Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood Summary
Overview of Oryx and Crake
Atwood's dystopian masterpiece transcends genre boundaries, exploring a bioengineered apocalypse Joyce Carol Oates called "more ambitious than The Handmaid's Tale." What if this scientifically "impeccable" nightmare, adapted into opera in 2023, isn't just fiction but our potential future?
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Key takeaways
A World After Humanity: The Last Man Standing
Imagine waking up alone on a beach, wrapped in a dirty bedsheet, possibly the last human alive after a bioengineered apocalypse. This is Snowman's reality. Once called Jimmy, he now survives on meager supplies while watching over the Crakers-genetically engineered humanoids with luminous green eyes who approach him with curious fascination. These beautiful, naked beings bring him treasures from the ruins: a hubcap, piano key, computer mouse. "These are things from before," he explains in his kindly voice. They've developed theories about him: that he was once a bird who forgot how to fly, that he's cold from eating fish. When they leave, Snowman screams at the ocean: "Crake! Asshole! You did this!" But only the waves answer. The Crakers represent the vision of Snowman's brilliant but disturbed friend Crake-perfect humans engineered to be peaceful, innocent, and utterly alien to Snowman, who feels his humanity slipping away with each passing day. As he looks at his grimy, bug-bitten body with thinning hair and yellowing toenails, he laments his physical decline. This is the aftermath of scientific hubris and corporate greed-a new world where humanity has been replaced by its own creation.
Paradise Behind Walls: The Corporate Compounds
The Birth of Catastrophe: An Unlikely Friendship
Family Wounds: The Making of Monsters
The Enigmatic Oryx: A Life Between Worlds
Playing God: The Paradice Project
The Waterless Flood: Humanity's Final Chapter
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"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
From Columbia University alumni built in San Francisco
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
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