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tyrshand's review against another edition
5.0
I absolutely adored this and need to get my hands on a physical copy, since it sounds like there's a huge visual element I missed by listening to this instead. However, the narrator was excellent. You know how some narrators not only have a great voice and perform well, but also have this extra something that shows they're really working with the words? Like, I don't know exactly how to describe it, but to me it's what takes an audiobook from a good listen to a great one. For instance, there are some repetitive elements to the book, particularly when it comes to the lists that Butler kept. The narrator is able to make these fascinating, making them feel like updates or growth. And though this is a biography, both the writing and the narrator make this feel almost like a novel.
Anyhow, even if you aren't interested in Octavia E. Butler (though, why wouldn't you be? Her writing was amazing!) there are so many other reasons to be drawn to this book. The writer's journey. The history of science fiction. The struggles of being Black and female on the path to success. Or learning to accept who you are, no matter how others see you, and finding the strength in the pieces of yourself. Plus there is a ton of love for libraries in here, so I've got to adore that.
Anyhow, even if you aren't interested in Octavia E. Butler (though, why wouldn't you be? Her writing was amazing!) there are so many other reasons to be drawn to this book. The writer's journey. The history of science fiction. The struggles of being Black and female on the path to success. Or learning to accept who you are, no matter how others see you, and finding the strength in the pieces of yourself. Plus there is a ton of love for libraries in here, so I've got to adore that.
bookaneer's review against another edition
3.0
This is unlike the usual writer biography I read. There's a disclaimer by the author at the beginning so I guess it's enter at your own risk. The prose is poetic, it's dreamlike, describing more the inner thoughts (from third person perspective) and behavior based on the author's research especially Butler's journals. It's almost like a musing on someone's daily life. I was confused since I am used to facts given in biographies. I felt I did not get much information.
I almost gave the book two stars but finally increased the rating since the last parts were good. It finally opened the window to Butler's thoughts when she wrote sci-fi. Some parts I just had to highlight.
I am still interested to read a more biographical account so if any of you have any recommendation, let me know.
I almost gave the book two stars but finally increased the rating since the last parts were good. It finally opened the window to Butler's thoughts when she wrote sci-fi. Some parts I just had to highlight.
I am still interested to read a more biographical account so if any of you have any recommendation, let me know.
jessthanthree's review against another edition
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism and Classism
Minor: Bullying
oleksandr's review against another edition
3.0
This is a short biography of a prominent African-American SF woman writer [a:Octavia E. Butler|29535|Octavia E. Butler|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1242244143p2/29535.jpg], whose main works include [b:Kindred|60931|Kindred|Octavia E. Butler|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1339423248l/60931._SY75_.jpg|1049657] and [b:Parable of the Sower|52397|Parable of the Sower (Earthseed, #1)|Octavia E. Butler|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1442169447l/52397._SY75_.jpg|59258]. I read it as a Buddy Read for August 2021 at Non Fiction Book Club group.
This book is not what I expected. I’ve previously read several biographies of SF writers, including [b:The Pleasant Profession of Robert A. Heinlein|42632383|The Pleasant Profession of Robert A. Heinlein|Farah Mendlesohn|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1541399334l/42632383._SY75_.jpg|66365024] and [b:Astounding: John W. Campbell, Isaac Asimov, Robert A. Heinlein, L. Ron Hubbard, and the Golden Age of Science Fiction|35958896|Astounding John W. Campbell, Isaac Asimov, Robert A. Heinlein, L. Ron Hubbard, and the Golden Age of Science Fiction|Alec Nevala-Lee|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1529430368l/35958896._SY75_.jpg|57516282], both of which as well as this book, were nominated in different years for Hugo Award for Best Related Work. I expected that like abovementioned works it will be a story of what a person wrote, why, what external pressures or opportunities affected the works, etc. However, this book spends little time on such matters. Instead, based on diaries and extensive material that remained it shows her life and her struggle to become a writer, at a time, when nearly all professional SF writers were white men. She felt the need to write from an early age, her mother, despite running short on money, presents her daughter with the gift of a secondhand typewriter on the occasion of her tenth birthday. Despite condescending attitude of people around her, she writes and writes, getting refusals and facing financial ruin, she doesn’t go for a steady job, but continues to try. At the end she “wins”, her work is recognized and acclaimed, she is called an oracle and a prophet. She is not clairvoyant. She just examines humanity squarely and then hypothesizes. She is a novelist, a fabulist. Her stories, which bend categories, are not meant as prophecy. Not at all. They are tantalizing explorations.
When I was in my teens and full of things that could not be said to relatives and acquaintances. I recall being much alone then and lonely and full of questions, doubts, fears. . . . I could not have looked ahead to see myself now.
