I read my first Octavia Butler book, Kindred, a few years ago and loved it. I figured it was time to read Parable of the Sower. Originally written in 1993, this dystopian story is set in California in 2024. Although Octavia Butler passed away in 2006, she seemed to have predicted some of what we are going through currently.
Now, our world isn’t exactly like the world in the Parable of the Sower, but some of it rings true. California is undergoing a crisis, and getting water regularly is a problem. The young protagonist, Lauren, is 15 years old and lives with her family behind a makeshift wall of their neighborhood. If you leave the neighborhood, you are putting yourself at enormous risk. They try not to go out unless necessary. When they do, they take a lot of precautions.
Everyone is trying to survive, and Lauren is trying to figure out what she believes about God and the universe. She can also feel other people’s pain, which can be challenging at times.
The Parable of the Sower was one of those books where you go on a journey with the main character. She experiences a lot of tricky situations you have probably never experienced. It makes you think about what you would do and what decisions you might make.
In addition to this book, I am drawn to different dystopian novels. There is just something about them that pulls me in. I don’t see them as guidebooks for the future, well maybe a little bit sometimes. I do want to see how people handle these environments. I like how they strive for freedom and battle the ones in charge.
What can the “little guy” do when faced with such a change from the norm? What do relationships look like in this environment? How do they grow as a person through what they are going through?
Not everyone likes to read these types of books during our current unprecedented times. However, I find them comforting for some reason. I plan to read or re-read several other books this year. These include The Handmaid’s Tale, 1984, The Hunger Games, and The Parable of the Talents. It is the sequel to Parable of the Sower.
What’s on your reading list?
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