ISBN:
0807083690
Title: Kindred Pdf
Author: Octavia E. Butler
Published Date: 1988
Page: 287
Octavia Butler is a writer who will be with us for a long, long time, and Kindred is that rare magical artifact . . . the novel one returns to, again and again.—Harlan Ellison"One cannot finish Kindred without feeling changed. It is a shattering work of art with much to say about love, hate, slavery, and racial dilemmas, then and now." —Sam Frank, Los Angeles Herald-Examiner"In Kindred, Octavia Butler creates a road for the impossible and a balm for the unbearable. It is everything the literature of science fiction can be." —Walter Mosley"Truly terrifying . . . A book you'll find hard to put down."—Essence"Butler's books are exceptional . . . She is a realist, writing the most detailed social criticism and creating some of the most fascinating female characters in the genre . . . real women caught in impossible situations."—Dorothy Allison, Village Voice"Butler's literary craftsmanship is superb."—Washington Post Book World"One of the most original, thought-provoking works examining race and identity."—Lynell George, Los Angeles TimesThis powerful novel about a modern black woman transported back in time to a slave plantation in the antebellum South is the perfect introduction to Butler's work and perspectives for those not usually enamored of science fiction. . .A harrowing, haunting story." —John Marshall, Seattle Post-Intelligencer "No other work of fantasy or science fiction writings brings the intimate environment of the antebellum South to life better than Octavia E. Butler's Kindred." —Kevin Weston, San Francisco Chronicle "A celebrated mainstay of college courses in women's studies and black literature and culture; some colleges require it as mandatory freshman reading." —Linell Smith, The Baltimore Sun"Kindred is as much a novel of psychological horror as it is a novel of science fiction. . .a work of art whose individual accomplishment defies categorization." —Barbara Strickland, The Austin Chronicle"A startling and engrossing commentary on the complex actuality and continuing heritage of American slavery." —Sherley Anne Williams, Ms."Her books are disturbing, unsettling… In a field dominated by white male authors, Butler's African-American feminist perspective is unique, and uniquely suited to reshape the boundaries of the sci-fi genre." —Bill Glass, L. A. Style Octavia E. Butler (1947-2006) was the author of many novels, including Dawn, Wild Seed, andParable of the Sower. She was the recipient of a MacArthur Award and a Nebula Award, and she twice won the Hugo Award.
The visionary author’s masterpiece pulls us—along with her Black female hero—through time to face the horrors of slavery and explore the impacts of racism, sexism, and white supremacy then and now.
Dana, a modern black woman, is celebrating her twenty-sixth birthday with her new husband when she is snatched abruptly from her home in California and transported to the antebellum South. Rufus, the white son of a plantation owner, is drowning, and Dana has been summoned to save him. Dana is drawn back repeatedly through time to the slave quarters, and each time the stay grows longer, more arduous, and more dangerous until it is uncertain whether or not Dana's life will end, long before it has a chance to begin.
Ambivalent Feelings First, I am not a big fan of science fiction. For a reading challenge, I was tasked with reading a work of science fiction by an author of color or with a main character of color. Two birds, one book with Octavia Butler’s Kindred. Plus, it gives me a reason to read a prolific writer who I have been ignoring. Extra bonus, I would consider this Sci Fi light. There are no aliens, no robots, and no weird machines. Only time travel with no devices required.The novel is set in 1976 in California. African American Dana is newly married to white guy Will. They are both writers, he more successful. They move into a new home. Dana feels dizzy and poof—there she is in antebellum Maryland saving a white boy named Rufus from drowning. Task accomplished and she returns home, finding that she was gone for only a few seconds in 1979 but for a longer spell in the 1800’s. Rufus is the young son of a plantation and slave owner and is also a distant relation to Dana. Whenever he is in danger (which is often) she is somehow summoned to save him. Her visits to the south last for longer periods of time and sometimes her husband Will accompanies her. Dana believes she must continue to save Rufus otherwise he will not be alive to father a child with a slave; that child being one of Dana’s ancestors. No Rufus, no Dana. Dana obviously does not fit in and passes herself off as a free black from the north, though Will is her “master” and lover. On the plantation she is often treated as a slave because there is nothing more threatening to slave owners than an educated black woman. She herself is often in danger and suffers atrocities along with the other slaves.This was a quick read and an interesting story, but I did not love it. I’m not a fan of time travel in novels, but that was a very minor part of the story. It was fairly easily accepted by all involved, including those on the plantation. Most of the book takes place on the plantation and these are the most compelling sections. That said, I don’t think that those scenes were much different than any other book set in that period. Toni Morrison and Kathleen Grissom (The Kitchen House and Glory Over Everything) are much better writers. Also, some