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The Parable of the Sower (Parable, 1)

This acclaimed post-apocalyptic novel of hope and terror from an award-winning author "pairs well with 1984 or The Handmaid's Tale" and includes a foreword by LeVar Burton and an afterword by N. K. Jemisin (John Green, New York Times).

When global climate change and economic crises lead to social chaos in the early 2020s, California becomes full of dangers, from pervasive water shortage to masses of vagabonds who will do anything to live to see another day. Fifteen-year-old Lauren Olamina lives inside a gated community with her preacher father, family, and neighbors, sheltered from the surrounding anarchy. In a society where any vulnerability is a risk, she suffers from hyperempathy, a debilitating sensitivity to others' emotions.

Precocious and clear-eyed, Lauren must make her voice heard in order to protect her loved ones from the imminent disasters her small community stubbornly ignores. But what begins as a fight for survival soon leads to something much more: the birth of a new faith . . . and a startling vision of human destiny.

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368 pages

Average rating: 7.71

745 RATINGS

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29 REVIEWS

Community Reviews

fjacinta
Feb 09, 2025
9/10 stars
We loved the sense of community this book brings out despite the environment of despair the story takes place in. It shows that through community you can learn to build trust and experience the power of collaboration. The book is a stark reminder of how quickly the world will decay when humans turn on one another. It was terrifying to read yet we found some hope in how people were able to support one another through the the most difficult of circumstances. An incredibly powerful story.
Spoken Black Girl
Jan 21, 2025
10/10 stars
Infused with the horror of one empire ending and the hope of a new beginning, Parable of the Sower is a “cautionary tale” that feels eerily close to reality.
Tanesha’s Tips
Dec 12, 2024
8/10 stars
See my goodreads review!
Neicee77
Dec 08, 2024
8/10 stars
This book was good. It has me thinking about the future and the end of the world as we know it. They should definitely make a new movie about this.
Mrs. Awake Taco
Nov 13, 2024
8/10 stars
4.5 stars. Really good but hard to read. This hit really close to home, especially with things the way they are right now. Everything feels really unbalanced and teetery. This apocalyptic sci-fi novel was predicated on the idea that the US has more or less fallen apart, for a number of reasons but climate change seems to have a bit impact on it. Reading this on the heels of Hurricane Harvey, with the fire in L.A. and the drought in California, this hit really close to home and I had to keep taking breaks. I had to go off and watch something happy before I could go back to it. Having said that, I really, really enjoyed the religious aspect of this book. Lauren Olamina is writing her own religion and her own religious books based on the truths she observes around her, and they make sense to me. God is change. Everything you change changes you. And other such parables. I thought they were lovely and made all kinds of sense.

Anyhow, I really enjoyed this book, even if it was hard to read, and I'm legit thinking about reading the next one. Wanna know what happens.

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