I was utterly spellbound reading Parable of the Sower. There was an uncomfortable level of parallels between the book Octavia Butler wrote in 1993 to society today, particularly after starting this book for the first time on July 20, 2024. Even at her young age, Lauren Olamina knew that society would continue to devolve, even when the adults in her neighborhood kept their heads in the sand. The book was unsettling for me for so many reasons, most importantly because I am not ready for this type of collapse of society, and we're incredibly close to this occurring if things don't change SOON. Octavia's vision was so easy to visualize because we're so close to it!  

Lauren's narration was clear and poignant - she knew what was coming, and knew what to do when the time came. She also had a quiet, determined resolve that made her a survivor and contributed to her philosophy. She also welcomed community/chosen family, even in circumstances where trusting new people could prove deadly.

I did wonder why Earthseed was approached as a religion instead of a philosophy. It would seem "God is change" and her assertion that her 'religion' was change wouldn't rise to the definition of a religion, but I'm looking at it from my understanding of religion. She spoke a bit about Destiny being among the stars and at times it did seem she meant this literally, so maybe that's where religion comes in. Bankole actually mentioned this during her first explanation of Earthseed.

My only ick is the age gap between Lauren and Bankole. This is the second book of Octavia's that I've read where she introduces either an actual large age gap or the appearance of one. This is one of the few tropes I hate to see in books. I understand that Lauren probably gravitated to Bankole because he reminded her of her father, but no. Nah. I don't want to see it. I want to read more of Octavia's work, but not if that will continue to be included.

I wonder what a newer version of this story (complete with the influence of social media) would look like.... how much mis- and disinformation would be included to make everything 1000x worse. Either way, this work can be utilized as a look into the future, both as a warning and a deterrent. I hope as many people as possible take it as such.