I notice in the epilogue to the Handmaid's tale there is reference to an upcoming segment of the conference that would be comparing and discussing the religious revolutions in Iran and Gilead (the US). I think Atwood also explicitly said that the Iranian revolution was a major inspiration for The Handmaid's Tale.

Honestly I don't have anything explicit to jump start this with. I just thought it neat that we were reading firsthand accounts about two religious revolutions, and that the real life revolution inspired the fictional one. Both of them are told from, I guess, "deep inside." They're not people of power — Marjane is a child and young adult even though her family has a bit of power through its money, and Offred is a regular middle class woman pressed into service as a brood mare — and they aren't involved in shaping or controlling anything. They're just swept up in the times and trying to get by. Any deeper thoughts?