REVIEW: Parable of the Sower

Fiction by Octavia E. Butler

Parable of the Sower was written in 1993 and is considered a classic amongst lovers of realistic dystopian literature.  There are no zombies, vampires or modern-day gladiator games; only the harsh reality of world order destroyed by greed.  Nineteen-year-old Lauren Olamina lives in a gated community located in Southern California.  The gates keep her and others safe from the socioeconomic anarchy of the twenty-first century.   Lauren’s community is destroyed and her family murdered by drug crazed pyromaniacs and scavengers.  Lauren and other survivors journey north to establish a new world where their new religion (Earthseed) can govern existence.

This novel is steeped in current day realism: gated communities to keep out crime and the unwanted, modern day slavery, the cost of clean water, and the fear of a police state are but a few of the issues confronted in this powerful novel.   The author, Octavia E. Butler, has won the Nebula Award, the Hugo Award and the Locus Award for science fiction.   The sequel, Parable of the Talents, continues the extraordinary story of Lauren and the community she establishes.

— Sherryl James, manager, Cooper River Library, North Charleston.

Find this and similar titles at Charleston County Public Library. To learn more or to place a hold, visit www.ccpl.org or call 843-805-6930.