Kindred

"This is why Octavia Butler is one of the all time greats in writing science fiction. Kindred is so real even in a world where time-travel exists. I LOVE how Butler is able to write compelling sci-fi that makes me interrogate our own society."

"I was blown away by this book, so much so that I don't know how to describe how I feel about it. It's so masterfully written, the story is riveting, and it manages to speak about very important and grave subjects, but in an incredibly nuanced and intelligent way. The fact that we still don't fully recognize Octavia E. Butler as the literary master that she is makes her work even more impactful. "

"I had never heard of Octavia Butler before reading this book. After deciding to read Kindred, I did a quick Google search of Butler and found her other works such as Parable of the Sower. I quickly fell in love with her work and deviated from reading Kindred for a while. <br/><br/>At first, I found the premise to be a little slow but exciting, a 1970s black woman is pulled randomly to the 1800s and must save her ancestors to secure her future existence. However, with this I wouldn’t categorize Kindred as a science fiction novel. It doesn’t have the otherworldly and dreamy feeling of your typical science fiction work but, this is not a fault at all. <br/><br/>Everything felt so real. With the multiple scenes describing gruesome beatings, rapes, and abuses endured by the enslaved people, I would sometimes have to put the book down as it was like I was experiencing it myself. I believe it was much easier for me to relate to this novel, being a black woman as well. However, it does not take a black or female identity for anyone to have their heart strings pulled left to right. <br/><br/>I commend Butler for her ability to show and encapsulate chattel slavery as a system affecting all people involved: the slaves, their children, the slaveholders, and their children, the general white public of the time, and the descendants of those enslaved people. This is not to suggest that chattel slavery was equally bad for everyone, as that is false, and Butler makes no mistake to show that. <br/><br/>At the end of the novel, I wondered: the magic that pulls Dana back to Rufus, why did it choose Rufus as her anchor? Clearly, Alice is in more physical danger for most of her life, she would need more saving/medical attention than Rufus ever would. So, why not choose Alice as Dana’s anchor if the sole point was to make sure Edana’s ancestry continues? Did Butler do this to further nail in the coffin that a slave’s life was not their own and to be saved, their help could only come at the call of their master? Dana’s interactions with Alice are only through Rufus’ calls which mirrors the reality that her life is not her own but subject to the will of her owner. <br/><br/>Overall, I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical fiction but also likes thinking about oppressive structures and how they affect the people within them. All I will critique about Kindred, was the lack of depth I felt could’ve been explored with Edana. It felt at some points she was simply an observer in the story, not affected by events in the story or choosing not to be affected for the sake of her sanity. This wasn’t the case for the whole novel but, certainly for some parts."

"This book is labeled as a science fiction due to the time travel even though there is no science explained or shown. The author saids that it’s fantasy because of the time travel never being explained. Except for the time travel element nothing else about the book matches with it being a fantasy. <br/><br/>The time travel is never explained exactly why or how it happens. Which i don’t mind because the story didn’t really need it. The time travel element was just used to take a present day black women into the past. <br/><br/>The black representation was good. The main character is easy to relate to while also being strong and not afraid to speak up.<br/><br/>The book also doesn’t shy away from the difficulty of the timezone. Nothing is sugar coated. All the characters including the slave owner and slave’s themselves are complex. There is also discussion of how easy it is to accept slavery when you around you that believes in it. <br/><br/>The only reason that it is rated lower is because it is not my taste. The story does move in a slow pace and allows you to get to know the time period and characters. Also historic fiction, even though i like reading them, i don’t get attached to the stories that often. I’m not a history person."

"Something totally different than my normal reads. Great recommendation"

"I read this one a while back and I have to say it was a amazing book it was filled with action and kept me on my toes I will suggest a read "

"I love Octavia Butler, so I don’t know why it too me so long to get to this book. This is a science fiction book with basically no science. Its more of a fantasy book, but the fantastical elements are time travel. Dana is celebrating her 26th birthday in 1976 when she is transported back in time to a Maryland Plantation in the early 19th century. It is here that she meets her ancestors and is forced to try to conform to the antebellum structured society while still having a bicentennial mindset. As she travels back in forth in time, she becomes entangled in the lives of her ancestors and other slaves on the plantation. She begins to believe that she is most likely traveling in time to ensure the existence of her family in the present but finds herself at odds with what is morally correct and what NEEDS to happen. In true Butler form we have social commentary on the effects of gender, power and race and it is offered in the form of two interracial couples that are the heart of the story. She offers a frank dissection of what life was like for African Americans on plantations while still acknowledging that things were worse in other locations. She paints a vivid picture of life in the slave community by giving each of the characters their own distinct and personal narratives that the reader becomes invested in. Butler has written an amazing book that should serve as a reminder that even the most difficult periods of history need to be accurately remembered to preserve humanity’s present and future. Denying and erasing the past will only harm society in the long run."

"Every time I would pick this up to read I got sucked in and wondered why I hadn't been consistently reading it. I found it written simply, which is something I prefer; no long paragraphs of exposition. Yet, she still created these complex characters that you felt a range of emotions for. I understood Dana's conflicted feelings for Rufus; wanting to save him but also being disappointed in who he becomes. However, the ending felt rushed and a letdown to me. <spoiler>I do think the symbolism of her losing her arm felt right--a part of her will always be in the past. I just felt more of their thoughts about it all could've been explored. It felt abrupt and I was a bit ticked Kevin had the final word, but that's just me. </spoiler>"

"Okay, I just saw the trailer for the show and I instantly knew what it was in the first five seconds and got so excited. I feel like I definitely will be coming back to this soon because of that."

"This should have been part of every high school curriculum the moment it was published. I'm grateful to have been led to it now at 38 but wow! Cannot recommend this enough. Ms. Butler brought history to life in some incredible and painful ways that sticks with me in ways history class never even attempted to approach. We need this book to be required reading."