Reviews tagging 'Hate crime'

Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler

26 reviews

dean_'s review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Torture, Abandonment, Blood, War, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Colonisation, Cursing, Death of parent, Excrement, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Bullying, Drug abuse, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Kidnapping, Police brutality, Drug use, Genocide, Pregnancy, Addiction, Hate crime, Racism, Rape, Slavery, Vomit, Violence, War, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Gore, Sexual violence, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Cannibalism, Car accident, Murder, and Stalking

gmortg3's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Religious bigotry, Sexual violence, Cannibalism, Excrement, Forced institutionalization, Homophobia, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Stalking, Incest, Police brutality, Racism, Rape, Body horror, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Violence, War, Domestic abuse, Kidnapping, Slavery, Colonisation, Hate crime, Suicide, Trafficking, Torture, Toxic relationship, Grief, Miscarriage, Murder, Physical abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, and Pregnancy

mxkanteven's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Ms. Octavia E. Butler is at the pinnacle of Sci-fi.

Matter of fact, her works are the blueprint of what science fiction is now.

I can see shadows of Parable of the Sower in newer books like Dry by Neal Shusterman.

Her understand of the human condition, people’s reactions to oppression, excess & lack and the patterns of human behaviour is more insightful than most.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Slavery, Trafficking, Sexual harassment, Abandonment, Gun violence, and Hate crime

miked's review against another edition

challenging dark hopeful informative sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death of parent, Sexual harassment, Sexism, Transphobia, Trafficking, Colonisation, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Hate crime, Murder, Sexual violence, Animal death, Cannibalism, Child death, Drug abuse, Police brutality, Sexual assault, Blood, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Racism, Rape, Slavery, and Violence

lilybear3's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.75

I listened to this as an unabridged audiobook read by  Lynne Thigpen.  They have a lovely voice that is graceful, yet captures the heaviness. This is one of the best dystopian novels I have read.  Her messages on social injustices and climate change are true and prophetic.  I was highly engaged for the majority of the book, but I lost a little interest towards the end when

more and more people joined the group on the journey. It was about when Emery and Mora showed up

.  There were a lot of scenes and imagery that felt like it was added for shock value, but I think that is the reality of the world they live in.  I was not a fan of the age-gap relationship, but I interpreted it as commentary on how children mature way too fast when in an environment that forces them to grow up.  Characterization was fantastic.  There were great descriptions while also characterizing through the characters' actions.  Watching Lauren grow into her own and write about her spiritual and philosophical beliefs was so interesting.  I thought the ending was fitting, it wasn't amazing, but acceptable.  I'm glad I read this classic.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Racism, Violence, Xenophobia, Addiction, Animal death, Blood, Child death, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Hate crime, Murder, Pregnancy, Torture, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Domestic abuse, and Rape

Minor: Cannibalism

mischorda's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Cannibalism, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Murder, Pedophilia, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Adult/minor relationship, Classism, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Hate crime, Incest, Rape, Slavery, Alcoholism, and Miscarriage

otherworlds's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

A compelling vision of hope & love in the face of a bleak future. I can see why this book is such a classic. I can also see why people say it's relevant to the times we're living in. Butler's prediction of the 2020s is different in some ways but in other ways all too similar.

This story feels revolutionary in a lot of ways. Butler takes a hard, honest look at late-stage capitalism, racism, the police state, American fascism, and tells us there's a better way. Hope and solidarity for these characters is deeply practical, an absolutely necessity for survival. It's a more grounded approach than in most dystopian fiction IMO, and I find it refreshing and inspiring.

Also, Lauren Olamina is a bold and fascinating protagonist, both in terms of her personality and her religion. Earthseed itself is one of the most unique, thematic religions I've ever seen in speculative fiction. I just loved it all💗

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief

Moderate: Slavery, Torture, Rape, and Drug use

Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Police brutality, and Hate crime

decklededgess's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

trigger warnings: incest, rape, physical abuse, death of family, gore and injury description, sexual content, drug use and abuse, arson and fire, racism, sexism, murder, enslavement, cannibalism, child abuse, trafficking, suicide, gun violence, and more probably.

Before I get into my doom and gloom reaction let me just say that terrifying as this book is, it's incredibly well thought out and the cause and effect of what leads to the situations in this book are rooted in very realistic patterns. The cast of characters are really interesting and it was something to see how desperate they were for happiness that they were pushing through the nightmare of their lives. It's also a fascinating look into how law and morality breaks down when safety, freedom, food, and shelter aren't a guarantee. It's a lot.

I am incredibly (insert adequate word here) to see a book that is set three years into our current future exist in exacerbated conditions of today. It feels like a cold bucket of water tossed over my head knowing this book was written in 1993 and we are living in a reality predicted nearly thirty years ago by an author who said THIS is exactly how it'll get worse if things don't change...uh. oof.

Anyways. Read for your own awareness and preparation. It's a book of survival through some really dire fucking situations and it's a little sobering to realize maybe perishing before it gets this bad is the ideal way because no way in hell am i doing any of THIS.

RIP to my nerves bc I am living in a nightmare.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Hate crime, Medical content, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Violence, Trafficking, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Animal death, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Child death, Classism, Death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Incest, Injury/Injury detail, Mass/school shootings, Rape, Sexism, Vomit, Suicide, Slavery, Sexual violence, and Sexual content

starccato's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Vomit, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Child death, Classism, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Grief, Incest, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Trafficking

dugfromthedirt's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative inspiring reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Cannibalism, Classism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Death, Gun violence, Violence, Rape, Physical abuse, Animal death, and Murder

Moderate: Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Pregnancy, Drug use, Gore, Racism, Physical abuse, Sexism, Torture, Violence, Sexual violence, Vomit, Hate crime, Medical content, Sexual harassment, Police brutality, Slavery, Trafficking, Grief, Mental illness, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, Incest, Classism, and Misogyny