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Kindred

Octavia E. Butler

Start date: May 1, 2019

Finish date: May 31, 2019

Discussion: New School Classics- 1915-2005

Why we're reading this: New School Read, May 2019
[close] New School Read, May 2019

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New School Classics- 1915-2005

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What Members Thought

Oct 06, 2021 RJ - Slayer of Trolls rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: guardian-1000-read

Written in response to the 1970s Black Power Movement's contempt for what they considered "submissiveness" in older African-Americans, Butler produces a very thought-provoking look at slavery in which a modern African-American woman is sent back in time to interact with distant relatives in the Antebellum South. Although Butler is known for her work in the Science-Fiction genre, Kindred is much more mainstream fiction and has no SF elements outside of the time travel which is presented more as " ...more

21 likes · Like · see review

Jan 14, 2019 Christina rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2019, dcvsmarvel-2019-dj

4.5 stars

5 likes · Like · see review

Oct 22, 2019 spoko rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fiction, race, sci-fi, gender, reading-with-kids, speculative, history, re-read

This was the most thought-provoking book I've read in quite a while. I'm not particularly drawn to sci-fi books, so I was glad that the mechanics of Dana's time travel didn't get much time in this book. But the implications of her choices and actions were complicated and profound, and I'll be thinking about them for some time. I read it with my wife and son, and we've already had several really good conversations about both the content and the form of the book. (By the way, the exposition early ...more

3 likes · Like · see review

Dec 04, 2008 Nadine in NY Jones rated it really liked it

Shelves: classic, time-travel

One of "The 23 Best Sci Fi novels by women" http://best-sci-fi-books.com/23-best-...

This book isn't what I expected at all. First of all, it's NOT science fiction! I've seen it on so many "Greatest Sci Fi" lists (see above) over the years that I was, well, expecting sci fi! I thought "the Kindred" were aliens from a future race that come back in time to the slave-holding days of the south, and ... mess with stuff in some ominous fashion.

It's not any more science fiction than The Time Traveler's ...more

2 likes · Like · see review

Feb 11, 2011 Jason rated it it was amazing

Shelves: library, audio-book

Awesome book. Kinda slow to start, but never boring. Extremely interesting concept. I've never heard of anything like it. Thank you Tim for the recommendation! ...more

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