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holasisoymaca's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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? Yes
5.0
"Una joven negra me dijo una vez: «Siempre he querido escribir ciencia ficción, pero no creía que hubiera ninguna mujer negra haciéndolo». Las dudas se manifiestan de muchas maneras. Pero aún me siguen preguntando: ¿de qué les sirve la ciencia ficción a las personas negras?
¿De qué les sirve cualquier forma de literatura a las personas negras?
¿De qué le sirve la reflexión sobre el presente, el futuro y el pasado que ofrece la ciencia ficción? ¿De qué sirve su tendencia a advertir de peligros o a considerar formas alternativas de pensar y hacer? ¿De qué sirve su análisis de los posibles efectos de la ciencia y la tecnología, o de la organización social y la dirección política? Los mejores ejemplos de ciencia ficción estimulan la imaginación y la creatividad. Saca a lectores y escritores del camino trillado, de la estrecha senda de lo que «todo el mundo» dice, hace, piensa, sea quien resulte ser «todo el mundo» ese año.
¿Y de qué es sirve todo esto a las personas negras?"
Hombres embarazados, enfermedades extrañas y alienígenas dominando el planeta son algunos de los temas centrales de esta colección de relatos, con un mundo violento y desesperanzador que se derrumba de fondo.
Es la primera vez que leo a Octavia y me maravilló su forma de escribir tan sencilla pero tan potente a la vez, donde utiliza la ficción para reflexionar sobre el racismo, las clases sociales, los sueños, la ciencia, y fundamentalmente, el antropocentrismo, que atraviesa fuertemente todos los relatos. ¿Es la historia humana la única digna de ser contada? ¿Es el humano el único objeto de estudio, el único protagonista de este vasto universo?
Algo que quiero resaltar respecto de esta edición de la editorial Consonni (pues desconozco si está presente en otras) son los epílogos incluídos luego de los relatos, donde tenemos una explicación más personal de la autora sobre cómo nacieron esas historias y/o las temáticas que quería reflejar al escribirlas.
Los cuentos que más me gustaron fueron "Hija de sangre" (aunque debo admitir que me dió bastante impresión), "Sonidos del habla", "Amnistía", y mi favorito por lejos, "El libro de Martha".
Por otra parte, en los ensayos que contiene el libro se hace dos preguntas: en primer lugar, si podrá vivir de sus escritos, y en segundo lugar (y sobre todo), si podrá vivir de sus escritos siendo una mujer negra, en un mundo donde sólo los hombres blancos triunfan haciendo ciencia ficción.
Tanto sus cuentos como sus ensayos hablan sobre la desigualdad de ese mundo tan gris y hostil; pero también nos muestran esa esperanza, esa luz al final del túnel, ese poder que tenemos de revolucionar el mundo desde nuestro lugar, que a veces parece tan minúsculo pero es tan necesario.
Desde el amor y desde los sueños se pueden hacer muchas cosas. Queda en nosotrxs descubrir qué.
¿De qué les sirve cualquier forma de literatura a las personas negras?
¿De qué le sirve la reflexión sobre el presente, el futuro y el pasado que ofrece la ciencia ficción? ¿De qué sirve su tendencia a advertir de peligros o a considerar formas alternativas de pensar y hacer? ¿De qué sirve su análisis de los posibles efectos de la ciencia y la tecnología, o de la organización social y la dirección política? Los mejores ejemplos de ciencia ficción estimulan la imaginación y la creatividad. Saca a lectores y escritores del camino trillado, de la estrecha senda de lo que «todo el mundo» dice, hace, piensa, sea quien resulte ser «todo el mundo» ese año.
¿Y de qué es sirve todo esto a las personas negras?"
Hombres embarazados, enfermedades extrañas y alienígenas dominando el planeta son algunos de los temas centrales de esta colección de relatos, con un mundo violento y desesperanzador que se derrumba de fondo.
Es la primera vez que leo a Octavia y me maravilló su forma de escribir tan sencilla pero tan potente a la vez, donde utiliza la ficción para reflexionar sobre el racismo, las clases sociales, los sueños, la ciencia, y fundamentalmente, el antropocentrismo, que atraviesa fuertemente todos los relatos. ¿Es la historia humana la única digna de ser contada? ¿Es el humano el único objeto de estudio, el único protagonista de este vasto universo?
