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.

Wow!!! If I could have given this book a 4.5stars rating, I would. This book was just what I needed right now. Lately, I had become rather annoyed and disappointed with some of the crap I've wasted my time reading and after the last one, I vowed to stick to my fave authors and their series and maybe spend some time reading some other genre than the crime thrillers/mysteries that I typically read.

This time travel / historical fiction was a great choice. Every now and then, I enjoy a really good and well written historical fiction story or time travel story; Kindred fit the need perfectly. Sometimes, I even kind of like it when an author reveals the end of the story in the prologue because then I don't have to spend my time and energy trying figure out "whodunit" and can just enjoy the story.

Personally, I think stories like Kindred actually require more work to write and it takes a more competent and talented author to unfold a story more focused on character and story development than tricky twists. Regardless, Kindred is a good story and I became hooked from the get go and found it hard to put down, so much so that I finished it in two sittings.

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.