Latest news with #OctaviaButler
Washington Post
09-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Washington Post
In ‘My Documents,' passive Americans accept their dystopian reality
In a May 2000 essay for Essence magazine, Octavia Butler wrote that 'to try to foretell the future without studying history is like trying to learn to read without bothering to learn the alphabet.' History clearly inspires Kevin Nguyen's dystopian second novel, 'Mỹ Documents,' which imagines a near-future in which, following coordinated terrorist attacks by Vietnamese perpetrators, a million Vietnamese Americans are imprisoned in the same way Japanese Americans were during World War II.
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Most popular books borrowed from Michigan libraries via MeLCat online catalog
As National Reading Month ends, amid growing concerns about future federal funding for libraries, the Michigan eLibrary has tallied the state's most-requested books year-to-date. MeLCat is an online catalog service that lets library members borrow books and other items from over 400 libraries statewide. Most books on the list were recently published fiction, although one title was published over three decades ago. Published in 1993, late science fiction writer Octavia Butler's "Parable of the Sower" ranks 12th for this year's most-requested title. The novel predicts a dystopian future, set in 2024, where a young protagonist is forced to navigate conditions of scarcity, political unrest and climate change. More: Michigan libraries, museums brace Michigan libraries, museums brace for loss of federal funds after Trump executive order "The Frozen River," written by Ariel Lawhon, tops the state's library lending list so far this year. The book, inspired by the life and writings of Martha Ballard, an 18th-century Maine midwife, has been checked out more than 200 times between Jan 1 and March 18. A fictional story of a widow who forms a bond with an octopus at an aquarium where she works is the subject of the debut novel by Shelby Van Pelt. The book, "Remarkably Bright Creatures" published in 2022, ranks 4th on the statewide list this year and was the most requested book last year. "Remarkably Bright Creatures" by Shelby Van Pelt "Lessons in Chemistry" by Bonnie Garmus "The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store" by James McBride "The Women" by Kristin Hannah "West with Giraffes" by Lynda Rutledge Four of last year's top five requested books remain popular in the first quarter of 2025. In 2024, more than 980,000 items were loaned out using the MeLCat system, according to the state. Contact Kristi Tanner: ktanner@ This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Most popular books borrowed from Michigan libraries via MeLCat
Los Angeles Times
14-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
The bookstore preserving the legacy of Altadena author Octavia Butler
Octavia Butler was often noted for being ahead of her time. A science fiction writer, she became the first Black woman to gain widespread acclaim in a genre that was predominantly white and male. During the Eaton fire, people were quick to point out the eerie similarities to her 1993 dystopian novel Parable of the Sower, which took place in 2025 and imagined Los Angeles ravaged by fires. Altadena resident Nikki High opened Octavia's Bookshelf in February 2023, inspired by the author. 'People miss the blueprint of hope [Butler] wrote in Parable of the Sower.' It was with that in mind that High knew she wanted to help the community that had supported her in opening her bookstore, even as she was dealing with the effects of the fire herself. She turned the store into a mutual aid shop the day after the fires began, collecting and distributing donations to impacted residents. Octavia Butler passed away in 2006, but her legacy lives on in Altadena, Pasadena and beyond. Video by Rebecca Castillo.