Algo que quiero resaltar respecto de esta edición de la editorial Consonni (pues desconozco si está presente en otras) son los epílogos incluídos luego de los relatos, donde tenemos una explicación más personal de la autora sobre cómo nacieron esas historias y/o las temáticas que quería reflejar al escribirlas.
Los cuentos que más me gustaron fueron "Hija de sangre" (aunque debo admitir que me dió bastante impresión), "Sonidos del habla", "Amnistía", y mi favorito por lejos, "El libro de Martha".
Por otra parte, en los ensayos que contiene el libro se hace dos preguntas: en primer lugar, si podrá vivir de sus escritos, y en segundo lugar (y sobre todo), si podrá vivir de sus escritos siendo una mujer negra, en un mundo donde sólo los hombres blancos triunfan haciendo ciencia ficción.
Tanto sus cuentos como sus ensayos hablan sobre la desigualdad de ese mundo tan gris y hostil; pero también nos muestran esa esperanza, esa luz al final del túnel, ese poder que tenemos de revolucionar el mundo desde nuestro lugar, que a veces parece tan minúsculo pero es tan necesario.
Desde el amor y desde los sueños se pueden hacer muchas cosas. Queda en nosotrxs descubrir qué.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror and Violence
krisheiney's review against another edition
dark
reflective
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
4.25
I have been wanting to enjoy Butler’s writing more than I have—having previously read Kindred and Parable of the Sower—and this book was the one to get me there. Butler is an oddity all her own, a self-taught writer with a startling imagination and a strange view of the world, molded in part by her hermit tendencies and in part by her standing in society as a black American. With these stories, essays, and the accompanying commentary, I have an image of her that makes me see my concerns with her other books in a new light, and I also have a handful of new favorite stories. Bloodchild, the title story, in particular is astonishing, brutal, and beautiful. Other favorites are Amnesty and The Evening and the Morning and the Night, which left me shuddering and with many thoughts. With many of these stories Butler creates power dynamics that are uncomfortable in their reach and shine a light on our own human relationships.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Body horror
Moderate: Racism and Incest
growintogardens's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
I've been meaning to read her work and this book fit one of my reading challenges. A great collection of stories. Some were super disturbing at times, but all them were well written and made me think. The second to last one was probably my favorite. So strange, but powerful. She's definitely great at Sci fi and I'm excited to read more of her stuff.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Gore, Sexual assault, Rape, Sexual content, Medical trauma, War, Grief, Misogyny, Torture, Murder, Physical abuse, Racism, Incest, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Slavery, Body horror, Confinement, and Medical content
Minor: Death of parent, Child death, Drug use, and Racial slurs
I'm probably forgetting stuff- there's a lot of triggers.quarkie's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
fast-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? No
4.75
I've never read any Octavia Butler before, and now I'm wondering what took me so long. Even though in the preface she talks about how she's nor really a writer of short stories, I found these very compelling.
The overarching theme seemed to be "take a societal rule or norm, break it, and then tell a very human and empathic story about those who are involved." In this collection, Butler picked a few very heavy topics such as forced pregnancy, genetic disease, incest, paranoia and delusion, government interrogation, and utopia. But in all cases, she shines such a human light on these challenging topics, and presents you with such different perspectives. I also love that she gives a brief afterward for every story, giving you a glimpse into her thought process or the inspiration for the story.
Really, the only reason I took off a fraction of a star is because sometimes the topics are quite heavy, making them difficult to read.
The two essays that she includes are incredibly compelling. She says that the best part of her is her fiction, but the contents of her essays had me in tears. They contain so much wisdom not just for writers, but for everyone pursuing a path that is difficult.
There were a few quotes that I liked so much that I am considering buying the book, just so I can look back on them:
"If you hard enough at something that doesn't matter, you can forget for a while about the things that do."
"Decide what you want. Aim high. Go for it."
"Make a habit of doing your best."
"If the idea of doing this scares you, fine. Go ahead and be afraid."
"It's amazing what we can do if we simply refuse to give up. I suspect that this is the most important thing I've said in all my interviews and talks as well as in this book. It's a truth that applies to more than writing. It applies to anything that is important, but difficult, important, but frightening. We're all capable of climbing so much higher than we usually permit ourselves to suppose. The word, again, is "persist"!"
The overarching theme seemed to be "take a societal rule or norm, break it, and then tell a very human and empathic story about those who are involved." In this collection, Butler picked a few very heavy topics such as forced pregnancy, genetic disease, incest, paranoia and delusion, government interrogation, and utopia. But in all cases, she shines such a human light on these challenging topics, and presents you with such different perspectives. I also love that she gives a brief afterward for every story, giving you a glimpse into her thought process or the inspiration for the story.
