This acclaimed post-apocalyptic novel of hope and terror from award-winning author Octavia E. Butler sits alongside other great dystopian works, such as 1984 or The Handmaid’s Tale. When global climate change and economic crises lead to social chaos in the early 2020s, California becomes filled with dangers, from widespread water shortages to masses of homeless people who will do anything to survive another day. Lauren Olamina, a fifteen-year-old teenager, lives within a gated community with her father, a preacher, her family, and her neighbors, relatively protected from the surrounding anarchy. In a society where any vulnerability is a risk, she suffers from hyperempathy, a debilitating sensitivity to the emotions of others. Precocious and clear-headed, Lauren must make her voice heard to protect those she loves from the impending disasters that her small community stubbornly ignores...read more
