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Kindred

by Octavia E. Butler

Other authors: Robert Crossley (Introduction)

Other authors: See the other authors section.

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingMentions
7,5283161,091 (4.21)666
Dana, a modern black woman, is celebrating her twenty-sixth birthday with her new husband when she is snatched abruptly from her home in California and transported to the antebellum South. Rufus, the white son of a plantation owner, is drowning, and Dana has been summoned across the years to save him. After this first summons, Dana is drawn back, again and again, to the plantation to protect Rufus and ensure that he will grow to manhood and father the daughter who will become Dana's ancestor. Yet each time Dana's sojourns become longer and more dangerous, until it is uncertain whether or not her life will end, long before it has even begun.… (more)
  1. 70
    Time and Again by Jack Finney (bnbookgirl)
  2. 20
    The Devil's Arithmetic by Jane Yolen (SpaceStationMir)
    SpaceStationMir: Character goes back in time to experience a painful episode in her ancestors' history and emerges with deeper understanding and empathy for complications of the past.
  3. 31
    Doomsday Book by Connie Willis (Anonymous user)
  4. 20
    Wench by Dolen Perkins-Valdez (BookshelfMonstrosity)
  5. 21
    Property by Valerie Martin (sturlington)
  6. 10
    Woman on the Edge of Time by Marge Piercy (souloftherose)
    souloftherose: Both novels use time travel to explore issues of race and inequality
  7. 00
    The Edible Woman by Margaret Atwood (Anonymous user)
  8. 00
    The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates (vwinsloe)
    vwinsloe: Time travel to US South slave state.
  9. 00
    The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd (vwinsloe)
  10. 00
    Lion's Blood by Steven Barnes (MyriadBooks)
  11. 44
    Beloved by Toni Morrison (susanbooks)
  12. 01
    Binti by Nnedi Okorafor (sturlington)
1970s (21)
AP Lit (14)
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» See also 666 mentions

Showing 1-5 of 317 (next | show all)
Amazing read. There are tons of obvious themes about oppression, human nature and the struggles of what it was like to live it that world. And I applaud how expertly they were explored.

Going to give the show a watch soon. ( )
  CasualShino | Jun 2, 2023 |
The foundation of the book as a whole is solid, but I ruined it by watching the television series (some added parts I like- i.e., her mother being a traveler, also) before reading the book. ( )
  KKOR2029 | May 3, 2023 |
Usually I have to LOVE reading the book to the point I can't put it down to give five stars, but in this case, the book was not only well written, but it had some very important messaging and was executed in a very creative fashion.

In Kindred, a modern day African American woman is transported back to the time when slavery was prevalent, well before the Civil War. She encounters one of her ancestors, who happens to be a slave owning white man, and the main crux of the story is her interactions with him. I'm really simplifying the plot here, but Butler does a wonderful job of taking more of a historical fiction novel and adding layers of suspense making it a very compelling read.

She definitely does NOT shy away from the very hard things that happened to slaves, and you really feel the slaves' pain at their lack of freedom and very challenging day to day lives. I've read first hand accounts of slavery before, but I think this work of fiction touches on many of the same themes in a way that is just as gripping.

The story builds to a dramatic ending, but not a "pretty wrapped up tight with a bow" finale.

All in all, this is a very satisfying read that truly helps one to understand and empathize with the African American experience in this country.

One more thing worth mentioning is that this book seems to be classified as "young adult". And it does read that way in the sense that it is an easy read. But the plot and emotional depth as well as the graphic subject matter made me feel as though it was certainly more than engaging for adult readers as well. ( )
  Anita_Pomerantz | Mar 23, 2023 |
“Do you honestly believe you traveled back over a century in time and crossed three thousand miles of space to see your dead ancestors?”
I moved uncomfortably. “Yes,” I whispered.

And that's what Dana did. Traveled from 1976 to 1815. From the L.A. area to Baltimore area. To a slave plantation. A black woman. She goes back and forth, trying to figure out why, and for what purpose. And having to live the nightmare of being a slave in 1815. A terrifying and mesmerizing story that really grabs your attention. I'm glad I read it before I watched the series! ( )
  Stahl-Ricco | Feb 19, 2023 |
Intense, fascinating, well-crafted.
Wow. I have been meaning to read Octavia Butler for a long time and knowing that, my husband brought home Kindred.
What an amazing novel. Time travel puts into the sci-fi genre but the exquisitely researched history says it's historical fiction. It's so well-written, with memorable, real characters, that it could be called literature. And it's a first person American slave narrative.
Don't let any of those labels scare you away from reading this book. For all of its seriousness, it's an absorbing story. ( )
  bjsikes | Jan 30, 2023 |
Showing 1-5 of 317 (next | show all)
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» Add other authors

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Octavia E. Butlerprimary authorall editionscalculated
Crossley, RobertIntroductionsecondary authorall editionsconfirmed
Adébáyò, AyòbámiForewordsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Gyan, DeborahCover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Leon, JanaCover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Nuenning, MirjamTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Otoo, Sharon DoduaForewordsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Ross, RachelCover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Rummel, PeterTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Schwinger, LaurenceCover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Staunton, KimNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
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Dana, a modern black woman, is celebrating her twenty-sixth birthday with her new husband when she is snatched abruptly from her home in California and transported to the antebellum South. Rufus, the white son of a plantation owner, is drowning, and Dana has been summoned across the years to save him. After this first summons, Dana is drawn back, again and again, to the plantation to protect Rufus and ensure that he will grow to manhood and father the daughter who will become Dana's ancestor. Yet each time Dana's sojourns become longer and more dangerous, until it is uncertain whether or not her life will end, long before it has even begun.

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A young African-American woman is mysteriously transferred back in time leading to an irresistible curiosity about her family's past.
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Beacon Press

2 editions of this book were published by Beacon Press.

Editions: 0807083690, 0807083100

Recorded Books

An edition of this book was published by Recorded Books.

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