Really, the only reason I took off a fraction of a star is because sometimes the topics are quite heavy, making them difficult to read.
The two essays that she includes are incredibly compelling. She says that the best part of her is her fiction, but the contents of her essays had me in tears. They contain so much wisdom not just for writers, but for everyone pursuing a path that is difficult.
There were a few quotes that I liked so much that I am considering buying the book, just so I can look back on them:
"If you hard enough at something that doesn't matter, you can forget for a while about the things that do."
"Decide what you want. Aim high. Go for it."
"Make a habit of doing your best."
"If the idea of doing this scares you, fine. Go ahead and be afraid."
"It's amazing what we can do if we simply refuse to give up. I suspect that this is the most important thing I've said in all my interviews and talks as well as in this book. It's a truth that applies to more than writing. It applies to anything that is important, but difficult, important, but frightening. We're all capable of climbing so much higher than we usually permit ourselves to suppose. The word, again, is "persist"!"
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Terminal illness, and Body horror
Moderate: Incest
nica_chan's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
ahhh, octavia e. butler, quanto è stato piacevole fare la tua conoscenza!!!
essendo questo libro una raccolta di racconti, ho avuto l’onore di vedere butler brillare in più storie diverse, e alcune che hanno colpita più di altre; in particolare le mie preferite sono state “la sera, il giorno e la notte”, “fonemi” e “il libro di martha”.
scoprire la prima scrittrice donna Nera del genere fantascientifico alla mia età di 24 anni per me è una rivelazione. in 200 pagine, butler mi ha insegnato che non bisogna essere maschi bianchi per immaginarsi mondi fantastici, utopie o alieni arrivati sulla terra (anche se è ciò che sembra dal mondo della fantascienza mainstream).
grazie octavia, non vedo l’ora di leggere anche i tuoi romanzi, tra cui “legami di sangue” e “la parabola del seminatore”.
ps: la fantascienza non è il mio genere, ma la penna, bravura e dedizione di butler rende piacevole ogni suo scritto
essendo questo libro una raccolta di racconti, ho avuto l’onore di vedere butler brillare in più storie diverse, e alcune che hanno colpita più di altre; in particolare le mie preferite sono state “la sera, il giorno e la notte”, “fonemi” e “il libro di martha”.
scoprire la prima scrittrice donna Nera del genere fantascientifico alla mia età di 24 anni per me è una rivelazione. in 200 pagine, butler mi ha insegnato che non bisogna essere maschi bianchi per immaginarsi mondi fantastici, utopie o alieni arrivati sulla terra (anche se è ciò che sembra dal mondo della fantascienza mainstream).
grazie octavia, non vedo l’ora di leggere anche i tuoi romanzi, tra cui “legami di sangue” e “la parabola del seminatore”.
ps: la fantascienza non è il mio genere, ma la penna, bravura e dedizione di butler rende piacevole ogni suo scritto
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual harassment, Body horror, Child abuse, Torture, Incest, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Kidnapping
Minor: Abortion and Rape
readingbrb's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror
Moderate: Rape, Confinement, and Self harm
Minor: Miscarriage, Death, and Gore
jakobvongunten's review against another edition
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Confinement, Medical trauma, and Gore
Moderate: Incest, Ableism, Alcoholism, Sexual assault, and Body horror
lycheejelly's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
fast-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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Mental illness, Death of parent, Gun violence, Addiction, Murder, Pandemic/Epidemic, Suicidal thoughts, War, Body horror, Confinement, Torture, Death, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Grief, Toxic friendship, Suicide, and Terminal illness
Minor: Cancer, Car accident, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Forced institutionalization, Infertility, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, Abandonment, Ableism, Incest, Abortion, Addiction, Bullying, Classism, Alcoholism, Cannibalism, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Miscarriage, Xenophobia, Eating disorder, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual content, Pregnancy, and Racism
doctorw0rm's review against another edition
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Medical trauma, Body horror, Chronic illness, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Incest, and Gun violence
Minor: Drug use
allymute's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
A fabulous writer, as always. Noted that this collection doesn’t run with one cohesive theme, but are just compiled together. My highlights are Bloodchild, Speech Sounds, and Amnesty.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Body horror
Minor: Incest