Reading Octavia Butler taught me to dream big, and I think it’s absolutely necessary that everybody have that freedom and that willingness to dream.”
—N. K. Jemisin
“In Kindred, Octavia Butler creates a road for the impossible and a balm for the unbearable. It is everything the literature of science fiction can be.”
—Walter Mosley
“A marvel of imagination, empathy and detail.”
—Stephen Kearse, New York Times
"Truly terrifying . . . A book you'll find hard to put down."—Essence
“This powerful novel about a modern black woman transported back in time to a slave plantation in the antebellum South is the perfect introduction to Butler’s work and perspectives for those not usually enamored of science fiction. . . . A harrowing, haunting story.”
—John Marshall, Seattle Post-Intelligencer
“Sixteen years after Butler’s death, her legacy of fierce imagination feels more relevant than ever. With Kindred illuminating so much of the most compelling speculative fiction, the book stands as an icon for recasting today’s challenges—envisioning new role models and possibilities in the process.”
—Sheree Renée Thomas, Scientific American
“Octavia Butler is a writer who will be with us for a long, long time, and Kindred is that rare magical artifact . . . the novel one returns to, again and again.”
—Harlan Ellison
“One of the most original, thought-provoking works examining race and identity.”
—Lynell George, Los Angeles Times
“A startling and engrossing commentary on the complex actuality and continuing heritage of American slavery.”
—Sherley Anne Williams, Ms.
"One cannot finish Kindred without feeling changed. It is a shattering work of art with much to say about love, hate, slavery, and racial dilemmas, then and now." —Sam Frank, Los Angeles Herald-Examiner
"Butler's books are exceptional . . . She is a realist, writing the most detailed social criticism and creating some of the most fascinating female characters in the genre . . . real women caught in impossible situations."—Dorothy Allison, Village Voice
"Butler's literary craftsmanship is superb."—Washington Post Book World
"No other work of fantasy or science fiction writings brings the intimate environment of the antebellum South to life better than Octavia E. Butler's Kindred." —Kevin Weston, San Francisco Chronicle
"A celebrated mainstay of college courses in women's studies and black literature and culture; some colleges require it as mandatory freshman reading." —Linell Smith, The Baltimore Sun
"Kindred is as much a novel of psychological horror as it is a novel of science fiction. . .a work of art whose individual accomplishment defies categorization." —Barbara Strickland, The Austin Chronicle
"Her books are disturbing, unsettling… In a field dominated by white male authors, Butler's African-American feminist perspective is unique, and uniquely suited to reshape the boundaries of the sci-fi genre." —Bill Glass, L. A. Style
This is the perfect time to take a beat and celebrate authors, old, new, and rediscovered, who exemplify the greatest of Black literature. From unrecognized voices such as Diane Oliver to our favorite modern wordsmiths like James McBride, we were inspired by Kwame Alexander’s quote below to put together a new collection of Black voices […]
Classic adjective. clas· sic | \ ˈkla-sik \ 1a: serving as a standard of excellence: of recognized value Some things never go out of style and when it comes to Black classics, there are so many categories we could talk about: music, movies, food, hairstyles, the list goes on. This has nothing to do with color (well, mostly) — it’s about culture. Often, we have so many […]
Welcome to the Book Nerd’s Guide to Life! Every other week, we convene in this safe place to discuss the unique challenges of life for people whose noses are always wedged in books. For past guides, click here. The last time we were together on this hallowed ground, we weighed the pros and cons of […]
Since ancient times*, humans have ushered in uncountable new years by running out and grabbing some new graphic novels. While opinions vary on whether or not 2016 was as awful as the memes imply, there’s a simple way to guarantee this year starts out properly: grab yourself some new comic books. Fortunately, we have some suggestions for what to […]