As Trump Era Begins, Readers Flock To Dystopian Fiction

BOSTON (AP) — Readers have been flocking to classic works of dystopian fiction in the first months of Donald Trump's presidency.

Novels depicting dysfunctional societies have shot to the top of best-seller lists in recent months, including George Orwell's "1984" and Margaret Atwood's "The Handmaid's Tale."

Publishers credit Trump's election for sparking demand. Sales of "1984" spiked in January after a Trump adviser coined the phrase "alternative facts," drawing comparisons to the novel.

Some Trump critics have said his views on immigration and the media echo works of dystopian fiction.

Experts on the works have mixed views about whether the comparisons are fair, but they aren't new.

Critics of Barack Obama compared him to Orwell's Big Brother in 2013 amid revelations about a vast government surveillance program. Sales of "1984" surged then, too.