A review by kithenrietta
Kindred by Octavia E. Butler

5.0

really made me think about how some parents today still use the exact same words and phrases that slave owners used, but just on their children. they don’t know how to “control” them, so they slip into this role of “owner” instead of a loving parent.
also this was the first time i heard the word “overseer” used this way. made me think of the religion i was raised with and how we would similarly prepare for the overseer to arrive, all being on our best behavior. absolutely wild and yet unsurprising how things get passed down like that.
i think this is a must read, but especially for white people. it really makes you question what you would do if you were kevin, and how easily you could assimilate if you had the privilege. would you become an abolitionist like he did, or would you remain comfortable?
dana was still so close and related to the horrors of chattel slavery despite being from 1976. the very real conversations between her and her white husband are still things that happen to this day. white people can only understand to a certain degree, but we will never get the trauma that comes with it even generations later.