Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler

“There is no end to what a living world will demand of you”

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Parable of the Sower (POB) follows Lauren as she tries to survive a world that is dying a slow death. Set in California in 2024, society in the states is collapsing and solidifying into an oligarchy. When Lauren’s middle class enclave is attacked and her family murdered, she is forced to put her religion Earthseed to the test and build a community that will dare to imagine new ways of being.

Butler always said the book is a cautionary tale. For me this is important, because while POB is a favorite of mine, the book lacks character development and does not push beyond the criminalization of poor and unhoused folks and people struggling with addiction. We never see the networks of care and safety within these communities and their deaths are justified by Butler positioning them as perpetrators of violence.

While POB does an amazing job at introducing readers to radical dreaming, it only takes us so far. It makes me question again and again who is worthy of care? How do we center equity deserving groups in ways that affirm their humanity rather than reinforce fear and caution of the most marginalized? What does it mean to take root among the stars of we are still reserving care for those with access?

When re-reading this book I am reminded of an old Black feminist adage, none of us are free until all of us free. Can we dare to dream of an even more liberated future?