Review: Kindred

Title: Kindred

Author: Octavia E. Butler

Date Completed: 28 October 2016

I had heard the name Octavia Butler several times over the past few years, but had never picked up one of her books until last week when a friend mentioned listening to Kindred on audio. Wow, powerful stuff within these pages. It is just as relevant today as when it was published in 1979.

Every history-lovers' fantasy--traveling back in time--turns into a nightmare for Dana. She is an African--American women from the 1970s transported back to the antebellum South. Complicating matters further she meets her ancestors...and they're white. While grappling with that truth she is transported back and forth in time forced to save the white boy/man who would rape her great-great-great-great grandmother otherwise she wouldn't exist in the future.

The author does an excellent job working through the complexities of a variety of relationships surrounding the American system of slavery. As the protagonist notes: "Strangely, they seemed to like him, hold him in contempt, and fear him all at the same time. I felt just about the same mixture of emotions for him myself...slavery of any kind fostered strange relationships." (pg. 229)

The author also gives the reader a look at the manipulation that kept slaves subdued. Master Weylin was illiterate, but he was a skilled manipulator and had keen understanding of human psychology knowing just how to ensure submission from each of his slaves. Dana wrestled with the ease of acceptance herself during the months she spent in her ancestors plantation: "I never realized how easily people could be trained to accept slavery." (pg. 101)

Studying the human interactions and systemic issues from the antebellum years provides a new and necessary lens for viewing present racial tensions in the United States. As books are an excellent place to gain understanding and learn empathy, I've made an effort to read a little more diversely this past year. While almost all of the books I've read by or about people of color this year have been excellent, this one will definitely go down on my list of books to recommend to others seeking to do the same.