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A review by misosoupcup
Kindred by Octavia E. Butler
dark
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
5.0
soooo many thoughts.... but no words. amazing, now give them therapy.
oh actually one thought. i like the way octavia butler kind of examined white allyship through dana's relationships with kevin and rufus. while rufus probably sees himself as an ally to black ppl, bc he literally just isn't his father it is clear that he is racist. as opposed to kevin who actually puts in the work, and actually becomes an abolitionist while he was trapped in the past for five years. and the extra commentary around dana being apprehensive of kevin. the message, that people are shaped by their circumstances and if kevin had been born during that time, he might have been as racist and cruel as rufus, but also saying "racism is not something that is defined by the time you lived in. kevin would have benefited from playing along and engaging in white supremacy, but he chose not to. he chose to do the good thing during a time when it was bad, so what is everyone else's excuse in the present?
oh actually one thought. i like the way octavia butler kind of examined white allyship through dana's relationships with kevin and rufus. while rufus probably sees himself as an ally to black ppl, bc he literally just isn't his father it is clear that he is racist. as opposed to kevin who actually puts in the work, and actually becomes an abolitionist while he was trapped in the past for five years. and the extra commentary around dana being apprehensive of kevin. the message, that people are shaped by their circumstances and if kevin had been born during that time, he might have been as racist and cruel as rufus, but also saying "racism is not something that is defined by the time you lived in. kevin would have benefited from playing along and engaging in white supremacy, but he chose not to. he chose to do the good thing during a time when it was bad, so what is everyone else's excuse in the present?