A review by crywithclaire
Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler

4.0

Very interesting read, and feels contemporary even in 2023. Butler’s prose is both digestible and compelling, and I would have gotten through this book quite quickly if not for the challenging subject matter. Lauren’s a fairly likable protagonist most of the time and it’s easy to root for her. At first, I found the way that she bluntly and nonchalantly described the violence surrounding her to be grating, but over time I realized I could not fault her for this as it’s all she’s ever known and despite her hyperempathy, in many ways she is desensitized to it. However, I absolutely HATED the romantic relationship she gets into near the end and felt as though the darker side of what Lauren was doing with Earthseed could have been addressed more (why criticize organized religion just to have the solution be to start a different organized religion?). Overall though, if you’re looking for a book with strong ideas about the effects of climate change, late-stage capitalism, globalization/imperialism, religious institutions, etc. this is definitely for you.