Parable of the Sower

Octavia E. Butler

5/31/1999

It is 2025 in United States Calfornia. There is no place safe to live except inside walled communities. The future holds no prospects for people without college educations. But no one can afford to finish high school, let alone college. Many people can barely read or write. Inflation has increased all goods beyond most peoples' reach. A thousand dollars might buy enough food for two weeks.

Fifteen-year-old Lauren lives with her father, step-mother, and three half brothers in a small walled neighborhood. Her father is an on-line college professor and the neighborhood Baptist minister. They learn how to handle guns at a young age. They learn to fear all strangers while they are still toddlers.

This is Laren's diary/thoughts/writings. She does not believe in her father's religion. She sees the country going downhill and knows that their community can only stand for a short time. Soon the outside world will encroach. She wonders how they will survive. She prepares herself for the possibility of flight.

This is an interesting speculative fiction novel. It is a bleak vision of our future. It is a mixture of philosophy, future possibilities, and the indominatable spirit of mankind. As bleak as the vision is, this novel contains hope. Ms. Butler's vision could be all too real, yet she still sees beyond that to the further future.

More excellent reviews for this book can be found at