Red Clocks by Leni Zumas

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Red Clocks by Leni   Zumas

        The book Red Clocks by Leni Zumas was published in 2018, but its relevance has only grown within the United States. I have not read this book yet, but I think that it would be a good addition to this class.

        The story follows five women, with four of them living in the present state of the US as abortion laws become more and more restrictive. The fifth is a little-known female explorer from that past, who is being written about by one of the main protagonists, Ro. In the story, the 28th Amendment has been passed, called the Personhood Amendment, giving every fertilized egg the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. As a result, abortions are strictly banned in all 50 states.

        The story takes place in Oregon with close proximity to Canada. In the review by the She Lit Editor, they quote the book, explaining that "American intelligence agencies must have some nice dirt on the Canadian prime minister. Otherwise, why agree to the Pink Wall? The border control can detain any woman or girl they 'reasonably' suspect of crossing into Canada for the purpose of ending a pregnancy. Seekers are returned (by police escort) to their state of residence, where the district attorney can prosecute them for attempting a termination. Healthcare providers in Canada are also barred from offering in vitro fertilization to U.S. citizens” (Zumas).

        Ro is a teacher and an older single woman who is trying to conceive with a sperm donor, but she worries that the new “Every Child Needs Two” law will prevent her from being able to have a child on her own. The law requires that, in order to adopt a child, two people must show proof of a marriage license between them before being able to adopt. Her chance of becoming pregnant is low due to her age, and she worries that she won’t be able to become a mother on her own with this law. 

        Next, we follow Mattie, a star student of Ro’s, who accidentally becomes pregnant in high school. Her relationship with her best friend, Yasmine, was destroyed when Yasmine became pregnant after the Personhood Amendment was implemented. Mattie now struggles alone as she looks for a chance to secretly get an abortion by traveling to Canada or visiting the “mender”.

        The mender is a woman named Gin, who is a herbalist who lives away from others. Her family has used natural medicine for centuries, and she still helps women have abortions after the new Amendment goes into effect. In the story, she ends up going to trial after being accused of providing an abortion for a woman who went to the hospital with injuries.

        The last main character is Susan, who is a housewife to one of Ro’s coworkers. She had children while in law school, and she faces the fatigue with two young children and a husband who is careless of her feelings. She spends the story wondering what would happen if she left her old life behind for a new man and a new life. 

        We follow these multiple perspectives throughout the book and watch as they interact with one another. They navigate the new world that they now live in and what that means for them. Interestingly, we find out that the term “red clock” is used to talk about the uterus because it functions as a biological clock for women as their bodies constantly plan for reproduction.

Gender and Dystopia in Class Discussions

        This book centers around gender and what that looks like in a society that restricts the rights of women. I think this book would bring about many conversations related to gender, especially within our society today. Having multiple women with different goals and paths in life would also be an interesting part of the conversation. It would help the conversation stay away from one idea of this world because you are forced to see how these laws affect many different people. I would be curious to see how the book explores the role of men in this world and how they act and think. Overall, I am sure that this book would provide the start for a rich conversation surrounding gender.

        Unfortunately, this book would probably be seen as less dystopian than others due to the political climate of today. Abortion has been attacked and taken away from so many women, but this book provides a much more extreme version of this world. I think it would still be classified as a dystopian novel, but it is a book that would feel very eerie to read and connect to our world. The fact that this book mirrors our world in some ways would be a good place for conversation within the classroom. Although abortion is a very sensitive subject for many people, I feel like future students taking this class would be able to handle that conversation.

    I feel like this book relates to Vox in a lot of ways. As I read the review for this book, there was a passage talking about Ro and her protests against the Twenty-Eighth Amendment. She wrote to her representatives, marched in protests, and donated to Planned Parenthood. However, she was not that worried because she thought it was all for show within the Conservative Party. She never thought it would actually happen. If Vox were included in the class readings, this would be an interesting plot point to discuss, as it shows up more than once in the readings for class.