As an avid reader, how in the world did I go 35 years without even hearing of Octavia Butler? Just finished “Parable of the Sower” and “Parable of the Talents,” and I am blown away.

Over the years, the cliche “Handmaid’s Tale…1984…A Brave New World…” always get mentioned for their prophetic take on a future world. I’ve never heard Butler mentioned in these conversations, but her parable books, pulses in the 90s, were discussing a future with right wing, Christo-fascism taking hold in America after the election of a presidential candidate claiming that he’s trying to “Make America Great Again.” City towns owned by corporations, poor people voting for strong men because of the lack of education anda feeling of desperation. Government/police that have given up even acting like they aren’t just there to help corporations.etc. Through the two books, she paints a horrifyingly familiar picture of US society (familiar, not exact. I’m aware that society has not completely broken down in the US), exhibiting a clear understanding of the direction the US was heading and she did so pre-9/11. The writing is beautiful. The story is captivating. Basically, I’m blown away by her work, and I cannot believe I’ve never read anything she wrote. via /r/books https://ift.tt/NaJEdLS