BLURB

When global climate change and economic crises lead to social chaos in the early 2020s, California becomes full of dangers, from pervasive water shortage to masses of vagabonds who will do anything to live to see another day. Fifteen-year-old Lauren Olamina lives inside a gated community with her preacher father, family, and neighbors, sheltered from the surrounding anarchy. In a society where any vulnerability is a risk, she suffers from hyperempathy, a debilitating sensitivity to others’ emotions.

Precocious and clear-eyed, Lauren must make her voice heard in order to protect her loved ones from the imminent disasters her small community stubbornly ignores. But what begins as a fight for survival soon leads to something much more: the birth of a new faith . . . and a startling vision of human destiny.

MY THOUGHTS:

Okay, I have to admit something—I had never read an Octavia E. Butler book before this. Gasp! I know, I know. I watched the Kindred series on Hulu but never got around to reading the book. But after seeing some of my favorite Booktokers talk about The Parable of the Sower and how eerily relevant it feels to our world today, I knew I had to pick it up. And let me tell you—it shook me.

There’s something about reading a dystopian novel that hits different when the world around you is already feeling like it’s falling apart. The fires in California, the political chaos, the cultural divides—Butler wrote this in 1993, yet it feels like she somehow time-traveled and took notes from 2024. How the hell did she know? How did she predict this level of disintegration? Because let’s be real—things are looking rough, and it’s only February!

A World on Fire—Literally and Figuratively

One of the most striking things about this book is how much of it mirrors our reality. Take this passage for example:

“Tonight the last big Window Wall television in the neighborhood went dark for good. We saw the dead astronauts with all red, rocky Mars around her. We saw a dust-dry reservoir and three dead water peddlers with their dirty-blue armbands and their heads cut halfway off. And we saw whole blocks of boarded-up buildings burning in Los Angeles. Of course, no one would waste water trying to put such fires out.”

This passage made me think of the recent TikTok ban discussions and the government’s attempts at censorship. Social media, especially TikTok, has become the primary way many of us get unfiltered news. And while it can be overwhelming, it’s also necessary. Seeing what’s really happening, even when it’s ugly, matters. And those fires in L.A.? That’s not just fiction—that’s real life. Butler’s world feels like an exaggerated version of our own, but is it really that exaggerated?

Then there’s this part:

“Also, Donner has a plan for putting people back to work. He hopes to get laws changed, suspend ‘overly restrictive’ minimum wage, environmental, and worker protection laws for those employers willing to take on homeless employees and provide them with training and adequate room and board.”

Tell me why President Donner sounds way too familiar? If you squint, you can see the parallels to Trump and policies that prioritize corporations over workers. The exploitation, the stripping away of rights under the guise of helping—it’s all too real.

Lauren Olamina: The Ultimate Survivor

One of the biggest reasons this book stuck with me is Lauren Olamina. She’s such a compelling main character, and I kept forgetting how young she was—only 18 by the end of the book! The eldest daughter energy was strong with this one. She was strategic, bold, and miles ahead of everyone else in terms of survival.

And then there’s her brother, Keith. Whew. He got on my nerves so much. But let’s be honest—every thriller or horror story has that character. The one who thinks they’re smarter and tougher than they actually are, only to prove themselves painfully wrong. Keith was that guy. And, well… it never ends well for that guy.

I loved how Lauren’s journey evolved—meeting new people, forming a community, and learning that survival is stronger in numbers. It gave me The Walking Dead vibes, and I am obsessed with that whole post-apocalyptic, “we have to rely on each other” feel.

The Most Chilling Takeaway

My absolute favorite quote from this book has to be this one:

“Had the world gone crazy?”
“The world goes crazy every three or four decades. The trick is to survive until it goes sane again.”

Whew. That hit hard. We’re definitely in one of those crazy cycles right now. The real question is—how long until sanity returns? And will we even recognize it when it does?

At the end of the book, there’s a Q&A with Octavia Butler where she’s asked about her inspiration. Her response?

“It is to look at where we are now, what we are doing now, and to consider where some of our current behaviors and unattended problems might take us.”

And damn. If that doesn’t just sum it all up. We’re living in the consequences of past choices. The world didn’t just become this way—it was a slow build of ignored warnings and unchecked power. Butler saw it coming, and now, here we are.

Final Thoughts

I’m so glad I bought this book instead of borrowing it from the library because this is a book I want to keep forever. This is a book I want to pass down to my daughter one day. It’s not just a novel—it’s a warning, a guide, a prophecy.

So, would I recommend The Parable of the Sower? Absolutely. But don’t expect a cozy read. This one will make you think, make you uncomfortable, and maybe even make you a little scared. And honestly? Maybe that’s exactly what we need.

Happy reading—well, more like, stay safe, take care of yourself, and brace yourself for the ride.