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kellymariez's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
wholesomeandqueer's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
erica_sj's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.25
mixedgirlreading's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
3.75
elkieb's review against another edition
5.0
Based on the author's reflections on Butler's personal archive - this isn't your typical biography. But it is inspiring to me as I am creating my own "Free and Clear" goals. I listened to the audiobook & realize I will need to track down a physical copy to really get the full experience.
seeceeread's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
💭 "What if the world was turned to a different slant, what if she had more power, what if? What if what if? [...] She had gravitated toward science fiction as a genre because it lifted the ceiling and dissolved the walls; it presented the sort of freedom and brazenness she needed for creating new possibilities."
Alice Walker's essay, 𝗜𝗻 𝗦𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗼𝗳 𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗠𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿'𝘀 𝗚𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘀 (also the name of a collection) speculates on how ancestral women translated genius into functional treasures such as quilts and flower displays — or perhaps didn't find expression, forced as they were to "make biscuits for some backwater tramp." Walker demands attention to the ways Black women's artistry has been thwarted.
George picks up the mantle, offering a blueprint for becoming a writer, an artist, a MacArthur "genius," a first, based on Octavia Estelle Butler's archived ephemera. George also shows the loneliness, doubt and agita of a woman haunted by ambitions that even her closest family largely thought nonsensical, unattainable. Butler was formidable for her capacity to plough through obstacles; she was determined to realize her dreams, her 𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧. At times, she planned to pawn essentials, like her typewriter, to make rent. Waiting on publisher's checks, she bemused, "𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘱𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘺 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘯?????" Her coping strategies were wholly unique: she curated "Octavia" as a public persona, a sort of alter ego whose badassery would protect the softer, inner Estelle.
This book reminds me of how much goes into the making of any book, how class is often reflected in the final product, how much gentler I could be with works I don't enjoy ... because the process is often admirable, even if I don't feel the same way about the final product.
Alice Walker's essay, 𝗜𝗻 𝗦𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗼𝗳 𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗠𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿'𝘀 𝗚𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘀 (also the name of a collection) speculates on how ancestral women translated genius into functional treasures such as quilts and flower displays — or perhaps didn't find expression, forced as they were to "make biscuits for some backwater tramp." Walker demands attention to the ways Black women's artistry has been thwarted.
George picks up the mantle, offering a blueprint for becoming a writer, an artist, a MacArthur "genius," a first, based on Octavia Estelle Butler's archived ephemera. George also shows the loneliness, doubt and agita of a woman haunted by ambitions that even her closest family largely thought nonsensical, unattainable. Butler was formidable for her capacity to plough through obstacles; she was determined to realize her dreams, her 𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧. At times, she planned to pawn essentials, like her typewriter, to make rent. Waiting on publisher's checks, she bemused, "𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘱𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘺 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘯?????" Her coping strategies were wholly unique: she curated "Octavia" as a public persona, a sort of alter ego whose badassery would protect the softer, inner Estelle.
This book reminds me of how much goes into the making of any book, how class is often reflected in the final product, how much gentler I could be with works I don't enjoy ... because the process is often admirable, even if I don't feel the same way about the final product.