I must admit I wasn't looking forward to this prompt from the 52 book club. In general, I am not a big fan of specifying a specific author to read, I prefer the more generalized "pick an author that fits certain criteria" prompts. The reason I wasn't too keen on reading Octavia Butler is I am generally not a science fiction or a dystopian reader. As far as I know, her books fall into those tropes. That being said, I picked Parable of the Sower in a graphic novel format to fulfill this requirement.
Once I began reading the book and got past the initial adjustment to the format and learning the characters, I ended up appreciating the book. I found there to be lots of thought-provoking aspects to the plot and the actual verses contained within the story. I found myself stopping and reflecting on society and my own personal beliefs, particularly about religion. I am a firm believer that the world would be a better place if we all just treated each other with the kindness and respect we would like to receive. Instead of judging and critiquing others assume the best. If their actions prove to be unsatisfactory for your morals and ethics then chose to move on; judging others based on their appearance, background, and beliefs without getting to know them is a recipe for a lot of anger in your life. Knowing someone's story gives you a better chance to know them, and even if you don't agree on all things it doesn't mean you cannot get along and be friendly. Our diversity is what makes the world an interesting and unique place. Much of this story aligns with this thought process and I appreciated that.
I felt Butler brings her perspective as a Black woman without being too judgemental, but rather provides an opinion without lecturing, allowing the reader to take in the story and form their own perspective. I am glad I read this book but won't be rushing to read any more in the Parable series soon as I really do not care for the doomsday tone of dystopian stories.
Parable of the Sower by Damian Duffy
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
food for thought
While dystopian stories are not my normal reading choice I did find this one engaging once I got into the story. There are many aspects of belief presented here and how amongst horrors people can find hope. Much of the book is about survival and the story talks about the different ways people can be enslaved. While there is discussion of race and discrimination it felt as though it was about economic disparity as well. There are definite parallels to the struggles seen in inner city US today and the story highlights illiteracy and drugs as a factor in the issues. Many ways it feels like a warning of what can come if we as a nation don’t start caring and respecting life and each other instead of constantly being at odds and choosing sides
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Challenge Prompts
The Challenge Prompts I will use this for are:
- Goodreads and Reading by the Numbers #ReadingByNumbers2023 Book #19
- Library Love #LibraryLoveChallenge Book # 16
- AtoZ #2023AtoZReadingChallenge #AlphabetSoupChallenge P
- Virtual Mount TBR #VirtualMountTBR2023 Book #18
- Back List Reader #Backlistreader Book #14
- 23 in 2023 # 15 A book about a religion you don't practice
- 52 Book Club #the52bookclub2023 #48 A Book by Octavia E Butler
- 52 books in 52 weeks #24 speculative fiction
- Around the Year in 52 Books #11. A book about a person/character with a disability
- Bookworm #50 Read a book where the main character is a Villain or Anti-hero
- BooklistQueen #booklistqueenreadingchallenge2023 #47. Modern Classic
- Beat the Backlist #BTB2023 #41 graphic novel outside your fave genre
- HP Quidditch 23 #35 Angelina Johnson: Written by a BIPOC author
- Nerdy Bookworm #NerdyBookwormChallengeXO #36. Read a graphic novel, manga, or comic
- Nerd Daily #thenerddaily #nerdreading2023 #32. A BILINGUAL CHARACTER
- PopSugar #popsugarreadingchallenge #23 A book with a map
- Pick your Poison # 79 A book with something that can be lit by a match on the cover
- Read with Allison #36 Fantasy
- Sci and Nature # 15 Cli-Fi (Climate Fiction)
- Uncorked Reader #UncorkedReading2023 11 LGBT Graphic Novel
- Unruly Reader Bingo #7 Apple
- Monthly Motif #MonthlyMotifGXO Gardens and Library
- TBRChallenge #TBRChallenge Feb Getaway
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