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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!
laurareads87's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
A Handful of Earth, a Handful of Sky: The World of Octavia E. Butler is best described in author Lynell George's words: it is "not a biography, or is it a study of [Butler's] literary legacy" [20]; rather, it is "an examination of Octavia E. Butler's step-by-step, quotidian process and life path" and "a book of ideas, prescriptions, and possibilities" [21]. I was not entirely sure what to expect of this book based only on the description on the cover but I am so glad I picked it up. George has, via a deep exploration of the ephemera of the Octavia Butler Papers archive, woven a story of Butler as creator of not only her science fiction, but of herself. I feel immensely appreciative of George's work here: I know the joys and frustrations of archival research, all the tangents and trails one can find oneself on, and what Lynell George has produced from her exploration of Butler's archive is truly extraordinary. I am inspired and grateful. Highly, highly recommend, and cannot wait to read more of Lynell George's work.
Content Warnings
Minor: Racism and Sexism
nwhyte's review against another edition
3.0
https://nwhyte.livejournal.com/3725489.html
It is beautifully produced, and conveys very well the sense of awe and reverence that anyone who has ever done archival research knows from dealing with original first-hand materials. But I learned very little from it about what Butler thought she was doing with her work, what her influences were, what external forces pushed her in one direction or the other. It is more of an extended meditation on how Lynelle George feels about Octavia E. Butler and her personal records, which is all very well, but not as interesting as I had hoped for. In case you are reading this after the 2021 Hugo ballot has closed, you can get it here. Of the Butleriana on the ballot this year, I much prefer the graphic novel adaptation of Parable of the Sower.
It is beautifully produced, and conveys very well the sense of awe and reverence that anyone who has ever done archival research knows from dealing with original first-hand materials. But I learned very little from it about what Butler thought she was doing with her work, what her influences were, what external forces pushed her in one direction or the other. It is more of an extended meditation on how Lynelle George feels about Octavia E. Butler and her personal records, which is all very well, but not as interesting as I had hoped for. In case you are reading this after the 2021 Hugo ballot has closed, you can get it here. Of the Butleriana on the ballot this year, I much prefer the graphic novel adaptation of Parable of the Sower.
anna_hepworth's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
5.0
This biography of Octavia Butler is amazing. I don't have the oomph to write a proper review, so from my reading notes:
Intro does a good job of putting both Butler and biographer into context, as well as a feel for the kind of archive Butler left, which is boggling in the fineness of the detail.
Intro does a good job of putting both Butler and biographer into context, as well as a feel for the kind of archive Butler left, which is boggling in the fineness of the detail.
Love the way this flows - the voice of the biographer is subsumed into the voice they are giving Butler. There is ever that sense of reading both fact and fiction simultaneously, as must be the case when working from written records, even those as personal and complete as these appear to be.
But what I am getting the whole way through is a sense of being neuro atypical. The vagueness and failure to perform in primary school, the endless lists and rigorous lifestyle chosen, the hyper fixation.
This biographer can really write. Not sure how much of the text is Butler’s unedited work, but flows together so beautifully - I almost feel like I’m reading poetry
And there is a bit towards the end that made me cry - a quote from 1999 about what Butler might achieve with another 30 years. Butler is one of the few writers whose death was a terrible shock, a jarring unexpected change in the world that made me angry with the Fates.
This biographer can really write. Not sure how much of the text is Butler’s unedited work, but flows together so beautifully - I almost feel like I’m reading poetry
And there is a bit towards the end that made me cry - a quote from 1999 about what Butler might achieve with another 30 years. Butler is one of the few writers whose death was a terrible shock, a jarring unexpected change in the world that made me angry with the Fates.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death and Racism
stevendedalus's review against another edition
4.0
A lovely piece of journalism, diving deep through Butler's notes to create a poetic portrait of her development as a writer and her unique perspective.
Extrapolating from journals and marginalia but not stretching far, it gives a wonderful sense of place and Butler's persistence and circumstances.
It does repeat and circle back, retreading the same terrain, albeit showing different facets and with a flowery prose that is seductive and lovely.
It's a neat bio, with a scrapbook collage quality that grounds Butler and keeps the flights of psychologizing in check.
Extrapolating from journals and marginalia but not stretching far, it gives a wonderful sense of place and Butler's persistence and circumstances.
It does repeat and circle back, retreading the same terrain, albeit showing different facets and with a flowery prose that is seductive and lovely.
It's a neat bio, with a scrapbook collage quality that grounds Butler and keeps the flights of psychologizing in check.
audrarussellwrites's review against another edition
5.0
A beautiful, intimate, and thoughtfully constructed biography of Octavia Butler. The author combed through boxes and boxes of Butler's journals, notebooks, and other personal belongings and, by the end of the book, made me feel as if I had the wonderful and rare opportunity of having a long and inspiring informal talk with Ms. Butler myself. As a writer, I treasured every page of this work. Read it in one sitting.
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