Kindred

An amazing read that I highly recommend. I would never have picked this book myself, but it was recommended and I picked up this time travel sci-fi book one night, thinking it would help put me to sleep. Four hours later, I had to force myself to put the book down. I will never forget this story. This book places you square in the middle of Antebellum South inside the skin of a modern day (by way of the 1970s) black woman trying to survive long enough to navigate her way back home. The author manages to skillfully make her point about slavery - all kinds of slavery - without going into too many gorey details which makes this accessible to all readers. There were some very gritty passages but necessary. The author brings history class to life in this compelling story and yet, her most powerful points are made in quiet moments. The most powerful one for me was when Dana realized how easy it was to condition people to accept horrific mistreatment. Especially when the power structure condones it. There were several passages that were hard to read. This book will leave a mark and is a MUST-READ for everyone. Even though it was written in the late 70s, it’s a timeless story about freedom and human nature. I would especially recommend for book clubs.

My favorite book. Timeless, elegant, edgy, painful. Brilliant layout to explore race and sexuality. I typically air on the side of underrating rather than overrating, but this book deserves a solid 10.

this was wonderfully written and such an important read. i loved every second of it

It's rare to pick up a book written in the 1970's that still holds up. My first foray into Octavia Butler was a heavy listen which to me seemed to explore what a person is willing to do to survive and what a person is willing to let happen to others. I kept increasing the speed as my anxiety increased for the characters. I'd recommend this story for anyone interested in time travel and also for anyone who thinks they know who they would be if they were sucked into the past.

Meh.