions on life and relationships。 There were multiple essays about dystopian literature including on her own Oryx and Crake and The Handmaids Tale， which， as she recognizes， become relevant again and again… or do they just never cease to be relevant？ Something she highlights is that nothing that happens in either of those books is imagined… every event or horror is based on something that humans did。 Now that RvW is being questioned and womens autonomy is once again being threatened in the US， The Handmaids Tale is once again at the forefront of “blueprints of things we should avoid”。 I think my fav essays were about Franz Kafka （I love a good Kafkaesque vibe…）， about Alice Munro （also bc she inspired me to read some of her books and now I love Alice too）， and Polonia， an essay about the urge of elders to give advice。 Super interesting read with lots of lil annotations that I will definitely come back to in the future。 。。。more
Kelly Brill
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Full disclosure。 I didn't read every essay in this collection。 I didn't read the reviews of books I haven't read， for example。 But what I did read was brilliant。 Atwood， of course， is brilliant and funny as heck， and passionately concerned about art and about people and about the future of the planet。 I appreciated so much her words about writing: "。。。people are always lining up to preach to writers about their duties - what they ought to be writing， or what they should not have written; and the Full disclosure。 I didn't read every essay in this collection。 I didn't read the reviews of books I haven't read， for example。 But what I did read was brilliant。 Atwood， of course， is brilliant and funny as heck， and passionately concerned about art and about people and about the future of the planet。 I appreciated so much her words about writing: "。。。people are always lining up to preach to writers about their duties - what they ought to be writing， or what they should not have written; and they are very ready to tell the writer what a bad person he or she is because he or she has not produced the sort of book or essay that the preacher feels he or she ought to have produced。。。" She rejects the "shoulds"and asserts instead: "What kinds of stories can we writers tell about our increasingly desperate situation？ What kinds might be of any help to the community of which we are a part？ I can't tell you that because I don't know。 But I do know that as long as we have hope - and we still do have hope - we will be telling stories。。。"She writes about The Handmaid's Tale （so chilling to read these word this very week） - "。。。it seems that in the state-control-of-women's-bodies department， I was a little too close to the mark。" But she also writes this， "There's always hope。 Hope is built-in。 I's also catching: where there is hope， there will be more hope， because with hope， people make an effort。 An effort is what， in the future we will all have to make。"In another essay on The Handmaid's Tale - "absolutist governments have always taken an inordinate interest in the reproductive capabilities of women。"She wrote a speech， "We Hang by a Thread，" in 2016， right before Trump was elected。 "During the campaign we have seen an outpouring of misogyny not witnessed since the witchcraft trials of the seventeenth century。。。you have to pinch yourself to make sure you're awake。。。this is。a reminder to us that the hard-won rights for women and girls that many of us now take for granted could be snatched away at any moment。"And in 2017， an essay about what kind of art will be produced in the Trump era。。。some will produce witness art。。。Surely the journal-keepers are already at work， inscribing events and their responses to them。。。"As once-solid certainties crumble， it may be enough to cultivate your own artistic garden - to do what you can for as long as you can do it; to create alternate worlds that offer both temporary escapes and moments of insight; to open windows in the given world that allow us to see outside it。。。it's the artists and writers who can remind us， in times of crisis or panic， that。。。we are not， finally， the sum of our politicians。 Throughout history， it has been hope for artistic work that expresses， for this time and place， as powerfully and eloquently as possible， what it means to be human。"The importance of bearing witness。 。。。more
Stephen
，
Excellent！ A very eclectic collection of essays and reviews。
Sue Johnson
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With wit and wisdom， Atwood seeks answers to “burning questions” like what do we do about climate change; why do all cultures tell stories; what is the future of Roe vs Wade， in which she likens anti abortionists to enslavers of women。; and many other absorbing topics。
AJ
，
With more than 50 essays spanning nearly two decades， this book is interesting and witty。 I loved the science fiction start that continued into introductions， speeches， and opinion pieces。 I very much enjoyed Atwood’s writing。 Though I’ve never been able to finish The Handmade’s Tale （nor watched the TV show）， I was glad to learn more about the background of that novel as well as Atwood’s other major works。Very much would recommend。
Gail
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