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Apr 25, 2015forbesrachel rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
In this near future, conservative christian America, a person's skin is genetically altered if they commit a crime. The colour denotes the type and it is irrelevant whether the act was accidental or intentional. Hannah's crimson marks her as a murderer, for in this post-pandemic world abortion counts as murder. When She Woke is based on Nathanial Hawthorn's The Scarlet Letter. Jordan does a great job of putting the story in modern light, speaking to current issues like abortion, women's rights, racism, and integration vs separation of religion and state. She expands on the skeleton of the original and its themes of sin and love by packaging it in this dystopia; the situation is a lot more dangerous. Chromes are ostracized, and some zealots even kill them as a righteous act. Thus Hannah and her fellow red Kayla are whisked off by the latest iteration of the Underground Railroad. From the beginning, Hannah is astute and even defiant, believing in God while questioning the status quo; she thinks for herself rather than blindly accepting what others say. Events severely rattle her faith, but like Hawthorn's book, Jordan does this to scrutinize both sides of religion. Hannah's journey is not only physical, but one towards independence and understanding as well. While Hester was incredibly strong, Hannah does something her counterpart never could, she forgives herself.