Sci-fi is not a genre that I’d have picked up on my own, but sometime this year I came across the synopsis of Parable of the Sower, and it got me curious enough to attempt to read the book. It took me a minute to get into the story, but once I did, I was sucked in. I find her style of writing very direct…like she’s so confident about what she wants to tell you, that she just tells it as is.
Anyway, reading Parable of the Sower was wild. Even though she wrote the book decades ago, the environment she envisioned seems like a possible reality, given the way things are now. It felt uncomfortable, but I had to know what happened next so I kept going. The story continues in Parable of the Talents and she didn’t hold back on the level of discomfort with that one either.
One of the things that really got me was the community the story centered on. It was a community built out of necessity to survive, but they were able to build mutual respect and a level of dedication to each other. It was centered on their need (survival) and values (read the book, lol). Joining the community was optional, but the expectations as a member were clearly communicated – affirm the community’s shared values and actively participate in building the community. The characters in the books seemed diverse in terms of their personalities, life experiences, and interests, but they all looked out for one another. Are values and needs stronger requirements for a functional community? Do community members need to be in agreement about their community for it to be coherent? I think reading the books is a major reason for my questions about community.
Her take on hyper-empathy was also fascinating. Would you be okay with (uncontrollably) feeling the pleasure of others, if you would also feel their pain with the same intensity?
I also read her Lilith’s Brood (aka Xenogenesis) series and that book made me sure that Ms. Butler could have sold water to a well. Imagine making something so strange seem even desirable. One of the recurring ideas in the book is that our relationship with hierarchy limits us. I agree with that because even though experiences/expertise vary, we need to recognize ourselves and others as equally worthy.
In the last book in the Xenogenesis series, Imago, I feel that Ms. Butler illustrated how we respond to (lack of) meaningful connections. Fulfilling connections build us up and a lack of causes us to devolve into less than we are.
differentshadesofbrown 