of the interesting dynamics were not explored in enough depth for me. Dana’s love/hate relationship with Rufus, her relationship with her white husband both in current and past times, and her fear that her husband would be altered by his exposure to conventions in the early 1800’s. In fairness, this book was written in 1979 and the author may have gone as far as one could go with those issues. This book is 3.5 stars for me. I am unlikely to read another of Ms. Butler’s books.An atypical sci-fi novel dealing with time travel, slavery, and familial connection. A Gem. I love sci-fi, so when I first heard about Octavia Butler, I jumped on Amazon and bought the first book I saw.In Kindred, Dana, a modern young African American writer who recently married an older white man, gets mysteriously transported back in time to a pre-Civil War plantation owned by the family of her oldest known relative, Rufus. Dana is called back to save Rufus’s life over and over again, presumably preserving her own life in the process. What happens to her in the past stays with her in a very real way.This novel is incredible. I couldn’t put it down. It was written in 1979, but it could have been written last year. Elements of Butler’s own life and frustrations with race issues during her life shine through in parts.This novel deals with love, familial connection, loss, time travel, slavery, and the complex emotions that arise when these things interconnect. To quote Dana:"Strangely, they seemed to like him, hold him in contempt, and fear him all at the same time. This confused me because I felt just about the same mixture of emotions for him myself. I had thought my feelings were complicated because he and I had such a strange relationship. But then, slavery of any kind fostered strange relationships. Only the overseer drew simple, unconflicting emotions of hatred and fear when he appeared briefly. But then, it was part of the overseer’s job to be hated and feared while the master kept his hands clean."This is a great book. It makes the deep personal toll slavery takes on its victims very real. I’m seeking out more of Octavia Butler’s books in the near future.It pulled me in and wouldn't let go! I am a 72 yo white male who was born and raised in the deep South. I left that environment as a teenager, which probably made the difference in my attitude toward the significance of race. Butler made me feel like I was that 26-year-old black woman. Her skillful writing transported me to a place and time that I am certain truly existed in the manner she constructed. I found myself doing some soul-searching after reading the novel kindred. I wish I had been exposed to her while she was still alive, But I will probably wind up reading all of her books now.
BORN A COLORED GIRL pdf
Parable of the Sower pdf
The Fifth Season (The Broken Earth Book 1) pdf
BUT HAVE NOT LOVE pdf
The Proposal pdf
TAME THE SAVAGE HEART pdf
Scholastic Success with Reading Comprehension, Grades 1 pdf
Empire of Bones (Book 1 of The Empire of Bones Saga) pdf
Thot Next Door pdf
Telepath (Hive Mind Book 1) pdf
How Long & pdf
The Hidden Witch (The Coven pdf
Bought (A New Adult Billionaire Romance) (His For A Week Book 1) pdf
Darkest Before The Dawn (The Second Dark Ages Book 3) pdf
The Tollkeeper pdf
The Lost Witch (The Coven pdf
Tags: 0807083690 pdf,Kindred pdf,Octavia E. Butler,Kindred,Beacon Press,0807083690,Science Fiction - General,African American women,African American women;Fiction.,Los Angeles (Calif.),Los Angeles (Calif.);Fiction.,Psychological fiction,Slaveholders,Slavery,Slaves,Southern States,Southern States;Fiction.,Time travel,African American,BUTLER, OCTAVIA E. - PROSE & CRITICISM,Classics,Education / General,FICTION / African American / Women,FICTION / Classics,FICTION / Historical / General,FICTION / Science Fiction / General,FICTION / Science Fiction / Time Travel,Fiction,Fiction - Science Fiction,Fiction-Science Fiction,Fiction/Science Fiction - General,GENERAL,General Adult,Los Angeles (Calif.),Los Angeles (Calif.);Fiction.,Psychological fiction,Reference / Encyclopedias,Science Fiction - General,Science fiction,Slaveholders,Slavery,Slaves,Southern States,Southern States;Fiction.,Time travel,United States,african american authors;black authors;octavia butler;travel gifts for women;black authors best sellers;sci-fi;sci fi;science fiction books;black female authors books;slavery;time travel;science fiction;african-american literature;black women writers;historical fiction;speculative fiction;afro futurism;slavery novels;alternate history;historical;sci fi books;historical fiction books;historical fiction novels;time travel books;fiction;novels;historical novels;african american books;travel gifts,slavery; time travel; science fiction; african-american literature; black women writers; historical fiction; speculative fiction; racial history; afro futurism; slavery novels; sci-fi; sci fi; science fiction books; black female authors books; science fiction and fantasy; fiction; fiction books; african american books; time travel books; historical fiction books; historical fiction novels; sci-fi books; african american authors; black authors; octavia butler; travel gifts for women; black authors best sellers,Classics,Education / General,FICTION / African American / Women,FICTION / Classics,FICTION / Historical / General,FICTION / Science Fiction / General,FICTION / Science Fiction / Time Travel,Fiction/Science Fiction - General,Reference / Encyclopedias,Fiction - Science Fiction,Fiction,Science fiction
b.egawanbening630
