Octavia Butler was the best kind of sci-fi writer - the kind who use the futuristic or fantastic element, not to make something go boom for the sake of going boom, but to push the boundary, pick at the scab and say something amazing, and maybe a little scary, about our world.

This may not be a preachy book, but its certainly not subtle. Class warfare (literally), a ravaged environment, human trafficking - these are the things Lauren and the other characters in this book struggle with. These aren't easy things to deal with, but it helps that the book is beautifully written and ultimately hopeful. Butler's prose and the Earthseed poetry she's included are lyrical and compelling.

http://archthinking.blogspot.com/2009...

A reread of Parable of the Sower reveals a dark vision of the near future that is eerily reminiscent of the pictures we all saw on TV following Hurricane Katrina, a frighteningly realistic portrayal of poverty and anarchy that is all too easy to imagine following on the heels of global warming’s devastation. The follow-up, Parable of the Talents, is even more grim and harrowing than its predecessor in its depiction of an America plunged into chaos. Butler deftly picks up the threads of the major issues facing us today — climate change, the widening gap between rich and poor, the privatization of education and social services — and follows them to the inevitably disastrous results if these problems aren’t addressed. Most frightening of all is the depiction of an America in the grips of Christian extremists who murder and enslave people and separate children from their parents, just because they do not hold the same beliefs.

But Butler’s story is one of hope too: of a prophet leading her people toward a better future, following a spiritual practice that makes more sense to me than most organized religions I know of, and of a goal — to sow the seeds of humanity throughout space — that I have always believed held the key to our survival as a species. God is change, indeed, but instead of fighting it or surrendering to it, just recognize it and use it to make your goals a reality. This message is contained within a work of fiction that paint a frightening picture of the future, but it rings very true to me. ( )

In 2024, Lauren Olamina is 15 years-old with hyperempathy. While living in a walled community in California, this Baptist minster’s daughter conceives of her own religion – Earthseed. A central tenant of Earthseed is that man’s future exists in the stars, where they can start over and found new colonies. Her isolated community lives in fear, and the adults live on their memories of what was. Lauren knows what was will never be again. Instead, humanity must start anew. When a drug addicted, pyromaniacal mob destroys her community and family, Lauren is forced into the hostile and uncaring world of transients. By 2027, she has become a leader and started sharing her religious ideas. Gradually, she and her ideas will become a nexus around which others will gather, and reap what she sows. Parable of the Sower, nominated for the 1994 Nebula Award, is written in diary format. The sequel Parable of Talents, a 1999 Nebula Award winner, follows the story of Larkin Olamina, Lauren's daughter.

In 2024, Lauren Olamina is 15 years-old with hyperempathy. While living in a walled community in California, this Baptist minster’s daughter conceives of her own religion – Earthseed. A central tenant of Earthseed is that man’s future exists in the stars, where they can start over and found new colonies. Her isolated community lives in fear, and the adults live on their memories of what was. Lauren knows what was will never be again. Instead, humanity must start anew. When a drug addicted, pyromaniacal mob destroys her community and family, Lauren is forced into the hostile and uncaring world of transients. By 2027, she has become a leader and started sharing her religious ideas. Gradually, she and her ideas will become a nexus around which others will gather, and reap what she sows. Parable of the Sower, nominated for the 1994 Nebula Award, is written in diary format. The sequel Parable of Talents, a 1999 Nebula Award winner, follows the story of Larkin Olamina, Lauren's daughter. ( )