Parable of the Sower

 I tend to avoid dystopian and/or science fiction stories. Dystopian stories usually depress me, and I maxed out on science fiction in my 20s.  On one of my visits to the library during Black History month, I saw Parable of the Sower on display. I became interested when I saw that the book was set in 2025 (not so far away!) and that it was in first person. I enjoy first person stories because you really get into the mind and soul of the narrator even if it means other characters aren’t fleshed out as well. Octavia E. Butler has a writing style that engages the reader right from the first page.

 

This is an excellent book, but it’s not a happy one. The story begins in a small town in California. Global warming and a complete breakdown in the economy has caused unemployment, food shortages, and poverty. A breakdown in law enforcement has caused the rise of gangs, thieves, and other dangerous marauders.  The main character, Lauren Olamina, and her family and neighbors live in a gated compound, trying to stay safe from the lawless criminals on the “outside”. Lauren, her family, and the community are multi-racial, which was one of the few positives I found early on.

 

Safety, even in a locked and gated community, can’t be guaranteed and Lauren realizes early on that having an escape plan is a good idea. However, her friends and family scoff at the idea. They believe in their own safety. Lauren begins to secretly gather items for a “go bag.”  She has another secret as well: she has been developing her own idea for a religion with a goal.

 

Although her father is a Baptist minister, Lauren isn’t comfortable with that faith although she obediently goes through the motions. She journals every day and that is where she develops her ideas centered around the name “Earthseed.” She reasons that change is the motivating force in the universe and people must either control change or adapt to it. She writes her philosophy out in verse.

 

A major change happens in the community and Lauren finds herself on the road, trying to reach safety with a band of other refugees. To find out more about Lauren’s journey and Earthseed, please read the book. Some of it felt so chillingly familiar, I had to check and see if the book was published recently. I was somewhat surprised to see that it was published in 2000.

I say somewhat surprised because I remember it was around then that Al Gore began warning us about climate change.

 

As for the other events, I think Octavia Butler was remarkably prescient about what our future might look like. I also learned that she was one of the first Black science fiction authors to be published and, sadly, that she passed away in 2006.

 

She did write a sequel called Parable of the Talents, and I am requesting it because this book really pulled me in, and I want to see what happens to Lauren and her group.  I would definitely recommend this book to anyone whether you are into dystopian/sci-fi or not.