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stellenelcielo 's review for:
Kindred
by Octavia E. Butler
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Just finished this for the end of Black History Month (started it on the 28th, but finished it on the 1st so I think it still counts lol)
Not sure if it’s considered a classic (although I know Butler’s other novel, Parable of the Sower, is) but it definitely should be. Kindred was first published in 1979.
I found it very dark, but glad I read it. I find that when you’re not American, the way Trans Atlantic Slave Trade is taught is in a very sanitized way, so we don’t truly understand the level of inhumanity that actually took place.
I say this as a white settler in another settler-colonial state, but I think we should all be reading classics by Black authors more often (rather than just during Black History Month) to fully understand why systemic racism is still present and such as problem today.
Many trigger warnings for this novel, of course, but cannot recommend it enough if anyone hasn’t read it.
Not sure if it’s considered a classic (although I know Butler’s other novel, Parable of the Sower, is) but it definitely should be. Kindred was first published in 1979.
I found it very dark, but glad I read it. I find that when you’re not American, the way Trans Atlantic Slave Trade is taught is in a very sanitized way, so we don’t truly understand the level of inhumanity that actually took place.
I say this as a white settler in another settler-colonial state, but I think we should all be reading classics by Black authors more often (rather than just during Black History Month) to fully understand why systemic racism is still present and such as problem today.
Many trigger warnings for this novel, of course, but cannot recommend it enough if anyone hasn’t read it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Hate crime, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Trafficking, Colonisation, Classism