Kindred

This was not what I expected at all.

I wanted to read an Octavia Butler book and checked out a random one from my library. This book highlights the mixed feelings racism brings between black and white people. The main characters seemed to hate and love each other because they like each other's company but Rufus can't seem to help to do anything besides hurt the black people around him. I think he wants to do the right thing but never emotionally matured enough and didnt have enough backbone to stand up to societial norms.

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.

Really valuable - it's so easy to fantasize what you would have done in the context of slavery, but this book is probably the best attempt to seriously think it through. Still so hard to imagine how people back then convinced themselves what they were doing was right. Nowadays we still dehumanize others, but usually only when they are far away and out of sight, not living on the other side of the lawn, making your food, washing your clothes. (Obviously the rich get close to that but they just fire people that upset them, they don't whip them bloody.) And that cruelty lived alongside such a strict code of southern manners and evangelical religion (still capable of astonishing callousness despite their religious bloviating - you've literally got religious 'influencers' writing and discussing books called 'Empathy is a Sin' smh). But it's always worth reminding yourself of the human ability to look the other way and be glad it isn't happening to you.

I find that I'm very into historical fiction, much more than I ever thought I would be at least. This was marked as science fiction for a book club I've joined and I absolutely see the elements of time playing a huge part in their selection. Overall, I enjoyed the plot, the character development and the themes throughout the text. I must read more of Octavia Butler moving forward.

Time travel the most known sci-fi trope, but this book does it better than any other. Dana a black woman in the 70’s gets randomly taken back in time to save her white slave owning ancestor. I haven’t stopped thinking about this book. Rufus is the most selfish yet human villians I’ve read in a book. And Dana handles situations in ways I wouldn’t. You end up understanding why. The ending being disappointing is so realistic. Never had a book that’s made me think about it well after in a very long time. Wonderful story, the best science fiction book I’ve read!