I have to admit, I like Butlers’ works, they are definitely written by a talented person and I wanted to know more about her books, how she grew as an author, what themes were close to her, why her prose is much more emotional than most SF works. It is a pity that her status as a Black and a woman severely limited her opportunities. However, reading about writers I don’t need to know that they lacked money to visit a dentist, unless it is linked to their prose. This book doesn’t supply what I wished for, but it can be a great encouragement to others out there, who are not yet have their talent recognized.
This book is not what I expected. I’ve previously read several biographies of SF writers, including [b:The Pleasant Profession of Robert A. Heinlein|42632383|The Pleasant Profession of Robert A. Heinlein|Farah Mendlesohn|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1541399334l/42632383._SY75_.jpg|66365024] and [b:Astounding: John W. Campbell, Isaac Asimov, Robert A. Heinlein, L. Ron Hubbard, and the Golden Age of Science Fiction|35958896|Astounding John W. Campbell, Isaac Asimov, Robert A. Heinlein, L. Ron Hubbard, and the Golden Age of Science Fiction|Alec Nevala-Lee|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1529430368l/35958896._SY75_.jpg|57516282], both of which as well as this book, were nominated in different years for Hugo Award for Best Related Work. I expected that like abovementioned works it will be a story of what a person wrote, why, what external pressures or opportunities affected the works, etc. However, this book spends little time on such matters. Instead, based on diaries and extensive material that remained it shows her life and her struggle to become a writer, at a time, when nearly all professional SF writers were white men. She felt the need to write from an early age, her mother, despite running short on money, presents her daughter with the gift of a secondhand typewriter on the occasion of her tenth birthday. Despite condescending attitude of people around her, she writes and writes, getting refusals and facing financial ruin, she doesn’t go for a steady job, but continues to try. At the end she “wins”, her work is recognized and acclaimed, she is called an oracle and a prophet. She is not clairvoyant. She just examines humanity squarely and then hypothesizes. She is a novelist, a fabulist. Her stories, which bend categories, are not meant as prophecy. Not at all. They are tantalizing explorations.
When I was in my teens and full of things that could not be said to relatives and acquaintances. I recall being much alone then and lonely and full of questions, doubts, fears. . . . I could not have looked ahead to see myself now.
I have to admit, I like Butlers’ works, they are definitely written by a talented person and I wanted to know more about her books, how she grew as an author, what themes were close to her, why her prose is much more emotional than most SF works. It is a pity that her status as a Black and a woman severely limited her opportunities. However, reading about writers I don’t need to know that they lacked money to visit a dentist, unless it is linked to their prose. This book doesn’t supply what I wished for, but it can be a great encouragement to others out there, who are not yet have their talent recognized.
bekahbeth's review against another edition
4.0
BookRiot 2022 Read Harder Challenge #1: Read a biography of an author you admire; OR [b:Poet Warrior: A Memoir|56769519|Poet Warrior A Memoir|Joy Harjo|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1625851261l/56769519._SY75_.jpg|88729154].
This is a very dynamically written, very personal biography-of-fragments. There isn't much of a continuous narrative (although I might call it contiguous: adjacent or abutting), but it leaves a strong impression of the person and writer Butler was based on her own ephemera. I regularly felt like I was reading someone's diary -- that frisson of guilt and unrequited intimacy -- but in a way that made me feel almost like her diary entries and most personal exhortations were mine. I'm not 100% sure George's writing style would work for me in other contexts, but it worked very well in this one.
This is a very dynamically written, very personal biography-of-fragments. There isn't much of a continuous narrative (although I might call it contiguous: adjacent or abutting), but it leaves a strong impression of the person and writer Butler was based on her own ephemera. I regularly felt like I was reading someone's diary -- that frisson of guilt and unrequited intimacy -- but in a way that made me feel almost like her diary entries and most personal exhortations were mine. I'm not 100% sure George's writing style would work for me in other contexts, but it worked very well in this one.
booksrockcal's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
3.5
helenareadsbooks's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
5.0
This book is not a biography, but an examination of what made Octavia E. Butler the writer we know and love. George spent four years exploring Butler's archives at The Huntington Library, and has gifted us with an intimate look inside Butler's mind and process. By referencing Butler's diaries and journals, George has reimagined a narrative of Butler's daily life, presenting us with her struggles and frustrations, along with her dreams and determination. But this book is also so much more than that, it offers hope, inspiration, peace and encouragement on how to move through the world and pursue a creative life. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever read and I can’t stop thinking about it.
Looking back at my journey reading Butler’s work, I was already in awe of Butler's imagination and intelligence. And now that I've read A Handful of Earth A Handful of Sky, I have so much more context and a newfound appreciation for who Butler was. I’m so grateful for this book!